Sometimes I just go off the rails...

I needed an ornament for a white elephant ornament exchange for an upcoming Air Force spouses Christmas party. And, well...

I make no excuses for myself. It's totally weird and off-the-wall and awesome. Mr. Wonderful laughed out loud when he saw it, so I think I hit the right tone. Since I know y'all will suddenly have a powerful urge to make your own bizarre glittery critter ornaments, I'll give you a couple of pointers.

You need a plastic beastie, anything will do (obviously). This T-rex came from Michael's. Mr. Wonderful asked me how I decided on a T-rex, and I said, "Well, I could've done something elegant, like a deer, but why do that when you can do a T-rex?" So yes, you could make these really elegant (deer, birds, etc.) and use pretty glitter colors, but... 

The other thing you need is a screw eye. These are found in the framing department of craft stores with all the picture framing and hanging supplies. 

These beasties are solid (and heavy), so it may seem like the screw won't go in, but once it bites into the plastic, it goes in just fine. You do need to have fairly strong hands, though. 

Now how, you ask, do you make sure your masterpiece hangs level? Nothing easier. Tie some string around the beastie and hold it up. Adjust the string along the body until you find the center of gravity, the point where it hangs level. Mark the spot and insert the screw eye.

As you can see, Tiger Lily was a little... perplexed. 

So that's it. Now all you do is coat the beastie with a thin layer of glue and glitter him. For this project, you don't want a glue that is very tacky. It needs to be thin enough to spread easily into all the little nooks and crannies. A foam craft brush with a wedge tip is perfect for this. Once you're sure the glue is completely dry (let it sit overnight), you can hit him with a light coat of acrylic sealer to minimize glitter transfer. I used The Tree House Studio's Clear Acrylic Gloss Coating, found at Hobby Lobby. Do the sealing outside, and let the beastie dry outside. Then add whatever festive notes you like (hat, wreath, dishes, food are all from Michael's). 

Pretty sure this will be the only glittery-blue-Air-Force-dinosaur-wearing-a-Santa-hat-and-a wreath-and-enjoying-cookies-and-cocoa ornament at the exchange. I hate to part with him. I think I'll make another one for Mr. Wonderful's desk at work.