Materials:

• 6" Square of 36 gauge craft foil*
• Permanent Markers
• An old magazine (or stack of newspapers)
• Scissors
• 12" piece of yarn, string or thin ribbon
• Hole Punch
• Medium point ball point pen
• Optional - Simple stencils with designs that would fit inside a 4" square

Both the Traditional Christmas Ornament and the Elf Christmas Ornament are made the same way.  Simply choose which pattern you prefer or better yet make one of each. 

1) Lay your foil down on top of a magazine.  This just provides a cushion for when you draw on your foil.  Without it your lines won't be deep enough or wide enough.

2) Lay your pattern on top of the foil.  If you are making these with children, you will want to tape the pattern in place on the foil so it doesn't move.

3) Trace over all the lines on your pattern with the ball point pen.  Since the paper pattern is between the foil an the pen you will get indented lines but no pen marks.

4) Color your ornament with permanent markers.  It is important to use permanent markers as washable markers do not adhere to the foil correctly and would rub off all over your hands.

5) Once the ornament is fully colored, cut the ornament out with regular scissors.  Be careful as raw metal can have sharp edges.  Then with a hole punch, punch one hole near the top of the ornament.

6) Attach your yarn to the ornament as a hanger.  To do this, fold your yarn in half and knot the two loose ends together in an overhand knot.  Now, push the folded end thru the hole.  Take the knotted end and pass it though the loop and pull taught.

Variation: By using the basic outline of our traditional ornament and omitting the face, you can make a variety of designs inside your ornament.  You could draw snowflakes or dots inside the ball or use a simple stencil to make your own design.  Draw them on paper first to be sure you like them before transferring them to the foil. 

* I Purchased my craft foil from www.whimsie.com.  It comes in different lengths but what I bought was a 3 yard piece of 12" wide 36 gauge Aluminum Sheet Foil.