It always feels a little strange to start thinking about Christmas in July, but as a quilter it is an absolute must. Last year at this time I talked about how to plan out your gift giving (If you missed that blog post, or feel like you might need a reread, you can find it here) but I thought this year as a kick off for the Christmas in July Blog Hop I would start with something a little simpler, and one that could make a fun summer project with the kids. After all, it's never too early to start getting some holiday prepwork done!

Each year I choose a different theme for my Christmas ornaments, sometimes a color (purple and gold!) or a theme (crafty! can you say origami ornaments) but sometimes I just start with a shape and work from there. In this case I chose to start with clear round ornaments.

Our first ornaments are very scrap happy! Perfect for quilters, these are fast and easy to make using all those leftover scraps from cutting. There are two different versions- one uses leftover larger scraps from projects, the other uses the WOF (width of fabric) strips left from when you use the rotary cutter. For the larger scraps I used about six pieces that measured anywhere from 1.5 by 2 inches to 5 by 5 inches. As for the leftover strips, I used five of those but depending on how thick they are you could probably use anywhere from four to seven. And best part all you have to do is pop the top off the ornament and start stuffing in the fabric. So long as you are using shatterproof ornaments this is a great one to do with the kids since there is no mess, and their little hands usually make it a little easier for them to get the fabric scraps in.

Our second ornaments are perfect for all of the painters out there. You just need the clear ornaments and two different color paints. I used a white and blue. As for the types of paint, a thinned acrylic works well (but I can also tell you that leftover nail polish will work too). All you need to do is pour a little of each paint into the ornaments and move the ball around so that the paint spreads all over the interior of the ornament. Since these will take a little while to dry (there isn’t great air flow inside the ornaments) I found it was really useful to have old egg cartons or one of those plastic cases apples sometimes come packed in, so there is somewhere they can sit and dry. I wouldn’t recommend these for really little children but it is still a great craft for kids, especially if an adult pours the paint. Just make sure that you make these in a well ventilated area.

Our third and final set of ornaments is inspired by zentangles. This doodling style was very popular several years ago and I think it is a great choice especially for anyone who likes to draw. For mine I used more clear ornaments (but you could also use solid color ornaments) and a Sharpie- it’s that simple. You can go for any design that you like, just make sure that you leave it a little time to dry before hanging it on the tree. These are a great option for older kids who might want more of a chance to express their own artistic style. These are also a great choice to use in place of table cards, or as gift tags on gifts.