3-Dimensional Bingo Star Ornaments

I’ve been creating Christmas ornaments for about 30 years. Can’t believe it’s been that long. It’s something I’m compelled to do, and it wouldn’t be Christmas to me if I didn’t.
Every year the designs are different. I suppose it’s just the creative A.D.D. I possess. Once I’ve followed through with a design, I’m basically over it, and my mind moves on to the next fresh idea.
In the past, I didn’t start thinking about designs till December, when I was in the Christmas spirit, since I would only be using them on my tree or giving them as gifts. But now that I’m an Etsy seller, I feel the need to start imagining them months before, or my shop will be left in the dust.
So here I am, before Thanksgiving, writing about my latest ornament designs. I have a few more I’m working on, but here’s the first one I've listed in my Etsy shop.
I have an affinity for old Bingo cards, and have made ornaments with them before. This time was a bit more challenging.
I've made stars before, but none were 3-dimensional like these. Made with 2 Bingo cards, these are joined at all the edges with washi tape. I used hot glue to tack all the corners and keep them in position to apply thin strips of the tape.
The key to making these 3-dimensional is to glue a skinny piece of wooden dowel to the inside of the center point, which also keeps the 2 star pieces from collapsing into each other.
Had these been papier-mache, they would have been easier to construct, because I wouldn’t have to concern myself with perfectly-aligned tape strips. I would’ve been joining everything with layers of paper, then decoupaging or painting. The goal here was to use the minimum amount of tape (to not cover the numbers), but still have a strong enough bond to hold the edges together.
Washi tape can be unpredictable sometimes, so I sealed the cards before and after taping to secure the tape more. And because keeping a project simple is just not my M.O., I proceeded to cut the tops off of upholstery tacks to hot glue onto all the star centers....Oy.
I was thrilled when I acquired this latest Bingo card stash, because they had authentically browned perfectly all by themselves, so I didn’t need to ink them up at all. I like the contrast and sophistication of black with tan, and the Bingo numbers add some nostalgic whimsy. I’m very pleased with how these turned out.
Next post, I will be talking about my second design of the season…..