Finishing Christmas Ornaments

[harpone]

I have cut out ornaments for my grandson's kindergarten class. The idea is for each child to creatively color/paint his or her ornament. Should I prime the ornaments before giving them to his teacher? I used 3/16" and 1/4" plywood for the ornaments. Thanks.

[Bill Wilson]

If you have the time and are inclined to do so, priming them certainly won't hurt. It will help with paint coverage, but we are talking about kindergarteners here, so it probably doesn't really matter. Their parents will love & cherish them and they will take their honored place on the tree regardless of what the paint looks like.

BTW, nice gesture on your part to cut the ornaments for the class. They will have fun painting them.

[Forester21]

You can always spray them with a clear spray, then wipe with a brown paper bag once dry. That will give a smoother surface for them to paint on, and the paint won't tend to soak up as much.
Nice of you to do that for the class!
T

[Okie_Arkie_Wood_Cutter]

Very of kool of you. Your Grandson will most likely remember that that all of the kids got an ornament from from their grandparent and will be very proud of you.

[Jim McDonald]

I thought I was the only one crazy enough to be cutting Christmas ornaments in the July heat.

Thanks for the company!

[Pajaro]

Originally Posted by Jim McDonald

I thought I was the only one crazy enough to be cutting Christmas ornaments in the July heat.

Thanks for the company!

Helps you Kool down thinking of all that snow........

[Marsha]

Harpone, I sent a punch of ornaments to the Good Sam Foundation and Martha took them down to Haiti for the kindergarten kids down there. I don't think you should do anything to your ornaments except make sure you have sanded them really well to make sure there are no slivers hanging on the edges. What I did was with a black marker I drew in the paint lines to give the kids some guide lines to paint on. I wish I'd taken some pictures of mine to give you a clear idea of what I mean.
The kids are gonna love painting your ornaments, I hope the teacher will take some pics so we can see how they do.
I'm really hoping Martha will post a pic of the ones I sent to Haiti.
Marsha

[harpone]

Originally Posted by Marsha

Harpone, I sent a punch of ornaments to the Good Sam Foundation and Martha took them down to Haiti for the kindergarten kids down there. I don't think you should do anything to your ornaments except make sure you have sanded them really well to make sure there are no slivers hanging on the edges. What I did was with a black marker I drew in the paint lines to give the kids some guide lines to paint on. I wish I'd taken some pictures of mine to give you a clear idea of what I mean.
The kids are gonna love painting your ornaments, I hope the teacher will take some pics so we can see how they do.
I'm really hoping Martha will post a pic of the ones I sent to Haiti.
Marsha

Marsha -
I had a similar idea about paint lines: I used a Dremel to show paint lines on some of the ornaments. The marker would definitely have been easier but I was afraid the marker lines might show through the paint. Because I am dealing with 5 year olds, I cut many (stars and bells) without lines to make it easier for the kids.

[Marsha]

Originally Posted by harpone

Marsha -
I had a similar idea about paint lines: I used a Dremel to show paint lines on some of the ornaments. The marker would definitely have been easier but I was afraid the marker lines might show through the paint. Because I am dealing with 5 year olds, I cut many (stars and bells) without lines to make it easier for the kids.

I'm sure the marker lines will show through the paint, but I also think the lines will help define the areas. I think the dremel is a great idea, I have one and must learn how to use it.
Marsha

[sawdustus]

What a nice thing to do for the kids. Your grandson will be very proud of you. I paint many of my ornaments using acrylic craft paint and find that either a quick spray of Zinsser Seal Coat dewaxed shellac (non-toxic when dry) or a coating of flat white spray paint (the acrylic paint does not stick or cover well if I use gloss) is very helpful in getting better paint coverage. Usually only one coat is needed. When I don't prime them with shellac, it often takes two coats of paint to hide the grain.
I don't think that a thin-line black marker would detract from the ornament since it would just make it look like a coloring book. However, it might take away from the creativity of the kids as far as pattern is concerned.

george