Whenever I start an art project, I normally have a general idea in mind but don’t fully know what the overall outcome will be. That’s what I’ve always loved about art. You can have an idea, start the project, and just see where it takes you. Then when you see the final product, you’re pleasantly surprised and proud of yourself for taking that tidbit of an idea and creating something beautiful and beyond what you expected. That’s exactly what happened with these.

As I began I knew I wanted a fresh, clean backdrop so I started with an off white matte paint. I didn’t want these to appear to clean, flat, and perfect so i applied the paint thick making sure to leave drips and lines to create texture. After the first layer dried, I really just played around a bit from there. I had a general idea of the color palette, but I really just started mixing paint colors until I found one I liked and just went from there. I wanted color but also wanted to make sure that each ornament was unique but also remained cohesive with the other ornaments. So I decided to make some ornaments have multiple colors but also really really liked the look of the monochromatic ornament.

After adding these, I knew the final thing left was I needed to somehow incorporate the actual “bridemaid” itself. I debated on this for a solid 3 weeks. I ordered some decals varying in color and size, but decided with the texture of the paint these could end up and lumpy, unfinished mess. I did a trial of painting something on myself and that turned out horribly bad. Finally I decided maybe putting the “bridemaid'“ itself on the ornament wasn’t the greatest idea and took away from the painting itself. So finally I found some tags to put on the ornament that I could customize. Each had the title then a note from me on the back with the date. I wouldn’t mind trying wooden tags next time, but I was running out of time and the metal tags were going to have to do for the time being.

My fiance proposed over the holidays last fall and as we began planning our wedding I decided I wanted to create my own memorable gift for my bridesmaids when asking them to be a part of our big day. So many of our planning decisions today are based on what is currently trending- for our weddings, showers, birthdays, weekend plans, the list goes on and on. They can leave us feeling lacking - lacking fulfillment, lacking purpose, lacking happiness. Then we are on to chasing the next trend. I didn’t want to give my bridesmaids something that they would use once, throw away, or lose next week. I wanted something that was unique, something they would cherish, and hopefully keep for years down the road. So when they look back one day they see it and think back on our friendship and that special moment. My aunt is who is very creative herself did the same thing with her bridesmaids when she got married. My mom still to this day has the pottery on display in her house that my aunt made for her. Its timeless and such a happy memory for them to share.

It took me a bit longer to decide what I wanted to make for my girls. I didn’t have quite the resources my aunt did since a lot of my art supplies are currently in storage, but I knew i wanted to tailor the item to our wedding while putting a creative spin on it. Our wedding date is set for December, so with some suggestions from a bridesmaid, I decided an ornament would be the perfect gift. That way when they pull it out once a year they can remember the memories from that day.

I hate cheesy gifts and I hope I captured what I was going for on these ornaments. I love the look of handmade items, unique in their owns ways, flaws that make them beautiful, and knowing they weren’t manufactured with 10 million other copies. Anthropology’s home section and ornaments have always stuck out to me, (I know that most are manufactured), but I do love the overall look that they are able to capture. I wanted mine to be similar, capture that artist and handmade look, but also look professional in a sense. So as I looked for inspiration I kept that in mind and pulled images and color palettes from all over.

I didn’t end up adding any medium to the paints to create thickness or texture, but I did leave thick brush strokes on each to get a thick layer of paint to create texture and depth. Mostly I used the dry on dry technique, but if I thought two colors would blend nicely then I would mix them a bit on wet to wet.

After painting I knew I wanted to add some other fun depth or texture. I debated on small beads or sequins but was afraid if I didn’t add them correctly, then they would appear cheap or cheesy. I had some leftover yarn from another project so I decided with my fiance’s help to make some homemade pom poms. I LOVE how these turned out. They varied in size and were so fun to make.

Below are a few fun photos of the process. Have you ever tried painting ornaments or something circular? Well it’s hard to get an even finish unless you have it propped up on something. So I punched a bunch of holes into and empty box and pushed my sharpies in as holders to support the ornaments as I was painting.

Overall, I’m super happy with how these turned out! I wasn’t able to get the greatest photos of these before I gave them out, but hopefully these capture the idea! They turned out to be the perfect touch to ask my bridesmaids and I couldn’t be happier. I hope they liked them as much and I do!

-Morgan

Some bits of a few of my bridemaids