T and I like to collect Christmas ornaments on vacations and for important life moments. Then, when we set up our tree each year, it's like flipping through a scrapbook and revisiting those moments.
So a couple weeks ago, as we're contemplating taking it down for the season, T says, "You know we should've gotten an ornament for when I had my gallbladder removed." A little creepy, yes, but also one of the most exciting things to happen to us during COVID!
Thus started the craft project to make him a gallbladder ornament (I mean, NO stores will carry those...). I will give this to him for Valentines Day, where typically you give your loved one your heart, but hey, it's still an organ?
To make this ornament, I just needed some fabric, a scrap of ribbon, a little fluffing, a few beads, and a pipe cleaner. For such small pieces, it was easy to use scraps from other projects, so completely free in terms of materials.
I cut an old work shirt into the pear-shape for the gallbladder, complete with bile duct and hepatic duct. I sewed around the edges by hand and leaving the edges exposed for a more hand-crafted rustic look. I sewed the ribbon in as I went, creating a loop to hang the ornament from the tree. Into the gallbladder went the stuffing, and into the ducts went a pipe cleaner (it's a shapable ornament!).
Sew on a few beads to represent gall stones (naturally!).
And for most of our ornaments, we write the year on with a gold Sharpie. Since this is a fabric ornament, I sewed on the year with gold thread.
While this is a truly one-of-a-kind type of gift, the same ideas can be used for your loved ones! Whether a homemade card, ornament, or other trinket, small gifts can be easy to make by repurposing materials from around the home, and show that personal touch!
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