DIY Silhouette Pet Ornaments

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Celebrate your favorite pets this holiday season with special treats and DIY Silhouette Pet Ornaments! Check out this craft tutorial and create these custom Christmas ornaments for your furry friends!

When I was in fourth grade all I asked Santa to bring me for Christmas was a puppy. You see, since before I was born we had an Irish Setter for our family pet. However, the Christmas before she had passed away while we were traveling for the holidays. Our family was heartbroken and all I wanted was another puppy to bring all that joy to our family.

But, I guess my parents weren’t quite ready for another dog because instead of coming down the stairs that Christmas morning to a spunky new puppy, all I got was a puppy stuffed animal. Thankfully, being the pet lovers we were, a few years later good ole’ Santa came through and my siblings and I woke to the sounds of a puppy barking on Christmas morning; and Oreo, came bounding into our arms as we went running down the stairs!

Unless you are a pet owner, you can’t fully understand how much you can love a pet and how they are such an important family member. Pets are happy to see you when you get home from a long day at work. They know when you are sad and need some extra lovin’. And they always listen to your secrets and are more loyal than some friends.

I have been a proud pet owner my entire life, from the three dogs throughout my childhood, to my dog Mojo (who has made appearances on this blog before) and two cats, Scarface and Buddy Boy, who are all part of our family now.

And I don’t know if it is because of those Christmases as a kid where I wished and hoped for a puppy under the tree and then finally having those wishes come true. Or because I am a whole-hearted animal lover, for me, our pets have always been an important part of not only our family but our holiday traditions as well.

Yup, I’m that pet owner that includes our pets in all of our holiday fun, from taking holiday pictures under the Christmas tree, to them getting their own stockings hung on the wall and filled with treats, like Friskies Party Mix or Beggin’ Strips, to getting their own ornament for the tree year after year!

Since we want our pup and kitties to be a part of our family for a long time, it is important to us that they get the best! This not only means including them in our holiday traditions and filling their stockings with special treats, but feeding them dog and cat food that will help them live a long and happy life. In fact, recently our vet recommended us to switch our cats to wet food and to mix our pup’s dry food with half wet food (Not to be taken as professional veterinary advice. Please consult your veterinarian for recommendations and practices appropriate for your pet.). Since we have always used Purina products in our home, I conveniently picked up some Fancy Feast Purely, featuring real seafood, chicken, and beef and never any by-products or fillers and Purina Beneful which has meat as the #1 ingredient and no added sugar, while grocery shopping at my local Kroger.

In addition to pampering our pets with special treats each holiday season, we have a tradition that every Christmas our entire family gets a new ornament for the tree based on that year’s passions and accomplishments. And yes, of course I stalk all the holiday decor each year looking for the best ornaments that look like my pup and kitties. Some years I have great success finding ornaments that look exactly like our pets but other years it’s a stretch.

So this year, I decided to make my own! I thought it would be fun to take some of those pet photos that fill my camera and phone and put them to good use by transforming them into DIY Silhouette Pet Ornaments. Not only do these DIY Silhouette Pet Ornaments look exactly like my pup and kitties, I love how they turned out so much that I think I might make some to look like my childhood puppies to gift to my Mom this Christmas!

DIY Silhouette Pet Ornaments
By Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com

Supplies:
Profile pictures or print outs of pets
Sharp fine point scissors
Black felt
Sewing pins
Red or green flannel fabric
Wooden sewing hoops
Fabric glue
Red or green ribbon
Glue gun with glue

Directions:

1. Using scissors cut precisely around the head of each animal profile photo.


2. Pin the profile cut out on to the black felt. Using the scissors, precisely cut around the profile photo, cutting the felt into the silhouette shape.


3. Cut a piece of flannel fabric into a 5-inch square.

4. Spread a thin layer of glue evenly on the back of the silhouette cut out. Glue the silhouette cut out into the center of the fabric piece. Set aside to dry.

5. Meanwhile, separate the inner and outer rings of the embroidery hoop. Trace the inner ring on the back side of an additional piece of fabric and cut out circle. Set aside. 

6. Place the fabric piece with the felt silhouette over the inner hoop and cover with the outer hoop. Pull the fabric tight in the hoop and tighten the screw on the embroidery hoop to secure.

7. Trim the edges of the fabric to be approximately within one inch of the outer hoop. Spread a thin layer of glue on the back side of the wooden hoop. Press the edges of the fabric towards the center of the back hoop ring, pressing into the glue to secure.

8. Place a little glue on top of the folded over fabric on the back of the hoop. Place the circle fabric cut out over the folded over fabric pieces and glue to form backing.

9. Allow fabric glue to dry and then use tie some ribbon around the hoop screw to form a hanger. Use some additional ribbon to form a small bow. Using the hot glue, adhere the bow to the top of the ornament, just under the hoop screw. Allow glue to dry and then hang the ornaments on the Christmas tree and enjoy!

Are your pets part of your family’s holiday traditions? Spread holiday love to your furry friends with the help of Purina! Now through the end of November, take advantage of great savings on your favorite Purina pet products available at Kroger with this Coupons.com link, while supplies last. And for more fun ideas to pamper your pets this holiday season, click here.