Making Birthday Ring Decorations
Celebration , Summer 2010
Rhythm of the HomeNo Comment
Children love traditions and family rituals. Birthday celebrations are looked forward to year after year and are an important part in bringing a family closer together. In celebrating the anniversary of my children’s birth, a cherished ritual in our home has become the addition of a beautiful birthday ring. Originating in Europe, a traditional birthday ring is made of wood and has 12 holes, in which to place candles, treasures and small decorations. I thought it would be nice to start a new tradition of making our own decorations for our birthday ring.
In planning for my daughter’s upcoming birthday celebration, I set out to make a special decoration for her. I looked to the beauty of the summer season for my inspiration. I thought about our past summer days, with long days for wandering and exploring under bright, blue skies. I thought ahead to upcoming family adventures like, picking berries for jam, growing vegetables in our garden, planting flowers, swimming in the ocean, picnicking outdoors, exploring ponds and looking for frogs. The beauty and wonder of the summer season offers many ideas for my decoration, it was hard to choose just one.
Since my daughter was a baby, I have been singing her a special lullaby about a little butterfly and her fascination with them remains profound. Butterflies have always had a special meaning to her and I thought it would be a great surprise for her special day.
Here are simple instructions on how to make a decoration for your birthday ring that will add to the beauty of your family’s birthday celebrations.
Materials
Wool felt
Sewing scissors
Straight pins
20 gauge non-tarnishing silver wire
¾” diameter wood dowel
Handsaw or jigsaw
Sanding paper
Beeswax polish
Pushpin
All-purpose tacky glue
First, started out by sketching out a design that will become your pattern. Your decoration will need to be made from at least 2 pieces of felt so that the wire can be attached and hidden inside neatly. Attach the pattern to each sheet of felt using straight pins and cut out both pieces.
To add some interest to your decoration, you may choose to cut out or embroider some simple shapes.
Lay out the pieces of felt as you would like them to be displayed. Now, take your wire and cut a piece to your desired height. Position the top of the wire in between the pieces of felt so that the wire is hidden from view. Glue pieces together and let dry.
Next, we will make the base for the decoration using the wood dowel. Sand down your wood dowel so that it will be able to rest inside the openings in the birthday ring, marking the dowel to be flat with the base of the ring. On our birthday ring, that was 3/8 inches tall. Cut wood dowel with a handsaw or jigsaw.
Sand the edges of your wood disc smooth and seal with beeswax.
Lastly, attach the felt piece and wire to the wood disc. Take the wood disc and use a pushpin to put a small hole into the center of the disc.
Use a small amount of glue to secure the wire into base, completing your decoration for your birthday ring.
I hope that you will enjoy creating your own decorations for your birthday celebrations, creating memories your family will cherish for a lifetime. The decorations can be used throughout the year, adding to your holiday and festival celebrations. They are also a beautiful addition to a seasonal nature table, when created to reflect the changing seasons. The possibilities are endless.
Christine McCann enjoy her days with her family, discovering, exploring, creating, baking, gardening and enjoying the simple things in life. She shares little bits of their day and journey on her blog.
