After looking around at some different stores I found that most of the ornaments were a little too conventional and way too expensive. Especially considering they were pretty low-quality. So I went about the house gathering supplies and I came up with a funky and artsy alternative to traditional ornaments!

Step 1: Supplies

I used the following: an old Barbie doll, glass beads, bigger pearl-like beads, a solid colored nail polish, a clear and shiny nail polish, scissors, and thin silver wire.

Regular or hot glue would probably be useful, I just didn't have any around at the time. Additionally if you have any other little toys or trinkets around you can use the same process--I used a few little plastic lizards and it worked pretty well.

Warning: There's a lot of wriggle room in this craft and this is my first time making an Instructable so I apologize if my directions aren't concise enough.

Step 2:

This is probably the part that gave me the most trouble--dismantling the doll. There's no technical process to this, I just stretched, twisted, and pried anyway I could. Slip the scissors into the doll an cut the elastic or plastic binding it together. Some dolls are easier to break apart than others.

If you plan to use the head you have the option of keeping or removing the hair. You could style or color the hair for a really cool effect, but I just cropped it off as close as I could.

Step 3:

Next paint your parts with the nail polish. It'll probably look thin and hopeless with the first coat, but after three or four quick coats it should look pretty solid. If not you may want to find a thicker polish. I then used a generous application of the shiny polish on the areas I want the beads to stick to and dipped the parts into the beads (or sprinkle the beads on top if the part is too big).

You can use the bigger beads wherever for a little extra razzle dazzle (that when the glue would come in handy). After that dries coat the entire part with shiny polish, hopefully this will seal the beads and give your ornament a glossy finish.

Step 4:

Once your parts are decorated and dry use the wire to make a hook, wrapping it around or attaching to the part and shaping the other side into a hook shape. Keep in mind they'll probably be delicate. If you want to try to paint on a coat of glue it might be helpful in keeping the beads on.

Finally, hang em' on the tree and light it up! Your friends and family will revel in awe of your hand-crafted beauties!