A few years ago I began making the majority of my gifts. I would make jam, knit socks, bead a necklace. Making your gifts is fun as you think about that loved one during the entire process of making and then have the fun of giving away the fruit of your labor.

This mistletoe ornament will look equally good suspended in the doorway as it does on a tree. It's a great way to make use of the spare white buttons you have rolling around in the bottom of your junk drawer.

You will need:
3" Smoothfoam ball
1 sheet of emerald green craft felt
Christmas green acrylic paint
5-8 white buttons in assorted sizes
scissors
hot glue gun (with dual low and high setting)
6 " 20 20 gauge wire
sponge brush
awl or knitting needle
ruler
1/4" double-faced white satin ribbon
wire cutters

Let's create!

1. Paint the ball. Paint the ball green using your sponge brush. HINT: You may want to stick a toothpick into the ball in order to hold it without getting your fingers covered in paint. Allow to dry. Paint a second coat if necessary.

2. Make leaves: Cut the felt into 1.5" strips. Cut pointed ovals. Don't worry about perfection. Have you ever seen the exact same leaf twice? Make approximately 40.

3. Punch hole in ball. Use an awl or a metal knitting needle to punch a hole straight through the ball. Touch up entrance and exit holes with paint if necessary.

4. Glue leaves around the ball. With the hot glue gun set to low temperature, glue 4 leaves at the top of the ball. Continue glueing the leaves into place. Tucking the lower layer under the top layer so that leaves overlap each other.

5. Add the buttons. Turn your hot glue gun to high temperature and add an assortment of white buttons to the top.

6. Make the hanger. Cut a 6" piece of wire. Make a spiral at one end with the round nose pliers. Push the wire through the bottom. Make a larger spiral at the top. Cut a 6" piece of ribbon. Thread it through the large spiral. Pull the ends even and make an overhand knot. Trim edges even.