"Stained Glass" Christmas Ornaments

Craft foam and plastic wrap are the secret ingredients in these colorful, light-catching Christmas ornaments. Because the colors come from kid-friendly markers, almost any age child can participate in the making.

• Holiday-shape cookie cutters
• Heavy-duty plastic wrap
• Black crafting foam sheet (available at craft stores)
• Broad-tip washable (water-soluble) markers
• Black dimensional paint
• Fine black wire
• White crafts glue

1. Place the cookie cutter on the foam and trace around it. Draw another line 1/4 inch inside the first line to make a 1/4-inch frame. Cut along both lines.

2. Tightly tape plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Color the plastic heavily with the markers, making an areas slightly larger than the foam frame. Make sure the plastic wrap stays smooth.

3. Run a bead of black dimensional paint around the inner edge of the back of the frame. Press the painted side of the frame onto the colored plastic wrap.

4. Bend a 4-inch length of wire into a U-shape loop for the hanger. Slide the ends of the loop between the frame and the plastic and press the frame over the ends of the loop.

5. Flood the inside area of the frame with glue.

6. Let the ornament dry undisturbed for 36 hours or until the color shows through and the glue is almost translucent. Do not touch the glue. Gently peel the ornament from the plastic. (If it sticks, let it dry an additional eight hours.) Turn the ornament over and let it dry on a clean piece of plastic for another eight hours or until dry to the touch.

7. If any glue or black paint leaked from under the frame, trim it off. Add a dot of glue over the ends of the wire hangers.