One-of-a-Kind IOD DIY Ornament Challenge for Christmas 2021
UPDATED December 14, 2021 with the winners!
The mischievous Elf Sisters of IOD just can’t keep out of trouble this year!
With Josie’s 2020 gingerbread house plans in ruins thanks to Sally’s candy cravings, the girls decided to host a DIY Ornament contest this year.
Sorry, Sally… That means no Red Hots or gumdrops for you!
What’s the “One-of-a-Kind” IOD DIY Ornament Challenge?
It’s a contest where you create the most festive, funny, magical — BEYOND imagination — ornaments using your favorite IOD products.
What qualifies as an “ornament”?
You must be able to hang your finished piece on a tree. This includes ornaments that hang with a loop or hook, as well as garlands, buntings, and tree toppers.
Will there be different categories?
Yes! There will be six judging categories.
Thank you to everyone who made an ornament and entered – we had so many lovely and unique ornaments to choose from! To see them all, search #IODOrnament on both Facebook and Instagram.
Traditional Ornament: We want to see your take on a classic Christmas tree ornament. This includes designs inspired by historical depictions of holiday decor but they can also be more modern. The key is to think “timeless” – the kind of ornament that would be passed down from generation to generation.
The winner of this category is Karina Eldridge, of My White Picket Fence.
“Hi from Perth Australia 
I haven’t posted on here for a while so I thought I’d show you all what I’ve been busy making for the #IODOrnament Challenge that I entered through Instagram. I hand-made these XL Christmas stockings out of hessian / burlap & used the Swoosh stamp to add words, they can be hung on a VERY BIG! Tree but I prefer to hang them all in a row. I also love 
vintage books so I used the IOD Harper Mould plus the Acanthus scroll for the berries & also the Classic Elements Mould to add to this decoupaged image.”
Monogrammed Ornament: Personalized baubles make unique gifts and remind the recipient of the maker year after year. For the monogram, you must include a minimum of 2 letters for the initials. The Retro, Farmhand, and Swoosh Stamp sets are perfect for this category!
The winner of this category is Kayla Cassie Carrier of Creative Thought.
“Here is a little project I just finished for the very cool IOD Christmas ornament contest! A few of them have been personalized as monogram gifts for some people our family loves and appreciates 😊. They can enjoy the handmade gift year to come by hanging it on their Christmas tree. I tried to make them look like mailed cards as best I could – complete with envelope seals, postage stamps, mailing stamps, signatures, and special Christmas greetings all using my IOD stamps!”
Edible Ornament: Using only materials that can safely be eaten, we hope to see ornaments that taste as good as they look!
The winner of this category is Alice Kaker. (Be sure to check out her video on Instagram to see all the cookie ornament details.)
“Gingerbread cookies for Santa is my entry for the IOD Ornament Challenge. I would like to be entered into the Traditional category and the Edible Category. I have used their most wonderful molds (the new Grape Mold, Angel Mold, Christmas Tree Mold, and many more.) The delicious Gingerbread Cookie Recipe worked excellently in the molds! With the little sprinkles added, they will probably be nibbled away soon. As a little extra, I used the new IOD Christmas transfer to embellish the pot to hold the cookie Christmas Tree. This was so much fun. Merry Christmas to all!”
The UN-Ornament: Let your creative juices flow freely, as long as you can hang your wacky, unexpected creation on a tree. Think zany, quirky, and madcap for this category!
The winner of this category is sculpture artist Debbie Middleton-Hope. Her humorous creations are made from IOD Air Dry Clay. Meet “Merry Chickmas,” “Partridge in a Pear, No Tree,” and “Rudolf Often Dreamt of Going to Business School.”
“I am having a blast using the IOD air dry clay to make some fun whimsical ornaments to bring joy to the season.”
Repurposed/Upcycled Ornament: Everything but the IOD embellishments must be from repurposed or upcycled materials. Transform a thrifted teacup with IOD and hang it by the handle on a branch. Makeover a lampshade into an ornate tree topper. So many possibilities with this one!
The winner of this category is Creative Tribe member, Mary Casey.
“This is my recycled/repurposed ornament. This was a small black lantern that had glass inserts that broke. I recycled it using the Lock & Key Mould and Trimmings 3 Mould. I also use the Alphabellies and Merry & Bright Stamps which I embossed. Good luck to all the contestants!”
“Spell It Out” Ornament: Word art taken to a new level! Find a way to spell out a traditional holiday word or greeting to make an ornament. For example, a garland with faux metal letters spelling “MERRY” made using the Retro Stamp.
The winner of this category is Dana Miller.
“Let it snow tree topper.IOD Harper ( or maybe Victoria) and Snowflake mould, chalk paint, copper wire, lights, foam core board and glitter. This thing sparkles like crazy but my photos won’t show it.”
Honorable Mention: There were so, so, SO many beautiful and creative entries – it was s hard to choose! There were two makers that really stood out and we wanted to highlight their work.
Sonja Chandler of Socks on a Rooster Refinishing had outstanding ornaments in several categories.
For the monogrammed ornaments: “Hello all you fellow IOD creative lovelies!! Sharing my monogrammed ornaments here. I truly love, love, LOVED making these because I know how much friends and family love, love LOVE to see their monograms and initials on gifts! Little ones especially! Children get so excited when they see their names and initials on ornaments or decorations! 
When I designed this set, I went with “dangly” in mind. Like jewelry! I knew I wanted them to have a “bling” type aesthetic. So I added antique glass beads in between the moulds for interest and to help them bounce around a bit. You could also stamp loved ones’ names within/inside the frames too in place of the letters. Some ornaments have fully dimensional backs where I layered a mould back to back. Hope y’all enjoy these as much I enjoyed making them. Joy, joy, joy all around is what I’m hoping for! 
“
For the Victorian swings: “Creativity is the ability to take the seemingly disconnected and make it work. This is the challenge I always aspire to take on! How about y’all? These are my IOD Victorian Christmas swing ornaments. Yes! Swings! They are my UN-Ornament! They will hang on my tree once it’s up! This came about from another idea I had about creating a real-life size swing for my backyard adorned completely with IOD moulds. (this is how my brain works on the regular – weird I know
) Until I get a chance to create that backyard swing, I decided to make these Christmas swings for my tree with small ‘Victorian scenes’ on each one. Each adorned with its very own ‘Boughs is Holly’ forest of trees. 
The trees are all fully dimensional with completed backs. And standing in custom tree box stands.
For the traditional Victorian cone ornaments: “Traditional Victorian Cone ornaments. Ones I would love to be handed down. 
For my traditional ornament submission. These could also be stuffed with a time capsule scroll that lists all the highlights from the year.
Kelsey of The Farm Hers Daughter also had memorable ornaments in several categories.
Edible ornament: “This one is for the birds 🐦 🥰 One of my entries for the IOD Christmas ornament contest! This could fall under the edible category as they didn’t specify who would be eating it 😉 This sunflower suet cake is made with beef tallow my mom rendered @sunnievalleyfarms , cranberries & birdseed.”
Gingerbread garland: “This was a really rewarding project. I’ve been wanting to make an orange slice garland and try making cinnamon salt dough for a while now. I decided to put the two projects together and make this pretty primitive-inspired garland. I used the heart from the new IOD cameo mould for the cinnamon salt dough. Swipe to see the awesome detail.” Bonus! Now my house smells amazing from dehydrating the orange slices. I also put the salt dough in the dehydrator instead of the oven to maintain the shape & detail.”
Ladder tree topper: “I wanted to make a topper for my little step ladder that I’m using as an alternate to a tree. (It’s a thing and I’m obsessed 😍😍😍). I used the IOD furniture transfer exploration as well as some of the figgy pudding Christmas transfer. I also used the Harper & Victoria IOD moulds to get the raised letter effect. Swipe to see the old crock top that I used to make this ornament.”
PS We totally LOVE the Barnwood Plank stamped on the wall behind your ladder tree!
😍
What are the prizes for the”One-of-a-Kind IOD DIY Ornament Challenge”?
The winner of each category will get $250 worth of IOD products of their choice (retail value) PLUS their very own set of the IOD Snowflakes Mould and the IOD Boughs of Holly Mould (these are rare, limited edition designs from 2020).
Ornaments in each category will be judged by Iron Orchid Designs. While we’ll make the final determination for the winner, comments about your favorite designs will absolutely be appreciated and taken into account. ❤️
IOD Stockists are not eligible to win a prize, however, they’re still welcome to share their ornaments as inspiration and encouragement.
How do I Enter the “One-of-a-Kind IOD DIY Ornament Challenge”?
The
contest starts Friday, November 12, 2021, and entries will be accepted through 11:59 PM PST, Sunday, December 12, 2021.
To submit an entry, tag us on a picture of your ornament on either Instagram or Facebook AND add the hashtag #IODOrnament. (Important to do both to make sure we see your entry.) Let us know what category you’d like to be judged in and include a list of the IOD products you used with your post. You may submit more than one entry per category and also feel free to enter more than one category.
On Tuesday, December 14th, we’ll announce the winners and share photos on Instagram and Facebook.
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Terms & Conditions for the IOD DIY Ornament Challenge
- There is no fee to participate in the challenge.
- You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.
- The contest will run for 31 days, beginning on November 12, 2021 and ending on December 12, 2021. Submissions after 11:59 PM PST on December 12, 2021 will not be accepted.
- No product purchase is necessary to enter.
- Making a purchase of an IOD product does not increase your chances of winning.
- Submissions will be judged by the IOD Team
- Prizes total less than $300 US cash value.
- Prizes can not be exchanged for cash value.
- This contest is void where prohibited.
- By entering in this challenge, participants agree to the Terms and Conditions set forth.
Quick Recap of How To Enter the IOD DIY Ornament Challenge
- Use IOD products to create an “ornament” as defined above and within the guidelines of each category
- Upload your photo to Instagram or Facebook (Make sure to set your post to “Public” if using Facebook)
- Let us know which judging category you’d like to enter, what IOD products you used and any other fun details
- Tag IOD and add the hashtag #IODOrnament to your post so we can find your entry
- Share your post with the world before 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, December 12, 2021
- Winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
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