How to Make a Floating Photo Ornament: Baby’s First Trip to the Beach

See how to make a floating photo ornament in no time!

It is SO quick and easy!

They can be used for any type of keepsake and make the perfect addition to any Christmas tree this holiday season!

How to Make a Floating Photo Ornament: Baby’s First Trip to the Beach

If you couldn’t already tell, I love personalized items.

Always have, always will, and even more so now that I’m a mom.

Any little thing I can buy (or even better, make!) that has my son’s picture, name, stats, or hand/footprint just warms my heart (check out my Project Gallery for proof).

His baby book is literally bursting at the seams, and I’ve really been focusing on making keepsakes for each holiday and milestone over the past year and a half.

I want to savor this special time where he’s so little and experiencing everything for the first time.

Well, a couple months ago, we took our first vacation to see family up in Maine, and while we were there, Rowan got to visit the beach for the very first time!

I of course just had to create a little keepsake for this occasion, so while we were there, I scooped up some sand and then used it as part of a Christmas ornament, complete with Rowan’s cute little picture and some vinyl personalization.

Here I’ll walk you through all the steps (it’s super easy) and show you how to make a floating photo ornament: Baby’s first trip to the beach edition!

Rowan’s First Trip to the Beach!

My husband was born and bred in Maine and his family still resides there along the mid-coast region.

Our visit to Vacationland was back in mid-September, so it was cooling off and the leaves had just started to change colors.

One of our must-visits was the beach (of course), and the name of the one we visited was…wait for it…Sand Beach (how original, Maine).

It’s located in Acadia National Park and is just outside of Bar Harbor, which by the way is the cutest little town with lots of neat little shops and restaurants and whale watches and such.

Very touristy, but a must-see for sure.

While at the beach, it was WINDY. And COLD.

Rowan therefore didn’t get in the water, but he enjoyed walking around on the sand and looking out at ocean:

However, he did NOT want to play in the sand at all (despite the plethora of beach toys the grandparents had rounded up in preparation for our visit).

He hated getting ANY sand on his hands.

When he did stumble while walking around and happened to touch the sand with his bare skin, this is the face he would get:

Ahhh, his super sad face is still so adorable…

Even though he was not a fan of the sand, I scooped some up into a quart-sized plastic baggie that I brought just for this occasion.

It pays to plan ahead, and I knew in advance I wanted to create a keepsake ornament for this occasion and include some actual sand from our actual visit.

Floating Photo Ornament Supplies

Here’s what I used to make this {beachy} floating photo ornament:

• 8.5″ x 11″ transparency sheet for an inkjet printer
• Inkjet printer
• Plastic disc ornament
• Silhouette Cameo & white vinyl
  • NOTE: You could also just use stickers from a craft store if you don’t have a cutting machine, or add the details digitally
• Sand
• Jute twine
• Hot glue stick and hot glue gun
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Marker
• Piece of tape

First Trip to the Beach Ornament: 2018 Update!

Rowan now has a little brother, Brayden, and he just had his very first trip to the beach!

So I naturally made him his own keepsake ornament as well.

This one was made in the same way with just a few minor tweaks (namely using photo paper instead of transparent plastic sheet and vinyl), and you can check it out here!

Step 1: Get Your Ornament

For this ornament, I decided to go with a plastic disc-shaped one as opposed to the traditional round kind (it’s like a giant clear M&M).

I think the flattened shape looks better with the floating picture inside, but it’s just a personal preference.

Get a round one if you like it better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I went for the plastic variety as opposed to a glass one because:

1. I’m clumsy, often even while getting my craft on
2. I’m not the most careful of packers/unpackers
3. I live with a rambunctious, curious, hyperactive toddler

I’d like for this ornament to last for years, and I don’t envision that happening with glass, so plastic it was.

Step 2: Prep Your Photo

Now that I had my ornament in hand, I needed to get my photo ready.

I chose to use a picture I snapped of Rowan looking out and pointing towards the ocean.

His golden locks are all wind-blown and he’s wearing the cutest little light-blue sweater that was knitted for him by his Nanny (thanks again!).

He just looks so stinking cute here, and I love how awestruck he seems to be at the vast body of water in front of him.

This picture just seemed to be perfect for a “Baby’s First Trip to the Beach” keepsake, I mean, for a trip that was too cold for any swimming or playing in the sand…but that’s Maine for ya.

Here’s the original unedited iPhone picture:

To get my picture sized and scaled correctly in a circle shape, I fired up one of my all-time [digital] loves, Photoshop Elements (it’s the cheaper but just as awesome cousin of regular Photoshop).

I used my Cookie Cutter tool to crop the picture into a perfect circle, then adjusted some of the color and level options to enhance it a bit.

Step 3: Print Your Floating Photo

Now that my picture was ready, I needed to get a final size of the ornament to determine the print size.

Even though the shelf label stated the ornament was 100mm across, I’m an American and my brain (and printer) works in inches.

So, I grabbed my ruler and got to measuring.

It was a little difficult to get a precise size because the plastic caused a sort of optical illusion whether I placed the ruler above or below the ornament, and I couldn’t tell if I was measuring the inside dimensions or the entire ornament, but it was roughly 3.75″ across.

I first printed out my son’s picture on a piece of plain printer paper [*Peter Piper picked a….*] at 3.6″ to test the sizing out.

It looked a little too roomy when placed under the ornament, so for my final print on the transparency sheet, I would need to increase the size a tad.

Instead of printing out the photo on regular photo paper (which you certainly can and is what I used for my youngest son’s first trip to the beach ornament), I thought it would be more interesting to use a transparency sheet.

That way some of the festive Christmas lights on the tree would subtly shine through and it would just be more unique.

I used one of these computer-printable transparent plastic sheets for the insert, and it worked perfectly!

I first grabbed some Scotch tape and attached a transparent plastic sheet to a piece of printer paper, making sure the rough side was facing out since this is the side that needs to be printed on.

This was to give the printer something to grab onto.

The paper was just going to guide the plastic sheet through the printer (and hopefully avoid any dreaded jams).

Then I placed it in my printer (I have an Epson XP-600) taped-edge first, and set my printer settings to ‘Photo Glossy Paper’ since there was no option for ‘Transparency.’

A few seconds later, out came my little beach babe, all shiny and transparent!

Step 4: Cutting Out the Floating Photo Ornament Insert

Instead of just cutting out the photo and a complete circle, it needs to have a small tab at the top that will remain up in the ornament’s neck and keep it stable and upright.

Ya know, that whole “floating” part of a floating photo ornament.

To do this, I just measured the opening’s width and height (1″ and .5″, respectively), then marked off that size shape on my printed transparency sheet with a marker.

I could have created a little rectangle in Photoshop Elements and printed it out as part of my image, but I found this way was easier, and I’m all about easy.

I then grabbed a pair of scissors and cut out the picture and tab by hand.

My Silhouette Cameo could have been used for this job as well, but that would have involved several extra steps, and once again, easy is the name of my game.

Don’t worry though…I still got my Silhouette fix with this project with some vinyl personalization, so keep reading!

Floating Photo Ornament Template

So, basically, here is the template that I used for this floating ornament:

Personalizing the Floating Photo Ornament with Vinyl Details

Now that my son’s beach picture was cut out and ready, it needed to be personalized, and I chose to use some white vinyl words that I’d cut out with my Silhouette Cameo.

Once again, you can certainly just use stickers or even hand-write the details if you’d prefer, or add the details digitally before you print the photo like I did with my youngest son’s beach ornament.

So, in Silhouette Studio, I created a little message to attach to the floating photo so we always remember why this ornament has sand in it as well as when/where it came from.

It was then cut in white vinyl and after weeding (or removing) the excess vinyl, a piece of transfer tape was added over the top.

Then the vinyl message was applied to the top of the floating photo insert.

Oh, and in case you’re a fellow font addict, the font I used is called KG Empire of Dirt.

Step 5: Insert the Floating Photo into the Ornament

Now it was time for ornament assembly!

Inserting the picture was super simple: I just rolled it up from side-to-side until it looked like a little inky taquito, then stuck it down into the ornament.

Once it was inside, it popped right into place, and the tab up top kept it there.

If it didn’t open up on its own, I’m sure a pen or pair of tweezers would easily nudge it along.

And doesn’t it look so cool when held up against the light?!

You can’t get that with regular photo paper!

Step 6: Add Filler

Next up came adding the sand that I hauled back from our trip.

I simply made a makeshift funnel from a sheet of paper and inserted it into the ornament on one side of the picture insert.

If I’d had these mini craft funnels at the time, I definitley would have utilized one of them since they made creating personalized glitter ornaments a breeze!

Then I poured a small amount of sand in, removed the funnel, then repeated the steps on the other side of the picture.

If you had some small seashells from your trip, toss them in as well!

The tab and the sand help keep the floating photo insert in place and now this ornament looks extra super cool because:

1. It’s got the neat transparent look since it’s printed on a transparent plastic sheet and not regular photo paper.
2. The floating effect is there thanks to the tab and remaining centered inside the ornament.
3. The sand makes it appear like Rowan is walking on the beach, and brings a little bit of Maine into our home.

So special!

Also, thanks again to the transparent plastic sheet, the ornament looks totally different when held up to the light.

It’s like two ornaments in one!

This will be really neat to see on our Christmas tree when the lights are turned on at night versus the day.

Optional Step: Add Additional Embellishments

My floating photo ornament was basically finished now, but I wanted to jazz up the beachiness of the whole look.

For this, I grabbed some jute twine (the same kind I used for the little banner on my Sassy Witch printed burlap Halloween decor), and I just started attaching it to the ornament’s silver hanging cover with some hot glue.

I covered the whole top as well as the hanging loop, then cut off a small strand and made another loop for hanging.

I also used my wire cutters to trim up the little inside wires.

This certainly isn’t necessary, it just makes them a little less noticeable once inserted back in the ornament.

Rowan’s Completed Baby’s First Trip to the Beach Floating Photo Ornament!

And here’s Rowan’s final first trip to the beach keepsake ornament!

I LOVE how this turned out!

It’s so unique and special, and I love how it features a photo, the occasion, the location and date, as well as some actual sand from our trip.

I’m really happy I decided to use the transparency sheet instead of regular photo paper too.

It just gives it a little something extra.

Plus, the white vinyl personalization really POPS, the sand will bring some Maine back every Christmas, and the jute twine amps up the beachiness while also making it look a heckuva lot less like a generic plastic ornament.

When I showed the final ornament to my husband, he stared at it for a few seconds, then a slow grin spread across his face as he said “That’s coooool.”

And with that, I knew I had a DIY Christmas hit. :)

And here’s how it looks at night with just the tree’s lights shining:

Floating Photo Ornament Filler Ideas

You of course could use just about anything to fill one of these floating ornaments besides sand, depending on your particular keepsake:

• Glitter
• Fake snow
• Sugar
• PomPoms
• Dried flowers
• Faux flowers
• Potpourri
• Legos
• Baby newborn’s hospital hat & bracelet (which I’ve also done!)

The DIY possibilities are nearly endless, so have fun!

If You Enjoyed This…

Make sure you check out my Project Gallery for all of my other crafty creations, tutorials, and freebies, like these festive ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Merry Christmas!