This part is where all the magic happens. Embossing metal looks fancy but is surprisingly easy once you start tracing your shape and pressing the raised details. Check out exactly how I made each metal ornament, step by step!
Step 1: Download and print your templates
Download the templates from my Google Drive and then roughly cut them out. You don’t need to cut out the shapes in detail.
Step 2: Stick a stencil on the sheet
Attach the stencil to the sheet metal using clear tape.
Step 3: Lightly trace the stencil onto the metal and remove the stencil
Lightly trace the template onto the metal using an embossing tool. If you have trouble with the paper tearing, you can cover the entire paper with clear packing tape, which helped me with some shapes.
Remove the stencil when you are finished tracing the pattern.
Step 4: Continue again with full pressure
Now, using the same tool, trace the same pattern again with full force.
Step 5: Cut out ornament shape
I tried cutting out the ornament shape with tin snips, but quickly realized that my standard scissors worked even better. My hands are very small and holding bulky tools for precision work is sometimes difficult, so I was very happy to be able to use standard scissors instead.
Don’t cut exactly along the embossing line, but instead leave a small border.
Step 6: File metal edges
Some of the metal edges are very sharp, especially on this sun ornament! I used a metal file to dull the sharp edges.
Step 7: Punch hole for hanging
Next, I punched a hole in the top of the ornament using a nail and a hammer.
Step 8: Attach ribbon for hanging
To hang the ornament, I threaded a thin ribbon through the hole.
(This is the ribbon I used that was left over from my DIY mushroom ornaments.)
