Upcycle Happy Meal Toys into Christmas Tree Ornaments: Tutorial

I have always wanted a "Wizard of Oz" Christmas tree.  (It seems fitting, since I have Wizard of Oz bank checks, a Wizard of Oz wrist watch, a Dorothy key chain, a ruby slipper pillow, the Wizard of Oz Barbie collection, the Wizard of Oz trivia game....you get the idea.)




A few years ago, McDonald's came out with Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz Happy Meal toys.  I went C.R.A.Z.Y. driving around to all of the McDonald's within a 15 mile radius to make sure that I obtained the entire collection.  I even had the people get the box of toys and search through to make sure they had the specific toy I needed for the collection.  SCORE!  I was able to collect all of them.   Fortunately, at the time, I could just buy the toy for about $1.00 each.  I didn't have to eat a dozen Happy Meals.  I was so thrilled to have them all.

And then this happened:



NOTHING!  Yes, you guessed it.  They sat in a bag on my shelf for almost four years.  I couldn't bring myself to take them out of the packages.  Then one day the idea popped into my mind to make them into Christmas tree ornaments.  I remember seeing a gorgeous Wizard of Oz tree about twenty years ago while I was modeling in Bloomingdale's.  Oh, how I coveted that tree with those precious ornaments.  I have thought about that tree so many times over the years.

When the theme for this weeks' "So You Think You're Crafty" competition came around, "Children's Literature," I knew immediately that I wanted to do something about my favorite story/movie.  Ta dah!  That's how it all came together.  Now I have the ornaments for my very own Wizard of Oz tree.  Best part?  It was sooo easy!

Supplies:

Happy Meal Toys, candle, matches, pliers, paper clip, tea cup hooks, ribbon

First, heat the end of a paper clip by holding it in the candle's flame

Second, use the heated paper clip to carefully melt a hole into the top of the toy



Third, repeat the process, but this time heat a tea cup hook

Finally, insert the hook into the paper clip hole and turn until secure.

That's all there is to it!

Here is an example of where I placed all of the hooks in case you also happen to have these particular toys laying around your house, doing nothing.