Classic, super easy and so charming.
Long before I started blogging, before the days of kids and even marriage, I taught kindergarten and first grade.
During my first year, at my first school, I attended a PTA craft fair and fell head over heels in love with a darling little macaroni angel ornament.
I didn't yet have a tree of my own, but I needed to bring her home.
As a matter of fact, I was so taken with this darling creation I would've purchased more, but my class was scheduled for the last session of the day, on the last day of the sale.
So there was only one lonely angel left. I snatched her up.
I think she was a quarter.
But I promised myself that next Christmas I would make a whole bunch to give out and hang on my tree.
Well, next Christmas I was married.
There was so much to do that first holiday together, crafting fell by the wayside.
As you can imagine, not long after the wedding, there was a house to renovate and then kids, and well, you already know how that goes.
Plus, every time I bought the supplies, someone would eat them.
Well this year, when I pulled that sweet girl out of the bin, I noticed that she was missing and arm and her body was chipped.
Twenty five year old macaroni is apparently not that sturdy. I figured it was finally time to get to that craft.
Now, I'm sure you've all seen this craft before, or at least a version of it.
These pasta angels have been around forever. They're an old fashioned Christmas classic.
Perhaps you made them when you were young, or you have a few on your own tree.
What you see here today, is obviously not new.
However, every single time I post something, there is someone who says, Wow, I've never seen/ heard of that before.
So with that in mind, I took pictures of my process.
You're welcome.
How To Make Old Fashioned Macaroni Angel Ornaments
Step One:
I gathered my supplies. As you can imagine, the main ingredient here, is pasta...and lots of it.
Supplies:
Farfalle Pasta for wings
Tubettini Pasta for hair
Elbows Macaroni for arms
Rigatoni Pasta for the body
White Gloss Spray Paint
Black Fine Tip Marker
Glue Gun and Sticks
Round Wooden Beads for the head
Ribbon or twine for hanger
Tubettini Pasta for hair
Elbows Macaroni for arms
Rigatoni Pasta for the body
White Gloss Spray Paint
Black Fine Tip Marker
Glue Gun and Sticks
Round Wooden Beads for the head
Ribbon or twine for hanger
Step Two:
I hot glued 3/4" wooden beads on top of the rigatoni pasta noodles.
I had to play around with some of them.
You want the head to fit firmly on without a major gap between the two. A small gap is fine, the glue and paint with cover it, but I tried to get as close a fit as possible.
Step Three:
Moving on, I hot glued a farfalle noodle to the back of the rigatoni for wings and two mac and cheese noodles to the sides for arms.
I tried to find other pasta that would work well, but mac and cheese noodles were very thin and just fit right.
Step Four:
Then it was on to the hair.
I made it by gluing tubettini pasta to each wooden bead.
The one at a time method was not going to cut it here. So I rigged up a little plastic cup and dipped the heads into the cup after I applied hot glue.
I actually made a super quick video of this part of the process, complete with unpainted nails and a tweezer tip, if you want to peek.
Once I was done, my pasta angel, looked like this.
Then I repeated the process about twenty more times. Yeah...I know.
Truth be told, I made one, soup to nuts, as a prototype and to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into.
When I made the rest, I did it in batches. All heads, all arms, all wings, all hair.
You get the picture.
Step Five:
The painting part of this craft was handed off to my husband who gave them a few coats of white spray paint from a can. He does this for me a lot.
There are a lot of different ways to spray paint these ladies, but we're lazy crafters here at Exquisitely Unremarkable, so we just laid them face down in a box and sprayed.
When they were dry, we flipped them over and sprayed the front.
Nothing stuck, there were no blotchy spots, the coverage was even. All good.
The finishing touches, adding a magic marker face and a rustic twine hanger, took mere minutes.
I just copied my old angel, but you can make closed eyes, lashed eyes and you can give her something to hold, like a piece of old sheet music or a tiny wreath.
Have fun with it.
I may mix it up a bit since I have nineteen more to complete.
For now I have one, very perfect old fashioned macaroni angel ornament.
It only took me 25 years to make.
But I think she was worth the wait.
How about you?
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I remember these! Yours are just darling, Kim and what a great title to pique interest ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha..thanks, Cecilia! I had hoped that would entice people to open the emails. Glad to know it worked! 😊
DeleteLOL these are just adorable!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! I had fun making an army of them!
DeleteOh my goodness, they are so cute! I thought maybe garland, these are adorable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rhonda! Garland, hmmm....now you have the wheels turning!
DeleteHow fun and endearing that your husband gets involved with the crafting process! Very cute angels. Took me back to when my kids made them at school and brought them home.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
He’s a very good guy, Brenda, and quite creative in his own right. I should feature some of his projects sometime...
DeleteI have seen those before and they are still just as cute. I am taken with most things 'vintage' and these have that vintage look. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing your process.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lorri! I have wanted to make a few forever. It's an easy process and a really cute result. Merry Christmas!
DeleteVery cute!! I remember these but have never had any. I bet there are some at craft fairs all over right now! Are your 20 angels going to be a choir?!
ReplyDeleteI should, AnnMarie! Music sheets for everyone!
DeleteKim I am so glad the family did not eat the pasta. This was so worth it and yes, I have never seen this tutorial before. So thank you. I have to say I'm very impressed that your first angel survived 25 years.
ReplyDeleteMary, I have to tell you, my husband kept trying to put the boxes in the pantry and my kids kept asking me if we were having pasta for dinner. It was a hard fought battle to get these babies made!
DeleteAh so cute. Love this. I love all your sweet angels you make. I bet the kids loved making things like this with you when you taught school. Have a great evening.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kris
Thanks Kris...they are very sweet and super tiny. I think the kids did like crafting best. It was certainly my favorite subject of the day! 😉
DeleteI remember making those as a child! Your idea for doing the hair was genius! They really turned out so cute. I would make some for here but well...there is Doofy and we all know that he eats trees and I know he would take great pleasure biting the the heads and wings off the angels. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, I totally get it Debbie! Our kitties used to climb up the inside of the trees and the ornaments would shake and drop. Definitely made decorating a challenge!
DeleteHow cute! Their hair reminds me of a George Washington powdered wig. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha...you know I thought the same thing.
DeleteI just love this craft, Kim! They are so adorable! xxx Maria
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria...I am sure you spend many years crafting with pasta in your own classrooms!
DeleteI remember these! So cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deanna! A throwback for sure!
DeleteThese ornaments are so adorable!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, "Andy"...you may just get one this holiday season!
DeleteHi Kim, oh I found some of those angel ornaments that me and my sister made when we were younger. Some of mine kind of came apart. I will have to make them again!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun craft to make with a child and adults.
Julie
They are fun to make, Julie! And you can give them each a different personality.
DeleteYou seriously amaze me, lady!! I think you should go back to teaching kindergarten....either that or you need some grandkids!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha…I’ll go back to teaching!! No grandkids yet. I need to get everyone out of high school first!
DeleteThose are so cute! I don't think I've ever seen these. Do they break easily?
ReplyDeleteHi Melanie! The original one has been in my possession since the very early 90's. I think it finally started losing pieces last year when it fell off the tree. So I would say they're pretty sturdy! At least that one was!!
DeleteAbsolutely adorable!!! Can hardly wait for to have a granddaughter around for us to make adorable little angels like these some days!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun adventure ahead of you, Angela. Enjoy every minute! xo
DeleteTruth be told I didn't know they were 25 years old...yikes, how time passes! I was very taken with these too when I first saw them. Yours are so adorable Kim. Love the "hair." You could also put glitter on them. I think I still have my pasta Christmas pin around here. Glad for the tutorial.
ReplyDeleteProbably older, Florence! I just came across them then and I have been smitten ever since. Glitter huh...great idea. Thanks!
DeleteBelieve it or not, Kim, but I don't think I have every seen a macaroni angel. I can remember a piece of round colored paper with different colors and shapes of macaroni glued to it that my kids used to bring. I think it might have been one of your angels that got loose in the middle of the freeway. Oh, that is mean, but I couldn't resist! It is too cute your angel. When I helped in classrooms before I retired I was give a little toy soldier made out of an old fashioned clothes pin. Fun memories..Happy Holidays..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteI really thought this would be an "oh, these again" kind of post, Judy, but turns out, you're not alone. The general reaction seems to be a 50/50 split of remembrance and never seen before. I am glad I posted about them. And your toy soldier sounds adorable. I remember them. Maybe I should make one of them next! xoxo
DeleteThese are adorable, Kim, and I've not seen them around here either. I'm sending the photo to my niece to see whether she wants to give these little angels a try. Did you consider using a piece of gnocchi instead of the wooden bead?
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
You are so creative! I hadn’t thought of that. She’s definitely calling out for a story though…I’ll leave that one up to you!
Deletexo
Soooo cute! But you obviously have a great deal more patience than I do! Maybe a 'macaroni angel making' party is needed and an assembly line of friends to help? Sounds like a fun party to me!! xox They are going to look so sweet on your tree!!
ReplyDeleteA party? What a great idea! You could play with macaroni and then eat some. Pasta for everyone! xo
Delete;-) Well Kim, I have never seen a macaroni angel. LOL, and I love, love, love it. What a fun idea.
ReplyDeleteI am making citrus garland as I am reading blogs. Oh my does the house smell good. I have sliced oranges with cloves drying in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 hours, the house smells wonderful.
Carla
Oh, that does sound wonderful. That’s been on my list for years. Maybe this one…fingers crossed!!
DeleteDefinitely worth the wait! These are darling! My mom has all kinds of angel decorations and would love this. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThey are very sweet, Lisa. You could make them in a flash!
DeleteThese are soooo cute Kim! I opted for painted ones this year, but I'm pinning this for the future! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Vel...suuuper easy to make and cute, if I do say so myself!
DeleteI thought I was the only person to have one of these. Got it from my grandmother for my first Christmas. 36 years later and she is my most prized ornament.
ReplyDeleteKaren, it's so funny, I really thought everyone had seen these a million times over. I am glad to hear that you have one and that she's still intact! She really is a prize! Thanks so much for sharing with us and Merry Christmas!
DeleteOMGOSH!!! Here I am four years later and coming across your post!!! You have got some fabulous ideas!! At 67, well, I'll be 68 when my first grandchild is born, i am already collecting ideas that I can do with my grandchildren! I plan on taking our spare bedroom, putting in a Murphy bed and making it a craft/playroom for my grandchildren. Of course, I am praying they will enjoy crafting, painting, glueing, etc. as much as I did as a child and still do! Now that I am at this stage of my life I have the time to create and make the things I've always wanted! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am going to print everything out and put it in a 3 ring binder that will hopefully be passed down after I am long gone. Bless you for doing this. I love these ideas so much!! Hugs, "Grandma Ewing"
ReplyDeleteHello Grandma Ewing!! You have just totally made my day! I was going through my very overloaded email, found your comment and broke out into a giant smile. What a lovely, lovely comment, thank you so much for letting me know that you are enjoying what you found here. That's the entire reason I share. I hope the crafts you do together with your grandchildren in the future, bring you all great joy and many hours of memory making. Congratulations on that new baby, too!! Wonderful news!!
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