Woodland-Inspired Monarch Butterfly Christmas Ornament

I'm in the mood for a 'new' Christmas tree this year. For the last few years, we've decorated our tree in a bright, almost over-the-top, playful, toy theme. I love my collection of ornaments, and plan to keep them in our rotation, but a change is in order this year. Enter the woodland-inspired tree.

My goal is to fill the tree with as many handmade ornaments as possible... and my plan is to share each of them with you as a tutorial.  I really love clear, glass ornaments because of their endless possibilities, so I've already scooped up several shapes and sizes for the coming season. If you think you might like to make some of these ornaments along with me, I'd encourage you to watch for sales and begin stocking up now.

This ornament is the first of many. Not only is it ridiculously simple, it would also be very easy to customize!

To make your own, you'll need:
Clear glass ornaments with a removable top
Craft moss in whatever variety you like most
Small butterflies, birds, toadstools, etc. {usually found near the floral department}
Something to "poke" with, like a chopstick or pencil
String or a ribbon for hanging

A tutorial is hardly necessary, but the steps go something like this:
Remove the top from your ornament.
Partially fill the ornament with moss. Break the moss into chunks and use your 'tool' to compact it a bit in the lower half of the ornament.
Add something cute. This monarch butterfly was a bit larger than the opening at the top of the ornament, so I gently curled the wings in on themselves to guide them through the opening, working first with one side, and then the other.
Using your 'tool' again, turn the butterfly so that it looks like it's resting on the moss.
Replace the top of the ornament.
Add a loop of string, thread, twine, etc. to the top for hanging, and you're done!