Angels We Have Heard on High

Here is one of my favorite ornaments of all time. Over twenty years ago, my pastor's wife showed me how to make these precious pasta angels. I have made dozens and dozens of these over the years. One year, Abby walked around the neighborhood selling these, telling people about our "angel" waiting for us in China. She probably sold over 100 that Christmas.

Now Abby works part-time at a gift shop and she's been after me to make some of these to sell there. She took a prototype into the shop today to show the owner. She loved them. Now I've been commissioned to make a whole basket full. We won't need to build another Fort Knox in the backyard to hold my earnings, but it is my hope that I'll have a little extra to spend on the children this year.

I thought maybe you'd like to see how I put these little angels together and maybe be inspired to make a choir of your own.

You'll need:

• 2 cm wood beads (no hole)
• pasta wheels
• rigatoni (or tube pasta about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch long)
• pasta bow ties
• elbow macaroni
  
• teeny tiny tubular pasta for hair (can't remember the name, I've had mine for years)
• Aleene's tacky glue
• white spray paint
• black, pink, and red acrylic paint for face
• gold thread
• foil card stock for song books (I use old Christmas cards!)

Notes: Allow all the steps to set up before moving to the next step. Do this in assembly-line fashion. Use Aleene's because it works beautifully. Hot glue makes a MESS! Elmer's is WAY too thin.




The assembly goes like this:

1. Glue the wooden ball to the middle of the wagon wheel.
   
2. Glue the wings to one side of the rigatoni
3. Glue the head unit to the body unit.
   

It should look like this:

The hair is really fun!

1. Using your finger, coat the head with glue where you want hair. Don't glob it on, but don't skimp either. We are striving for a bouffant coiffure!
2. Dip the head into the teeny tubular pasta.
3. Press and shape until it lies flat and pretty. You don't want any big gaps. Be sure it's nicely shaped around the face.
   

Now glue one little tube to the top to act as a hanger.


Next, glue two elbows on for arms.

At this point, let the angels dry completely.

Lay them out on waxed paper and spray paint them white using a good brand of spray paint. Coat lightly each time you flip them, to avoid drips. I do several coats on each side. Just make sure you get them good all over, including the top of the head.

Then paint the facial features using a fine tipped paint brush.

Cut the foil cardstock into little rectangles and fold to make books. Attach with a dab of glue.

Thread a length of gold through the hanger and knot.

"Gloria in Excelsis Deo!"

Love,
Laura Lee

PS Just out of curiosity, after I finished this, I Googled pasta angel ornaments and found this website. Hmmm, let's just say I think it was time for another tutorial.