In case you don’t know, Jen of Cake Wrecks fame has a newish blog, Epbot, which is devoted to a variety of things crafty/steampunk/sci fi/Disney. (Dunno where the woman finds the time to run both blogs, but she does it somehow!)

For Christmas 2011, Jen and her husband, John, opted for a steampunk tree, which was a multi-step process that involved making/customizing ornaments—gears, test tubes, snowflakes, all kinds of things. But my favorites are these fabulous mini hot air balloons, for which Jen has helpfully provided a thorough tutorial. I know the holidays are over, but given that most of us don’t have the apparently boundless energy of Jen and John, I thought it might be a good idea to start crafting now so we’re ready for next year….

• Jen’s mini hot air balloon ornament tutorial