Monday, November 21, 2011

LBH 12 Days of Ornaments: Day #9

Welcome back to the Little Blue House 12 Days of Ornaments feature! Miss Tracy here to kick off  Day #9 of our feature and I have a wonderful Ornament to share with you!
I'm going to share with you my Transfer Technique using
Art Metal, Music Paper, some pretty paint & mists...and a domed paper mache ornament.
Embossed Metal Ornament
Designed by: Miss Tracy :)

Items needed to create this Ornament:
one Paper Mache Ornament
Art Metal - Any color, I used the silver side
(you can make two ornaments out of one 9x12 sheet)
4 1/2 x 4 1/2 piece of green art metal for Holly Leaves
Holly Branch Die - Tim Holtz Alterations/Sizzix
Sanding Block or Sand Paper
Music Paper
Glossy Accents
Helmar 450
Pewter Metallic Paint Dabber - Tim Holtz/Ranger
Cherry Metallic Mist - Maya Road
Embossing Folder & Big Shot or Cuttlebug
White Crepe Ribbon - Creative Impressions
Three Red Jewels
Tacky Tape Sheet or Roll
Scissors, Pen, Paper Towel

Miss Tracy's "How To":

Begin by applying your paint dabber to the edges of the ornament.

Let that dry for a second and then take a piece of thin paper (I used copy paper) and lay over one section of the domed ornament and rub the outline of that section with your finger. This will give you an outline for your template. Cut it out with your scissors.
Trace your template onto the silver side of your sheet of art metal.
For this ornament, you will need six pieces. Cut out each piece.
Now for the music paper...The transfer technique is much easier when using thinner paper. So I took a sheet of Music Paper and made a copy of it. The copy will be perfect for this technique...added benefit is that you can make as many copies as you want and never have to use the original paper.
Trace your template again six times and cut out the pieces.

Next, you will apply some Glossy Accents to the Silver Side of your ornament pieces. Rub over the metal with your finger...and then adhere the music paper pieces onto the metal.
Repeat this for all six pieces...
Set them aside to dry. You can speed up the process by applying a little heat with your heat gun.
Once dry, choose an embossing folder and lay the ornament pieces in the folder (music side up) and run through your Big Shot or Cuttlebug. Emboss all six pieces.
Once embossed, apply your sanding block or sand paper over the embossed design. Keep sanding through the layers of paper until the silver metal is exposed. This is a very dusty process...wipe off pieces during the sanding process with a paper towel.
When complete, it will look something like this....
When all pieces are sanded and buffed with a paper towel, you can apply your tacky tape to the back sides of the ornament pieces. I chose to use a tacky tape sheet and used my template to trace out the pieces. If you only have a tacky tape roll, apply tape to the edges of the back of each piece.

Remove red film and adhere to each section of your paper mache ornament.
 Center each piece within its section.
Now if you like, you could leave the ornament as is and apply Glossy Accents with your finger all over the ornament...I wanted to make my ornament a bit more colorful. If you do too, then hold off on the Glossy Accents and grab your Maya Mist.

Spritz your ornament with your Mist. I used Cherry Metallic on mine.
Grab your paper towel and wipe over the ornament to soften the look.
This way you will still see the music paper through the color.
When the mist is completely dry, take your sander and sand back over the embossed design. This will expose more of the silver metal.
After you sand the ornament, buff it with a paper towel.
Then apply your Glossy Accents to the entire ornament using your finger.
While the Glossy Accents is drying, you can create your Holly Leaves. Die cut your green art metal using the Tim Holtz Alterartions Die (Holly Branch) and then emboss the metal using an embossing folder.
I used the Swiss Dot folder. Place in your folder with the Green side of the metal facing up. Run through your Big Shot or Cuttlebug and sand leaves to expose the silver dots.
Adhere your metal holly leaves to the ornament using Helmar 450. I only applied the glue at the top of the leaf so that way I could shape them a bit and bring them to life. I also embellished my ornament with a Crepe ribbon bow like so...
For the final touch, add 3 red jewels to your ornament using your Glossy Accents.
I absolutely LOVE the finished ornament! A beautiful work of embossed art!
I encourage you to try out these new techniques...and come by the LBH to see this ornament in person.
 It reflects nicely with the lights on the Christmas Tree!

Would you like to WIN this OrNaMenT?!?!?
All you have to do is post a comment here on the blog and you will be entered into a chance to WIN!

Here's your Christmas Question of the Day!
I'm curious...How many Christmas Trees do you put up in your house and are any of them a special theme or decorated with specific ornaments??

As for me, I put up two trees (but would love to put up more)! I have one tree in my Great Room adorned with beautiful Snowflake Ornaments and Angels created from Old Ceiling Tiles...I also have some beautiful crystal and hand made metal ornaments on this tree. My topper is a Majestic Angel nestled among beautiful ribbons and clusters of Apple & Cranberry Sprigs. I have these sprigs here and there all over the tree and even have a few birds nest nestled with in the branches with little eggs and red birds.  I love the mix of the natural elements, vintage-look pieces, and the glimmer of the crystal with the clear lights that cover the tree.  As much as I love this tree...I love my tree in the Family Room even more! It is adorned with all of the ornaments that my kiddos have made through the years. There are even some on this tree that I made as a child with my Grandmother. I love the memories that each ornament conjers up and the stories we share as the kids and I decorate the tree! I treasure each little piece of macaroni, puzzle pieces, hand-print reindeer, and many, many others!!
They are priceless to me!
One day I plan to put a small tree up in the Scrap Shack to display all of the LBH 12 Days of Ornaments feature. Think how gorgeous it will be as I add the hand-made ornaments year after year after year!!

I look forward to reading your comments!
May your Day be Merry & Bright!
Miss Tracy :)


The WINNER from Day #7 is Lynette Chiles!
Congratulations Lynette!
Please contact the LBH to claim your ornament.

17 comments:

  1. Yea! An ornament with metal:-).

    I have five trees. We decorate our main living room tree with the ornaments collected over 30+ years, the Rocking Horse tree that is filled with a collection that spans the childhood of my daughter, the partridge in a pear tree in my entry way (my favorite) which includes a partridge on the top, the bathroom tree filled with clear sparkling ornaments that look like bubbles, and the last tree was purchased on clearance after Christmas last year. It will be decorated with homemade ornaments that I have made or were made for me. I have a sixth tiny table top tree I decorate for our guest room.

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  2. Very pretty and I love this technique. I have one big tree to put up that has no specific theme and one smaller tree that is a patriotic tree, all red, whiteand blue,

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  3. Another Beauty!! We put up 1 big tree and I'm down to just two small trees.

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  4. Sandra - I have 4 trees. One of them has a coca cola theme.

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  5. Embossed art indeed. Tracy that is just beautiful. Thanks for sharing. I do one tree.

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  6. Pretty , pretty. Thought you might do something using that technique. Yay! I won Susan's ornament. After we half sized our house I only have room for two trees. One in our living room and one in my craft room. I have many collections of ornaments so I do a different tree each year. That way I get to see the collections one at a time. I also have 60 Santa cookie jars:).

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  7. Oh I am so happy you showed us this... I have many ornies I need to do... :D I also now want that leaf die cut....

    If I do put up a tree it is one very victorian tree in reds, golds and sparkly whites. All Santas and Angels and a my special ornies...

    I will try this one out soon..
    Happy Holidays

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  8. Beautiful Tracy! I have been playing with metal and that exact same ornament, now something new to try!

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  10. It's a beautiful ornament Tracy! I will put up a small tree this year!

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  11. I have two trees. One is ornaments I have collected for years that is no particular theme. Then I have a giraffe tree. I have collected giraffe ornaments for years and that is all that I use on this tree.

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  12. I have 3 big trees, my main one in the entry way that matches my house, browns, bronzes and golds and then a tree up on the balcony that is woodsy and has mint greens and cremes and browns and lots of natural ornaments and then my Barbie tree that is white and has all my Barbie ornaments and pink ribbon and a Barbie that lights up on top! I do not know how many little trees I have lots with lots of different themes. I'm not sure if they are all going to get put up this year. I should definitely put up the Smore's one, I haven't put it up in a few years.

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  13. I put up several trees. Most are themed--santas, mice, angels, Barbies, animals and snowmen. One is not themed. It is full of old Hallmark ornaments that I have collected over the years. Three trees are up so far. I've got a ways to go. I love your ornament, Tracy.

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  14. The ornament is gorgeous! Love the holly leaves! I usually only put up one tree, but I got a small tree at a garage sale this year for a tabletop. I put it next to my piano and hung little peppermint balls and ribbon candy ornaments. I call it my Charlie Brown tree. My big tree is somewhat of a Great Gatsby theme, with jazz age ornaments. I also hang my other ornaments on it too, because I can't stand to leave them in the boxes!

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  15. I put up 2 - our family one, and my decorator one.

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  16. I love the ornament that was made. It seems so easy, but fabulous idea.

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  17. What a beautiful ornament! I have 3 trees, but am considering putting up more. My main tree, in my living-dining room has a mixture of handmade, store-bought and crystal items on it. Most of the ornaments are one-of-a-kind and have a special significance, like the tiny piñata I bought in Mexico to commemorate our Christmas trip there with family one year. I also have a tree in my studio -- it is white and the ornaments are all glass balls in the Crafty Neighbor colors. My third tree is in my kitchen and belonged to my late mother-in-law. It features hand-blown glass fruit. I love trees and I think I want to put a small one in my bedroom this year, too.

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