Wednesday, November 24, 2010

12 days of Ornaments Extravaganza: Day 11

  Hi everybody!  My name is Trisha Conlon and I teach Soldering Workshops at The Little Blue House. I have been so excited to see all of the great hand-made ornaments being featured here on the blog and it totally inspired me to create a unique ornament .... I just had to share it with you! 
It's truly one-of-a-kind!
Supplies you will need to create this simple and fabulous ornament: Domino, test tube with a cork, ribbon, lace, TenSeconds Studio posion ivy metal, glossy accents, tacky tape, 8mm bling, holiday embossing folder and sanding block.
Start by using glossy accents to adhere your domino to the cork.  Set this aside to dry for a bit.
Next cut a piece of your metal to fit the top of the domino and a second piece to fit the circumference of your test tube.
Then sandwich both pieces of metal in your embossing folder and roll it through your cuttlebug or big shot. Finish off by sanding the top of your metal with a sanding block.
(I used the sizzix/basic grey snow globe embossing folder)

Place tacky tape on the back of both pieces and adhere the smaller one to the top of your domino and the larger piece to your test tube.

 Wrap ribbon around domino starting with your widest first then layering with the lace. I used glossy accents to adhere the ribbon to my domino.


Fill your test tube with M&M's, peppermints, or any other holiday treat you desire. Add the cork topper and finish off by tying a ribbon around it to create a hanger for hanging.
Thanks for joining me today! If you are looking for any of the items used to create this ornament...you can find them at The Little Blue House...es...dominos, test tubes, and a wide variety of art metal colors. Remember to post a comment....YOU may be selected to win this ornament!  When you comment share with me the most interesting gift you've ever wrapped!
Here is the winner for Day #9's Ornament.....drumroll please....
PCMOM114
Congrats Kelly! Please contact the LBH to claim your Ornament!
Happy Holidays!
Trisha

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

12 Days of Ornaments: Day 10

 Welcome to day 10
Rhonda Merry back to show you another ornament for our awesome
12 Days or Ornaments Extravaganza.

Materials:
4x5 mini, back stapled, traditional canvas
2 paint colors
Crackle medium
2 colors of Cardstock
black wire
black upholstery nails
 red buttons

 On a 4x5 mini canvas we start with our first coat of paint. This will be the color you would like to have peeking through your crackle.  I chose Champagne for my "Under-Color".  Let that dry completely.  To speed up dry time you can use your heat gun, NOT TOO close, we don't want to burn anything.


Next, I used a product called Crackle by Behr. This give you that chipped wood look.   You can get it at most of your local hardware, paint or craft stores.  Have no fear, it's easy!! We paint on the Crackle medium using long strokes of Crackle,
no drips and not too thin of a coat. Cover your whole surface and the sides getting all the areas you would like to see that Crackle effect.
 That too will need to dry completely.  I don't recommend adding the heat to it though.  You might need a little patience here.  It takes about an hour to dry enough for your top coat of paint.  There should not be any areas tacky to the touch when adding your top coat otherwise the paint will not adhere or crackle.

(If you are not a patient person and would like to have your
 base done ASAP, then skip the Crackle and lose a paint color. 
 Choose the color your would like to have your canvas and
skip past the next 2 steps below. I won't mind at all.)


 Now for the top coat. I used Barn Red for the Top paint color. 
We again are going to use long straight strokes of paint. 
Even and steady down your little canvas. Try not to go
over the areas more than once.  This will help to get the Crackle effect we want.


COOL RIGHT!!?!
Here is what you should see once the paint starts to dry. 



 Now for the Holly leaves. 
This part is fun.
I used my Jubilee Celebration Cricut cartridge for the holly.  It has 2 leaves and berries.  The Holly is set at
1-1/2" size.  For my canvas I cut 12 of the double leaf sets.
NO CARTRIDGES??? No Problem! 
Draw a holly leaf and make a template. Then cut out.


CAN"T DRAW???
Well, then go to the computer and Google some
Holly images and print them up. There are a lot of them to choose from.


NO! on the Computer???

Then get your leaf punches and find one that
you would enjoy.
OR
Do you have a holly or leaf stamp.  Stamp and cut out the leaves. It is totally up to you.  It will turn out great no matter what leaf you use.


 We're ready to make our wreath. Draw a circle in the middle
of your canvas as a guide for placing your leaves.
I found a 1-1/4" circle to use as a template.   
 This leaf set has two different sizes on it.  I used the larger leaves
first as the base of the wreath. I glued those down using Helmar 450 Quick Dry.
 The next layer I inked the edges with some Tim Holtz Distress Inks
using the blending foam applicator. 
Then I curled up the leaves, dolloped some more 450
on the tip of one end of each leaf, and placed.

  I placed the leaves at a different angle to fill out the wreath. 
Allow the curled end to curve away from the canvas.


 Do the same with the smaller leaves.  If your leaves are the same size, just keep layering until you have 3 rows, staggering the placement for a fuller look, not stacked.

 Add some buttonsfor the holly berries.
 The smaller the better for our purpose.

Situate your berries before gluing. That way you can
move them around to your liking.
Once they are in a spot you like then glue them down.

 Would you like to add a word??? I liked JOY for my wreath. 
I cut mine from the Limeade Cricut cartridge. 
Other options would be to use sticker letters, or you
can use Chipboard words like the ones from Maya Road.

 Next I placed a Bulldog Upholstery nail at the top corner of my ornament. Use your thumb to push it in part of the way, the wood should be soft enough. No hammering necessary.

 For our hanger, I used Back Wire by Bulldog Hardware. Cut about a 12-14" length.   Wind the wire twice around the first nail leaving about a 3" tail. Then do the same for the second nail. Now push your nails in the rest of the way to secure the wire hanger.

 Using a wire curler (or paint brush, pencil, or nail)
 curl the wire tails to form a little spring off the end.



 Give the top a twist and hang on the tree.

Oh happy, happy, joy, joy!

I want to thank you for joining me for another ornament.
  I hope you will find some inspiration from this.  I am excited to have my family all home for Thanksgiving.  It will be a relaxing weekend for the most part.  NO black Friday shopping for this girl.  Instead I will be at the Little Blue House with all the girls who will be cropping there. 

 
I plan on Christmas to be the same, family home and lounging for those few days.What is the craziest Christmas you've had.  Mine was moving from Little Rock, Arkansas to Lubbock, Texas, 8 months pregnant with my 3rd child... EEK! and trying to get the movers to put Christmas boxes in the living room so I can set up the tree.  Goodness, I did the move at Christmas again when we bought our home here in Fort Worth.  NO more moving at Christmas for me!  Lounging, that sounds better.

Almost forgot to post the winner....The winner of yesterday's Ornament is....

Andra V.
Congrats Andra! Please contact the LBH to claim your Ornament!

"Merry" Crafting!
Rhonda

Monday, November 22, 2010

12 Days of Ornaments Extravaganza - Day 9

This is Susan to show you yet another handmade ornament.  For my ornament today, I chose to do a tag, using metal and Pink Paislee's Father Christmas paper line. Love those vintage images.
So let's get started!



These are the supplies you will need: 
a manilla shipping tag, approx. 3 1/4" x 6 1/4" (from an office supply store or make your own cutting a rectangle of cardstock and snipping off the top corners and punching a hole)
Pink Paislee Father Christmas Trading Cards paper
Girls Paperie Tinsel and Twig stamp set (or any Christmas sentiment stamp)
Ten Seconds Studio art metal, 3 1/4" x 6 1/4" (I used Poison Ivy)
Cuttlebug or Big Shot machine
Cuttlebug or Sizzix embossing folder (I used the Sizzix Tim Holtz music folder - did you know that The Little Blue House is an order station for Sizzix and we can get any Sizzix product for you!)
sanding block
decorative wheel for metal
ivory cardstock - one 4" scalloped oval and a 1" x 3 1/2" strip
"Green with Envy" and black Quick Quotes chalk inks
3 1/2" ivory lace
3 1/2" burgundy ruffled Maya Road velvet ribbon
10" narrow red velvet ribbon
Stickles - Xmas Red and Diamond
silver Krylon pen
Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Helmar Scrap Dots
Helmar pop dots
    (All supplies listed are available at the LBH except the lace and tag.)

    First choose your Father Christmas image from the Trading Cards sheet and cut into a 3 1/2" oval - I used a Creative Memories oval cutting system, but you could use a punch or a template.  Edge with silver Krylon pen and layer on the cardstock scalloped oval.  Using your finger (best tool ever!) lightly pat on Diamond Stickles over the entire image and add dots of red Stickles to each scallop.  Set aside to dry.  (I forgot to take pics of these steps, but you will see this later in the tutorial.)

    Stamp a Christmas sentiment on the cardstock strip with black ink, cut ends into a v-shape and edge with red Stickles.  Let dry.

    Cover one side of the tag with the reverse patterned side of the Father Christmas paper.  Ink the edges with green ink. Remember to punch the hole before covering both sides!

    Place the art metal, color side up, in the embossing folder.  (The metal will be a tad longer - this is ok as it will be covered with trim later.)  Run through your die-cutting machine.  


    Sand the metal lightly with the sanding block to reveal the silver metal on the embossed pattern.  (TIP:  Do this on a paper towel and when you finish you can remove the towel and have a clean workspace.) Adhere this to the front of the tag - you can use either Tacky Tape or the Helmar 450 adhesive.  Once the metal is on the tag, trim as necessary and run the decorative wheel along the edges to further secure it and give it a finished look.





    Adhere a strip of lace to the bottom of the tag and, above that, a strip of the ruffled velvet ribbon (isn't that gorgeous - I'm in love with that ribbon!).  Trim edges as necessary. Fold the narrow velvet ribbon in half and bring both ends through the tag hole from the back and knot in front.  Add the oval layer to the upper left portion of the tag with pop dots.


      And, finally, curl the little sentiment banner with your fingers to give it some dimension and add it below the Santa image with Scrap Dots.  Have you ever used this?  It's a neat, new product from Helmar that comes in a tube.  You can add as much or as little as you want, depending on the height you want your image to pop up!  It dries clear and fairly quickly (though not instantly).

    Can you see how high this blob is?


    And here's the finished ornament! 

     I hope this tutorial will inspire you to make one of your own.  Be sure to comment on this post for a chance to win this tag.  Tell us about your favorite family Christmas tradition.  Mine is my husband reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to our children every Christmas eve, just before bed.  I have kept the book in hopes that when they have children of their own they will continue the tradition.

     CONGRATULATIONS to our winner of yesterday's ornament:  LINDA KRATZERT!!  Please claim your ornament at The Little Blue House!  Check back tomorrow for another lovely ornament.

    Susan
    http://www.susan-artfulmusings.blogspot.com

    Sunday, November 21, 2010

    12 Days of Ornaments Extravaganza: Day 8

     Hello everyone!  Miss Tracy here...I hope you have been inspired by our Ornament tutorials this week.  Here is my hand-crafted ornament for Day 8! Take a look...
    This ornament features a Paper Mache Circle Ornament and the beautiful papers from the Christmas Past Collection by Graphic 45...aren't they lovely? These items are all available at The Little Blue House. I will be showing you how to create this quilted paper technique today as well as a paper rosette. Here is another view... 
    Miss Tracy's How To:
    You will need the following items to re-create this Ornament...a paper mache circle ornament, several pieces of printed paper cut into 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. rectangles, ink for the edges of your ornament and papers, adhesive, pretty ribbon, a button, a trimmer, and a craft knife.
    Let's get started...
     After you have cut your paper into the 1 1/2x 2 1/2 in. pieces, lay each piece in your paper trimmer, lining up each opposite corner on the cutting track like so...
     Cut your paper and this will create 2 triangles out of each piece.  After your pieces are all cut, ink the edges of each triangle with a brown chalk ink like Quick Quotes Amaretto or Mocha Mama...
    Grab your liquid adhesive or your tape runner and position 4 of the triangles onto the paper mache ornament.  Be careful to have the points meet in the center of the ornament and trim the tips off ...
     Next, begin adding additional triangles again being careful to have the tips of the triangles pointing to the center of the ornment. Your triangles WILL overlap ...
     Take your scissors and snip off the tips of the triangles so that the middle of the ornament doesn't get to bulky with paper...
     Continue this process until the entire ornament is covered. Be sure to not place the same prints next to each other. It will look something like this when you are finished...
     Now, turn your ornament over and use your craft knife to cut away the excess paper. Be sure to do this step on a cutting mat...
     Turn your ornament over and take a look at your lovely quilted papers...so pretty! Ink the edges all the way around the ornament with the same ink that you used earlier. Now repeat this process to the other side of your ornament.
     Time to make the Paper Rosette. First, cut a piece of paper into a 1 x 12 in. strip. Then take a scallop border punch and punch along one edge of the strip...

     Ink the scallop edge with more chalk ink...

     Now begin making a fold at every valley of the scallop border. Fold the entire strip like so...
     Next, adhere the ends of the strip together with glue and be careful to keep the mountain, valley pattern. It will look like this when you are finished...
     Squeeze the straight edge of the papers together (kinda like a teepee) and then push down into the center and waa laa, you have a beautiful rosette. You will need to apply some glue to the center on both sides to hold the rosette in place. Use a fast grab tacky glue (like Helmar 450) or a hot glue gun for this step.
    I trimmed off the gold cord that originally came on the Paper Mache Circle and ran it through a button (tie off with a knot) and adhered it to the center of my rosette. Repeat these steps to create a second rosette for the back of the ornament.
    To create the ribbon hanger, simply take a piece of ribbon and create a loop in the center of it. Apply a dab of glue to hold the loop in place like so...
    Apply some glue to the top of the ornament and attach the base of the loop and then glue the ribbon around the edges of the ornament. Trim off the excess where the ribbons meet at the bottom of the ornament.
    Here is what it will look like when you finish this step...
    Now you have another splendid ornament to hang on the tree!
    Thanks for following along and if you have any questions about the items used today, please let me know. I encourage you to leave a comment...who knows?!? YOU may be the lucky winner of today's ornament!  Speaking of winners, here is the winner of Day 7's ornament...

    LittleLeafLane
    Congratulations! Please contact the LBH to claim your ornament.

    When you leave your comment today, please share with me memories of your favorite ornament you ever made as a child...For me, it would have to be making Salt Dough Ornaments with my Mom. My brother and I would make such a mess but it sure was FUN!

    Enjoy a Creative Christmas this year!
    Miss Tracy :)