Elegant Snowflake Star Ornament

When I create a design, I usually plan to use it on a card or a page.  My favorite types of designs to make are medallions and snowflakes - the more complex the better!  I started out to make this design as a card topper but decided it would be pretty as an ornament to hang on the tree.

This is another design that I created in the Silhouette Studio software.  After years of stretching Design Studio and the Gypsy as far as I could to get the results I wanted, it is such a pleasure to work with the Silhouette program.  In just a few clicks I can do things that would take a lot of tedious work to do with the Cricut software.  I actually designed this star with five layers, however, as I cut it I decided to use only four of them.

All of the cardstock I used is metallic and shiny - perfect for hanging on a tree and reflecting the lights.  Here are the first two layers assembled.  I can easily create blackouts of the shapes I draw and gradually build up a design with colors in the Silhouette program.  The cardstock I used here is from American Crafts in the Foil pack.

The third layer is also from American Crafts but it has a different texture - ribbed instead of linen.  In this layer you can clearly see the star center.  My original design added another color for the center section of the star but I thought it was getting too busy so I eliminated that layer.  You can try something similar with a Cricut image by starting with a lace shape and creating new layers by using the "hide contour" feature to fill in symmetrical areas of the pattern. 

The final lacy layer on top adds all of the sparkle!  This is the Dazzle cardstock from DCWV - I am totally smitten with the Dazzle papers for the ease of cutting in my machines and the incredible sparkle.  The ornament really catches the light and your eye is drawn to it on the tree.

I added a simple ribbon loop to hang the ornament.  You can assemble a second set of images and place them back to back for an ornament that will look good from every angle.  It will be eight layers thick and very sturdy when finished.  You can also cut just one extra bottom layer and add it to the back to cover the ribbon and create a shiny solid back for the ornament.

Here is another view of the ornament hanging in the tree (I borrowed a spot on the Santa tree in the front hall for the photo).

I tried to capture the intense sparkle in these photos but I think you really have to see the Dazzle paper in person to understand how brilliantly it shines!

I know that many of you have written to me to ask about some of the other options available for die cutting machines.  I have a lot invested in Cricut machines and cartridges and I will continue to use them for some of my projects.  Unfortunately, the Cricut plan seems to be to continue to limit the creativity of users by requiring that all design work be cartridge based.  In other programs, you are free to draw your own shapes (this design started from a simple squiggle) and you can create truly unique designs.

I realize that many people prefer to simply cut designs that someone else has created - and find great satisfaction in choosing the colors and papers, assembling the cuts and finding creative uses for the images.  I enjoy doing this as well, but I am most fascinated by creating new designs.  If you are also interested in designing your own images, let me know via comments or email.  I am thinking about starting up my online classes again next year and, if there is enough interest, I might do some sessions on working with the Silhouette software.

Don't forget to leave a comment over on THIS POST if you would like a chance to win some of the ribbon I used to make these tags.  I'll post the lucky names on Friday morning.  I checked the weight at the Post Office and have the envelopes stamped and ready to mail as soon as I receive addresses from the winners.

The dining room tree is finished.  I had to use some Glossy Accents to fix a broken glass icicle (it worked like a charm!).  A box full of wooden items for Christmas projects that I ordered with the illusion of having enough time to make them before next week arrived today - I think they will have to be for next year!


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Creative Charms Ornaments and Games

There are so many things  you can do with embellishments.  Today is my day to post on the Creative Charms blog and I decided to use some of the products for projects that are a little different.  If you haven't checked the Creative Charms blog lately, be sure to stop over to see what the rest of the Design Team has been sharing on the blog.

These glittered ornaments have been very popular for the past few years.  I usually see them with vinyl words or initials applied to personalize the ornament.  I looked around in my stash of Creative Charms goodies to find another way to decorate this ornament.  (If you don't know how to make the glittered ornaments check THIS POST).

The leafy ribbon comes with the Fuzzy Daisy Kit.  I used 1/8 inch ScorTape to adhere it to the ornament.  First, I wrapped the tape around the ornament.

 Then I started to peel off a small section of the protective backing.

I carefully worked my way around the ornament, placing the ribbon directly on top of the Scor-Tape.  Don't worry if a little bit of the adhesive shows - it will be nearly invisible when you are done.

 The ornament looks pretty with the leaf ribbon but it needs a bit more bling!  I added two shades of Gradient Gem Stickers in an alternating pattern around the leaf ribbon.

 Then I took some brown Velvet Ric Rac ribbon and wrapped it around the ornament hanger at the top.  I used Scor-Tape again to adhere the ribbon to the ornament holder.

 I cut a ten inch piece of ribbon and knotted it at the ends.  Then I threaded it through the ornament hanger and pulled the tail through the loop.

This is very quick and easy project to do.  You could try all sorts of variations for decorating the balls once you start exploring the items in your Creative Charms stash.

The ornaments look very pretty hanging in the tree - the gem stickers will catch the light from the tree lights and sparkle.

I also made a little holiday tic-tac-toe game using the Vintage Metal Frames.    These are very easy to convert into playing pieces.

 I punched 3/4 inch circles from watercolor paper and stuck the ornaments to the circles of paper.  You could always add adhesive to the base of a piece to use it in another project later.  You need ten pieces for a tic-tac-toe game so you will need two sets of the frames and you will have two extras to use for another project.

The game board is made with heavy watercolor paper (cut at 6 x 6 inches) as the base.   Next there is a layer of patterned paper to add some color.

This K & Company paper pack is a good match for the colors in the Vintage Metal Frames.  The second layer of the board is the red patterned paper cut at 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.  Next is another layer of the watercolor paper cut at 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches.  Finally, there are nine squares of the green paper cut at 1 1/4  inches and arranged in a grid.  Be sure to add plenty of adhesive around the edges of the squares so they will stay flat.  You can also cut a grid from the watercolor paper and layer it over a single piece of green paper - this is easiest if you have a die cutting machine.

You can store the pieces in a little bag like this one that came from Creative Charms with some butterflies inside it.  These sorts of bags are easy to find in craft stores if you don't have one.  You could also use a candy tin or something else you have around the house - just get creative!

I hope you will start thinking of some more ways to use your papercrafting embellishments for other projects - I'd love to see what you come up with.

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SALE - SALE - SALE

For those of you who use the Creative Memories Storybook program, there is a 30% off sale on holiday digital content.  This sale will end at 11:59 Central time on the 14th.  You can click HERE to go directly to the sale page on my Creative Memories personal website.

 
I hope you have a great day - I have plans to finish up a few projects around the house to get ready for company!

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Glitter and a little Giveaway

 

I had a long drive on Tuesday but I made it to New Jersey with no traffic or weather problems.  I was surprised to see snow in Connecticut and New Jersey since we did not have any snow that stayed on the ground in Massachusetts.  It has turned really cold everywhere - I think winter has arrived!

I usually drive to my sister's home and stay for the night when I come to New Jersey to pick up our son from college.  We always have a project or two to work on and I think you can guess from the photo what we were up to yesterday.

 

The glitter ornaments have been all over the crafting blogs and websites for a couple of years now.  In case you somehow missed the excitement, here is a LINK to a post from last year where I give all of the details on how to make these wonderful glittery globes - it is so much fun to do!  I use the "floor wax" method but there are some companies that have special adhesives you can use to make these ornaments.

There were some extra special ornaments but I can't share photos of these until after Christmas - you never know who is reading!

I didn't get much computer time so I know I am behind on emails and messages.  I did see some comments about the ribbon I used to make the tags.  Some people don't have a Costco nearby or could not find this ribbon at their store.  I know I had to dig back into the boxes to find it.  I saw the sample hanging on the ring and I knew I "needed" some of this ribbon!

 

The ribbon comes on huge spools and I know I probably won't use it all up so I'd like to offer a little gift of a couple of yards of ribbon to seven readers of my blog (just because seven is one of my favorite numbers!).  If you can't find the ribbon and would like to put your name in the hat to win some please leave a comment on this post and be sure to leave a way I can contact you (Google profile, blog address, message board name, email address, etc.).  I will pick seven winners sometime this weekend and mail out the ribbon on Monday.

 

I will try to write up the tag directions later and if I finish, I'll post them tomorrow.  My son and I are headed to PA to see my Dad so I can't be sure that I'll get a chance.  It is amazing to me to think that he only has one more semester of college left (but it will be nice to be done with the tuition bills!)

I also wanted to let you know that my friend Terri at Stamps Alive is having a sale. She always has great prices, but this sale will last only until Friday night at midnight (Pacific time).  You might want to check it out for a last minute gift - maybe for yourself!

I hope you are having a good week and enjoying some holiday events - we have a very busy weekend once we get back and next week our older son will arrive from San Francisco.  It is always so nice to have everyone together even if it is only for a few days. 

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Not just for cupcakes....

When I first got Sweet Treats at Michael's and brought it home to explore, I was a bit disappointed in the contents.  I was particularly bothered by the repetition of some of the shapes which make this "full" cartridge much less full than many others (such as A Child's Year which is packed with content!).  Here is a LINK to my review of the cartridge with photos of the complete handbook.

I have been working with the cartridge a bit more - first I started making alterations to the basic cupcake holder in Design Studio, as in this example (here is  a LINK to that post).  I have a few more ideas up my sleeve but I haven't had time to try them out just yet.

Tonight I had my book group meeting and I wanted to take a glitter ornament to everyone as a token holiday gift.  I made the ornaments last week but I needed to contain them somehow.  After driving all day to get home from New Jersey, I didn't have much time to get ready.  The heart cutout cupcake holder was sitting on my table and I discovered it was a good size to hold a small glass ornament.  So I cut some holders using one of the glossy papers from the DCWV Taj Mahal stack.  The design coordinated nicely with the flocked brocade ribbon I used on the ornaments.  I cut the holders at 5 1/2 inches - and I didn't even use Design Studio to do it!

I added some tissue paper to nestle the ornaments into the holders and they fit very nicely.  These were the small size ornaments (55 mm).  My book group friends could hardly believe it when I told them how the ornaments were made (if you missed it - here is a LINK to that post).

I didn't have time to do the video about the snowflakes - sorry to postpone that again but I will get to it soon.  I have a few more photos to share of the decorations I have been putting up - these went up before I left for New Jersey.  This little tree is in my kitchen.  For seven years I decorated Christmas trees for an annual event at our local museum.  Volunteers decorate Christmas trees inspired by children's books.  Some day I will share photos of all the trees I did over the years.

This little tree has some of the decorations from a large tree I did with a friend for a book about Fanny Farmer.  The eggs are real (emptied) and there are baking tools and a garland of candy molds and netting.  If you look behind the tree you can see the opening between our kitchen and family room,  My husband took down the wall and built these half walls and columns.  It really makes a difference when we have a lot of family and friends over.

When we lived in England, I used to go to an auction at Ascot - actually in one of the buildings at the famous racetrack.  They often had crystal pieces at very good estimated prices.  I was lucky enough to get one of these compotes and then a few months later there was another one up for auction so I have a pair.  (I think they were overstock from a crystal shop).  Now, every year I fill them with red and green glass balls - they sit on the two half walls between the side wall and the columns and add a lot of sparkle to the room!

I still have lots to do to finish decorating - but I enjoy the process of transforming each room.  I just need to stay home more to get it done!  I hope your holiday preparations are going well.

Don't miss the chance to enter the giveaway for the EZ View Desktop - the deadline is 11:59 p.m. tomorrow (Friday).  Here is a LINK to the post with all the details - you must leave your comments and contact information on that post to be included in the giveaway.  Please let your friends know about this and encourage them to visit The Original Scrapbox site to help generate enough visits to have an EZ View Desk donated to charity - Thanks and Good Luck!

Glitter, glitter, everywhere!

Last week my friend Joy (known as HappyHappyJoyJoy) shared a great idea on her Christmas with the Cricut blog.  Joy, Tammy and Melanie have a terrific blog with all sorts of wonderful ideas and projects and lots of giveaways - if you have not seen it here is a LINK - be prepared to spend hours there!

Joy found a fantastic idea for making glitter ornaments and made a video with her daughter.  Here is a LINK to the post about the ornaments.  Her daughter is so cute and does a great job demonstrating.  I couldn't wait to give this a try - I went out and bought the "secret ingredient" the next morning.

Believe it or not, you will need a bottle of floor finish to make these.  Watch Joy's video for the super simple directions.  I want to share some of the experiments I tried and show you the results.

I made some ornaments right away and today my neighbor came over for a glitter playdate!  We had lots of fun and made a lot of ornaments.  If you have a Michael's nearby, the glass ornaments are half price this week.  They come in various sizes - the smaller sizes have more ornaments per box.  I had some on hand and bought some more (and may even go back to stock up - these are so much fun to do!).

Nancy used traditional red, green and gold for her ornaments.  I had done some of these a few days ago and today I tried some other ideas.

First I tried some coarse glitter - the same glitter I used for the "snow"cards I shared recently (here is a LINK).  It does not stick nearly as well as the fine glitter and I ended up with a mess!  I dumped out the glitter that wasn't sticking and added a couple of colors of glitter to fill in all the gaps - red and green on one and red and blue on another.  The multi-color effect is very pretty but it is difficult to get a nice mixture with smaller areas of color.  It works best to just add a bit of glitter at a time and to try to send it in several directions as you pour it into the ornaments.

Next I tried some fine glitter with a iridescent crystal effect.  The lighter color glitter was tricky because the gaps or thin areas are much more noticeable.  On the first one (left side) there were so many gaps that I tried adding additional colors again - both red and green.  It is hard to get a good photo but the end result was pretty.  The ornament on the right has only the crystal glitter and there are some thin spots but they are not extreme.

Then I got the bright idea to try adding more floor finish to "recoat" the thin areas.  I may not have waited long enough for the first layer to dry - or the newly added finish may always dilute the existing layer.  At any rate, I poured out the extra floor finish and a lot of the crystal glitter slid out in chunks creating a mottled look.  It was thicker at the hole as the glitter drained out.  I then added some fine green glitter to fill in all of the gaps.  I think this one looks like it has a snow topping.

These two ornaments were made using glitter I got on sale last fall after the Halloween items were marked down.  The colors actually work well for Christmas so check to see if there is any "fall" glitter in your local stores.  I saw it marked down 90% this year - a great bargain!

The first color is "cinnabar" which is actually a sort of mixture of red and silver/gold.  It makes me think of candy canes.

The second color is "fire opal" which is a coppery orange and will blend nicely with many holiday color schemes.  It has a golden look and would look great with a bright chartreuse shade of green.

Here are all of the different colors and variations I have tried so far.  They are just so pretty even without any ribbons or decorations added to the top of the glass.  You can do lots of personalization and these would make great gifts.

I don't recommend reusing the glitter too many times as you fill each ornament and tap out the excess.  The glitter tends to soak up some of the finish and form "globs" (but you might be able to use these in another project).

While I was busy with glitter, I decided to try another idea that I had a few days ago.  I took a piece of clear packing tape and stretched it across a couple of paper towels, sticky side up.  I taped the large piece to the counter on both ends and then dumped a lot of glitter on the tape.  I used my fingers to spread it around and to make sure the entire surfaced was covered.

Even though the tape is covered in glitter it is still somewhat transparent.  Next time I do this I'll use a large piece of smooth paper - it is difficult to collect the excess glitter from a paper towel.

Finally, I stretched the glittered package tape, glitter side up along the counter and taped the ends down with regular tape.  Then I carefully placed another strip of packing tape on top of the glittered tape.  It is tricky to get the two perfectly aligned - it might be good to do this with a helper.

So why did I want to do this?  My idea was that I could use the tape to punch out shapes to use for embellishments.  I first tried a large simple heart shaped punch - it punched easily so I decided to try a more complicated and delicate design.  The stars with the thin rays at the top of this photo also punched easily.

I have some more ideas on how to use this glittered tape - I hope to share a few of the projects I have in mind soon.  In the meanwhile, I think you would really enjoy making these ornaments.  The supplies are not too expensive - the floor finish was about $6 and that bottle will last for many, many ornaments!  The glitter and plain glass ornaments can probably be found on sale or purchased with a coupon.  Inexpensive, quick and pretty - a great project!  Many thanks to Joy for finding it and sharing the information.