Popsicle Stick Sled Ornament

There are sooooo many uses for reusing popsicle sticks ! This idea of creating a sled ornament has been around for a long time, I've seen numerous versions of it. The first one I ever saw was the ornament that an aunt made and gave to each of the nieces and nephews nearly 30 years ago.

Supplies for this project:

clean popsicle sticks (you can buy them new in craft stores)

heavy duty scissors or a saw to cut the popsicle sticks

hot glue gun or heavy duty all purpose crafters glue

acrylic craft paints

sealant/varnish if you wish to seal your painted sled

paintbrushes

paint, permanent markers, rubber stamps, stickers, beads, whatever embellishments you may want to add to decorate your sled

ribbon, twine, wire, etc to hang the ornament


My sample uses the Serene Snowflakes and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets from Stampin' Up!
I stamped the images with the craft paint.





Cut all of the sticks down to the desired size and shape. Sand the rough edges. TIP: Grip the stick tightly just below where you want to make the cut to stabilize the stick and help prevent it from cracking while cutting with heavy duty scissors. The sticks will crack sometimes when cutting with scissors (I had plenty of sticks so I cut another if it cracked too badly) so it would probably be better to cut them with a small saw.

Paint each stick, let dry thoroughly before gluing into the sled shape.

Stamp, paint, decoupage, sand, etc as desired to decorate your sled. TIP: I poured a small amount of paint onto a scrap of felt to make a stamp pad to stamp my snowflake images with paint onto my sled.

Seal if desired.

Add a hanger.



This is one simple idea for reusing popsicle sticks. There are lots of crafty, fun things you can do with them!

Thanks for looking =)

Faux Tin Angel Ornament Tutorial

Totally inspired by tin ornaments that can be purchased.

I created it with basic craft supplies.

This is a "tin" ornament from a catalog

Supplies:

Big Shot

Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder

Polka Dots embossing folder

Bigz Scalloped Square die

Bigz Beautiful Butterflies die

wood bead

ribbon

wire

acrylic paints and paint brushes

repurpose an old soda can, aluminum flashing, etc

OR metallic gold card stock (which is what I used in the sample above)



1. Cut out a Scalloped Square and a large Butterfly with your Sizzix dies and Big Shot. Cut the square in half.
2. Emboss them with folder/texturz plate of your choice.
3. Swipe on buttercream acrylic craft paint. Dry brush on metallic gold acrylic craft paint. Do this to both die cut pieces as well as the wood bead.
4. Curl the two opposite corners backwards towards each other on the half piece of scalloped square. Hot glue into place, creating a cone shape. Be sure to leave an opening to run the ribbon through.
5. Run a loop of ribbon through the wood bead head and cone body. Tie a knot in the ends (or hot glue in place) so they won't pull back through.
6. Hot glue the wings on the back.
7. Make a halo out of wire, attach but tucking the ends into the same hole a the ribbon and gluing in place.
8. Hang on the tree or tie onto a package.
   
   
   NOTE: If you are making your angel out of metal, you will want to use a heavy duty adhesive made for metal or else punch holes in the metal and attach with brads. 

If you liked this idea, be sure to look at my Faux Tin Heart project !

Happy Holidays and thanks for looking =)



Juice Can Lid Ornament

You can use the metal end to a frozen juice concentrate container to make an ornament ! It's a nice size, has a small lip and is sturdy since it is made of metal. They can be decorated in so many ways, using many different mediums .



This particular ornament was made with the following items from Stampin' Up!:

watercolor paper

Stazon black ink

various colors of classic ink from Stampin' Up!

aquapainter

double sided sticky sheet adhesive

clear glass micro beads

Real Red grosgrain ribbon





Cut the watercolor paper to fit the circle, just inside the lip so it is flush to the metal.



Stamp your image with black Stazon ink. Watercolor.



Cut out a circle of the adhesive sheet to fit your watercolor paper circle, covering it completely.



Adhere the back of the image to the lid.



Remove the liners and attach the adhesive circle to the watercolor paper, then remove the top liner to apply the micro beads. TIP:  insert the juice can lid in a clear plastic zip top bag then pour the micro beads on top of the lid in the bag. Zip closed. This will help contain the teeny tiny beads as you are smooshing them down onto the adhesive. Lightly brush off any loose beads before removing from the bag.



Attach your choice of hanger to the back, I chose grosgrain ribbon.



You can leave it as is or cut another piece of cardstock, chipboard, etc to cover up the tails of the hanger on the back. I used cardstock. By doing this, it gives you a place to personalize the ornament by adding a greeting, the date, names of people in a photo you put on the front, so on. Adding the clear glass micro beads are optional. You could create an ornament using a photograph with nothing layered over the top or perhaps make a snow scene and cover it with glitter. Add layers of clear embossing powder to create an enameled look to your image. Don't add any images at all and punch out a design in the lid with a hammer and nail, add ruffled ribbon or fabric trim to the back. So many creative things that can be done to a simple piece of trash to turn it into a treasure!



Thanks for looking and Happy Holidays !

Painted Acetate/Clear Glass Ball Ornaments

Several years ago stamped acetate/glass ball ornaments were all the rage. Some were simply stamped then inserted into a clear glass ornament. Most people colored in the images with Sharpie markers.

I took it a step further - I painted my stamped images !

The first one I made in 2004, the Flaky Friends ornament above, was an experiment because I wasn't sure if it was going to work. I used acrylic craft paint, the indoor/outdoor gloss type. I chose that type because to me it seemed like it would be more flexible. I didn't want the paint to crack when I rolled the acetate to insert into the ornament. Regular acrylic paints may work just as well, but I've never tried them.





I was tickled to see that it would work ! Although the paint in large areas could get streaky, I didn't mind. I made dozens of other ornaments over the years, here are a few favorites:

I used a fine black Sharpie marker to add more stones to the stamped image

Closeup to show detail that can be achieved using a toothpick to dot on paint !
This also shows how the paint needs to be built up in layers, for example: the red berries are dotted on before dry brushing a little bit of white before painting in the greenery.

The back of the acetate was run through a xyron machine then I sprinkled on Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I stamped the front with blue Stazon ink. I did this simplified version for a class project.



 All stamped images are Stampin' Up!©



Here are the steps to painting acetate for an ornament:



Supplies:

Clear glass ornament, you choice of size

acetate/transparency/window sheet

black Stazon ink

rubber stamp image of choice, but thin outline images work best

circle cutter

assorted paints

fine paintbrushes

water

toothpicks





Cut out a circle to fit just inside your glass ornament, leaving  a little tab at the top to sit in the neck. This keeps the image from flopping around.




I stamp the acetate (overhead transparency, window sheet, etc) with black Stazon ink. Flip it over and start painting.



Be sure to paint the things that are going to be in the foreground first, for example I flecked the snowflakes on before doing anything else. By doing this, as I was layering on the other paints for scarves, facial features, so on, the snowflakes would be "in front" of the snowmen. This way it would look like it was snowing. Using this same method, I would paint on the tiny buttons before painting the snowman body, etc. This is what I referred to as "painting in reverse", you need to build your layers of painted features up from what would be the front of the snowman to the back. The opposite of, reverse of, painting on wood for example when I would add paint on a base coat, building up the details and features on top.



Be sure to let each color / layer dry well before moving on !



If you get a little bit out of a line, once the paint is dry you can carefully scratch it off with a toothpick. This works great if it is the first layer of paint on the acetate. It is the easiest way to try to paint small portions of an image, an orange carrot nose for example. If it gets a little out of the nose area, scratch away the excess before painting the white snowman over the orange nose. If it is a second or third coat you could try to very carefully use a damp qtip or the toothpick to remove the paint. Be forewarned, you could easily remove paint from the other layers. If this happens, you can go back in and try to repaint it.



Once the image is completely dry, carefully roll it, painted image to the inside, and insert it into the ornament. You want to roll the painted image to the inside so it doesn't accidentally get scratched because the glass ornament can have rough edges.



Add a little bit of fake snow inside the ornament.



Insert the top.



I added snow texture medium to the top, lightly sprinkled with glitter.



After this is completely dry, tie on a pretty ribbon.



Some ornaments I add a stamped tag to. They all had hand stamped gift boxes with coordinating tissue paper.



Painting the acetate does take much more time. I spend anywhere from 1 - 2 hours on painting them, depending on the amount of detail. I personally really like the look of the painted ornaments. I prefer it to those that are colored in with markers because you can actually see the images and details - not the green Christmas tree showing through. No offense to anyone !



I painted dozens of these to try to sell at bazaars for $5, I think I only sold one at a bazaar.

I also submitted one to the company for a Demonstrator contest several years ago; it did not win.


Here is a step by step photo tutorial showing how to make these using markers
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/glass_ornament/

and using the same technique with a few extra supplies, you can make snowglobes
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/glass_ornament/


If you try this technique, I'd love to see your projects !

Thanks for looking and Happy Holidays  =)

Pop Up Chimney Box

Closed, the box dimensions are about 2 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" tall.

This is partially popped up; it will easily extend up more so that

 the opening widens to approximately 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" .

The lid squashes down and closes flat.

Close up of the top portion that folds down, triangle cutout.

I've had written instructions for a pop up box years, but never a pattern. I've not even seen one of these boxes assembled so I wasn't sure how it was supposed to look / work. I don't know where the print out came from since it was given to me along with several others from an old downline of mine 8 years ago.

While cleaning out some files this fall, I came across them and decided to try to figure out this "wow pop up box". About 6 hours later I got it to work ! Granted, it may not be the exact box in the instructions, but this does work and it is certainly a wow box.

Closed, the box dimensions are about 2 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" tall. The lid squashes down and closes flat.

After the working prototype was done (HOURS later!) I thought it would make a really neat chimney gift box.

My final project uses:
Real Red and Whisper White card stock; white Signo gel pen; aquapainter with Riding Hood Red classic ink to darken the edges of the "bricks"; clear drying liquid glue and Dazzling Diamonds glitter for the snow at the top of the chimney; Sticky Strip to hold the box together. I think maybe I'll make a miniature version of my Cuttlebug Santa card as a gift card for this box.

If anyone knows where real diagrams and instructions can be found as well as who created this fun box, please let me know so I can give them the proper credit.

I will type in the instructions as they were given to me (I did edit a few errors) plus a photo of the final working diagram I drew.

Pop Up Box

Materials needed:

8 ½” x 11” sheet of card stock or designer paper

11 x 1 ¼” strip of coordinating card stock

Rubber stamps

Stamp pads

Paper cutter with scoring blade

Scissors

Adhesive

Basic Steps:

1. Score the following lines along the length of the card stock

1 inch, 3 ½ inch, 6 inch and 8 ½ inch.

This should result in 4 equal sections of 2 ½ inches.

2. Score the following line along the width of the card stock:

1 ¼ inch, 2 ½ inch, 3 ¾ inch and 7 ¼ inch.

Tip: Depending on the stamp images you are using, you may want to stamp now, but it is generally easier after you do your folding and prior to cutting.

3. Fold all lines.

Note: The 1 ¼ and 2 ½ lines are valley folds, the rest are mountain folds. (The 1 ¼ piece is where you glue the coordinating strip later on)

4. Using scissors cut out triangles as indicated on pattern to form the pop-up portion of the box. (These triangles need to be cut at 1 ¼ from the center of each 2 ½ inch sections out to the fold lines so the box closes properly.)

5. Cut from the bottom edge of card stock to 7 ¼ line on the 1, 3 ½, 6. and 8 ½ score lines to form bottom flaps of box.

6. Remove side flap areas as shown on pattern.

7. Fold along the 1, 3 ½, 6 and 8 ½ lines and glue flap to form the main body of the box.

8. Fold and glue bottom flaps of box.

9. Stamp coordinating card stock strip and score at just less than 1 inch, 3 ½ inch, 6 inch and 8 ½ inches. Glue strip to the top of the box to give decoration and help the pop-up hold its shape.

This is a fun box that can wow everyone because the flap pulls or pops up and then pushes down over the box to make the lid.

Here is the diagram:

Happy Holidays and thanks for looking =)

Making A List... Checking It Twice

Search online and you will find dozens of organizer ideas, cute and simple to over the top gorgeous. This is a simple version I created last year as a class project. All items, except the notepad, were available from Stampin' Up!




I found the notepad on clearance for 50c; it had a black and white photo that I didn't care for underneath the plastic. I removed the photo and added a piece of Riding Hood Red card stock cut to fit. I used the old piece as a pattern to punch holes then reinserted it into the notepad. The snowflakes were stamped with white Stazon ink. I also sponged white Stazon ink along the edges of the plastic. A cropodile was the perfect tool to punch holes in the thick plastic cover so I could insert rhinestone brads. I created an open top envelope to put inside the covers to keep receipts, etc in. The front envelope also covered the metal tabs showing from the brads. I stuck on a few tabs punched out of coordinating card stock (Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red) with the round tab punch, a piece of ribbon and I had an organizer for the holidays ! It's handy to have one to keep track of the holiday cards you've mailed and received, gift lists, items bought, things to make and do, menus, so on.



Be sure to see my stretchy bookmark/covered notepad post for a great gift idea, perfect for so many people on your list ! Actually, if you have time to peruse the posts, there are several things I've shared the past year that would be good for gift giving. I hope to share a few more gift ideas this coming month. If you use any of my ideas, please share them - and a link to my post if you would.



Happy Holidays and thanks for looking =)

Wood Pumpkin Wreath

I painted this wreath from a kit back in 2002.

It was fun; I really enjoyed painting crafty things -

never learned how to do true tole painting, one stroke painting, etc -

but basic craft pating, I could do that !

Yes, I hand lettered Happy Fall with no lines to follow.

Back when I was in High School, before there were computers and graphics and such that graphic artists use now, we learned how to do sign painting.

A simple paintbrush, sign painters paint and the object to paint on.

I think that is one thing I learned that I still use !

Papercrafters: notice how the pumpkins were made ? A very common, easy way many of us make pumpkins out of card stock using paper punches now.

Thanks for looking =)

Straw Hat Scarecrow Pin and "Wreath"

craftysahmiam.blogspot.com

I made this soooooo long ago, but it is still just as cute !The idea came from an old Crafts magazine. It uses two straw hats of different size, a fabric bandanna, raffia, paper twist and acrylic paints.

Basic instructions:
Cut a smaller straw hat in half for the scarecrows hat.
Add whatever embellishments you'd like; I hot glued on a strip of paper twist and fabric scrap. I also poked a hole on one side to run through raffia through. hot glued in place. Hot glue bits of raffia on each side of the face just under the edge of the hat, too.

Large straw hat for base, Paint a face with acrylic craft paints.

Poke a hole on each side of the neck area to run half of a fabric bandanna through. Hot glue in place.
Add more raffia under the bandanna.

Add hanger on back. I just hot  glued on a strip of twine.

craftysahmiam.blogspot.com

Very similar idea, but using a wood circle for the head, miniature straw hat cut in half, raffia, acrylic paints, a scrap of fabric for the bandanna and a pin back to create a piece of fun fall jewelry.

Here is a really cute Scarecrow card I created this fall. It was totally inspired by several scarecrow face projects, such as the two above, that I've crafted over the years.

Thanks for looking =)

Thanksgiving Cards

A few cards I sent out this year, all stamp sets are retired from Stampin' Up!

I've always liked using the Lovely Leaves stamp set with Spectrum pads (rainbow)
The Pilgrims and Indians are from the Turkey Talk set.

This idea was copied from someone a year or two ago, but I liked it so well I wanted to make another one of these clean and simple cards this year.  I have no idea who to credit, but thank you whoever you are ! Autumn and Teeny Tiny wishes, both still current stamp sets from Stampin' Up!

I think this image came from the Happy Thanksgiving set.

A small clear Spooky Tree stamp that was given to me by a friend. I made it more fall like by dabbing on markers and sponging a blue sky.

A couple from two years ago :

Happy Thanksgiving !

Thanksgiving Mini Tin Bucket

I made these for table decor at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.

They are little buckets I found at the Dollar Spot, 2 for $1 original price but I got them on the after Halloween clearance for 50c. One was black, the other orange.

I stamped Lovely Leaves images with acrylic paint on tissue paper. Cut them out then adhere them to the bucket with decopauge glue.

The tags were made with supplies from Stampin' Up! and inspired by a sample in our demonstrator magazine.

Thanks for looking, Happy Thanksgiving !