25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments - Day #5 - Die-Cut Segmented Ornament

I wasn't sure what the heck to call today's ornament ~ I tried several different names but ended up with segmented because to me it looks like a paper crafted orange and it's segments.

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments

Day #5 - Die-Cut Segmented Ornament

Supplies:

Cardstock &/or Pattern Paper (enough for 8 circles)

Adhesive

Circle Die or Pattern - These can be any size desired.

(optional) Rubber Stamps

(optional) Ink

String, Ribbon, etc. for hanging

(optional) Embellishments

Instructions:

1. (optional) When I make these ornaments I like to add a bit of interest to cardstock by stamping various images...and I like to get inky ;) LOL!!

2. Cut 8 circles ~ you can do this by die-cutting them if possible or you can use a circle template and hand cut them. Whatever works for you.

*A bit on the paper choice. I like to use a variety of patterns and colors but the combination is totally up to you...all cardstock, two patterns, three, etc. The patterns and colors allow you to create countless combinations!

*Also, I like to mix plain and scallop circles ~ by doing so you just add one more layer of dimension to your finished ornament!

3. Fold all 8 circles in half. I like to fold them pattern out to begin with, then flip and fold with the pattern inside. This helps later on when you go to "fluff" your ornament.

4. Choose one circle as your starting place. Open up the circle so it lays flat on your work surface.

5. Attach the hanger (ribbon, fiber, thread, etc) using double stick tape so that it is as close to the center fold as possible. (the closer to the center fold, the straighter your ornament will hang.)

6. Fold this segment back in half and make sure your hanger is positioned correctly. You will notice I left a tail hanging down. This is great for adding beads, charms or other "goodies" to dangle from your finished ornament.

7. Apply adhesive to the half circle.

8. Add the next folded circle on top of the first. Alternate between adding adhesive and the next circle until all 8 circles are adhered together as shown.

9. Flip your stack of circles over and apply adhesive to the other half of the circle you originally started with...

10. Open up your ornament and bring the first and last ornaments together and secure as shown.

And you're done!!

You could further decorate these ornaments by adding any number of embellishments....Stickles Glitter Glue, Glass Glitter, Micro Beads, etc.

NOW, for a quicker ornament you can simply use all pattern paper and skip the inky steps.

You will notice for this ornament I used all scallop circles and added Stickles Glitter Glue for a bit of sparkle!

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments ~ Day #4 - Traditional Grunge Board Ornament

YEAH!

Day 4

in my

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments!!

I wasn't sure what to call this ornament so I called it a "Traditional" Ornament since it's a basic round ornament made using Grunge Board.

No matter what you call it, it's another fun, quick and easy ornament to add to your collection!

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments

Day #4 - Traditional Grunge Board Ornament

Supplies:

Grunge Board (the original, not the Grunge Board Paper)

Pattern Paper of your choice (I used snowflakes)

Grunge Board Reindeer

Die Cut or hand cut Star

Heidi Swapp Letters

Stickles Glitter Glue

Distress Crackle Paint

Adirondack Acrylic Dabbers

Eyelet

Ribbon

Adhesive

Double Stick Foam Tape

Instructions:

1. Cut a circle from the Grunge Board and cover it with pattern paper.

2. Punch a hole in the ornament for the eyelet. Insert and set the eyelet.

3. Create a reverse scallop pattern around the entire edge of the circle as shown... Basically you just draw a scallop along the edge of the circle then go back and fill in everything from the scallop towards the outside edge. Set aside to dry.

4. Paint the Grunge Board Reindeer with Antique Bronze (looks like copper to me - yeah!!) Distress Crackle Paint. Depending on temp/humidity/etc. it will take your paint a while to dry.

5. Paint the letters and holly with the Black Acrylic Dabber. Paint the star using the Pearl Acrylic Dabber. Don't forget to paint the edges as well.

6. After the acrylic paint has dried, cover each piece with the desired color of Stickles Glitter Glue. Set aside to dry....if you're like me, you will need to make sure it's not anywhere that you might touch it accidentally ;) LOL!! I have had to add more Stickles to so many projects because I end up touching it before it dries completely...not to mention decorating myself ;)

7. After everything is dry, adhere the letters directly to the ornament. Use double stick foam tape to attach the star and reindeer. This gives your ornament a great depth... If I add multiple items I usually add a second layer (like I did with the star) to create even more depth and interest.

8. Glue the holly onto the reindeer and add a ribbon for hanging!

Now, just think of all the die-cut or hand drawn shapes you could use to take this basic idea and incorporate into a "ball" ornament.

Things like snowmen, snowflakes, candy canes, holly, evergreens, Cross of David and so much more!!

The possibilities are just endless :)

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments - Day #3 - Frosted Memory Glass Ornaments

Today's ornaments use a product that stumps many people ~ Frosted Memory Glass. Everyone loves the ideas but when it comes to actually using it ~ well, it's a mystery. Soooo today we're going to try a few techniques (3 to be exact!) and we'll see what you think of the Frosted Glass afterwards!

25 Days of Hand-Made Ornaments

Day #3 - Frosted Memory Glass

Supplies:

Frosted Memory Glass

Memory Frames

Resist Ink (or watermark ink)

Pigment Ink

Clear Embossing Powder

Archival Ink

Alcohol Ink

Cardstock & Paper

Idea #1 ~ Resist Inking

O.k....this technique is really easy, we're simply going to stamp on the FROSTED side of the glass. It is very important that you determine which side is actually the frosted side because if you stamp on the smooth side it's not going to work. Simply rub your finger over the glass...there is a subtle texture on the frosted side. This is the side you want to stamp on.

Simply ink your stamp with the resist ink and stamp!

Remember, since you're using 2 pieces of glass you can stamp on both for a whole new look on the back side.

Simply place a dark piece of cardstock between the two pieces of glass. This will allow the images to stand out.

Idea #2 - Pigment Ink & Clear Embossing Powder

The next idea to use Frosted Memory Glass is to combine it with Pigment Ink, Clear Embossing Powders and Vintage Dictionary Pages!

Simply stamp the desired images using a pigment ink, sprinkle with clear embossing powder and heat. I have embossed on both sides of the glass and it works well both ways.

It's hard to photograph because I used Brilliance ink ~ it shows up so well in person but the camera just doesn't see what the eye does. Anyway, I think you can see the idea. In one light the frosted glass and embossed images are more prevalent. Shift positions and the definitions show up better. On the "Snow" side I stamped on the frosted side of the glass. On the "Snowfall" side I stamped on the clear side of the glass.

Idea #3 - Alcohol Inks & Archival Ink

The third idea for using Frosted Memory Glass is to pair it with Alcohol Inks and Archival Stamped Images!

Very simply, stamp on one side and use Alcohol Inks on the other. Here you can see the difference between apply the alcohol inks on the frosted (l) vs. smooth (r) sides of the glass.

When you put this ornament together you don't need to slide anything between the two pieces of glass. The AI's are enough of a buffer so you don't see one side through the other.

So there you go...3 fun ways to use Frosted Memory Glass!

Gosh, I'm sure many of you have been over at Tim's site checking out the 12 tags of Christmas. Can you believe the numbers for the drawings over there?!?!? Since it's going to be pretty tough to win I'm thinkin' I'll get some goodies around to help your odds a bit. I need to see what I've got in my stash and I'll be posting something on it soon! :)

Hope you stop in tomorrow to see ornament idea #4!!

See you then friends!!

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments ~ #2 Paper Filled Glass Balls

Here we are at day 2...I've got another fun ornament for you but I had several e-mails mostly about one aspect of day 1's ornaments....Time!

How long the snowflakes REALLY take to make? Honestly, it didn't really take all that long at all because I was using glue dots and those are immediate stick ~ no wait time for adhesives to dry. The most time consuming part of the project was the inking and stamping. I'd say it took me about 1/2 hr. from start to finish ~ maybe less because I was taking pics at the same time.

Remember, if you're worried about time you can always print the pattern on double sided pattern paper. No fuss, no muss... You'll skip steps 2 and 3 taking you directly to the cutting stage.

Today's ornament is VERY quick and easy. Actually, the majority* of it could be done while watching TV or if you have to wait around for any reason it's a great time filler.

25 Days of Hand-Made Ornaments

#2 - Paper Filled Glass Balls

In my opinion, clear glass ornaments are one of the greatest buys at any craft or discount store! They are so versatile and you'll see I am going to use them several times through out the 25 days. I found 12 for 3.99 at Hobby Lobby...you can of course wait till there is a sale or use your 40% off coupon for an even better deal ;) Makes for some very inexpensive beautiful ornaments.

Today though we're going to start off with a really easy technique to fill these ornaments.

Supplies:

Some sort of paper ~ this could be pattern paper, cardstock, vintage maps, sheet music, clothing pattern tissue, tissue paper, etc.

Pencil, pick, etc. Something skinny and round to roll your paper on.

Glass Ball

(optional) Glass Glitter or other Glitter

(optional) Ribbon

(optional) Embellishments

Instructions:

1. Tear the paper into small strips.

2. Roll these strips of paper on your pencil or in my case I used a pick. I used the smaller pick because it allowed me to roll the paper strips tighter for smaller rolls. (the smaller the roll, the more pieces you will need to fill your ornament.)

*Now, this is the step that can be done virtually anywhere. If I need to make several of these ornaments I tear all my paper ahead of time, place them all in a baggie and tuck it in my purse. That way anytime I'm waiting anywhere or sitting in front of the TV I can roll all the strips I need.

3. Remove the lid and drop these paper rolls into the ornament.

4. Continue to add rolls of paper until the ornament is filled and replace the cap.

5. Now of course you could use the ornament as it is but of course I can't leave well enough alone ;) LOL!! Soooo, let's add a few goodies! First, I love adding glitter to any project ~ it doesn't have to be gaudy...just a few sprinkles for a bit of color, some greenery and a ribbon should do the trick!

And here you go....

A way cool ornament with a vintage feel that didn't take long at all to create!

Pretty awesome huh?

Need something faster????

Well, I'm going to give you a

Day #2 Bonus Idea....

I'm going to mix up my holidays here but it's really cool....

Recognize this?!?!?

YES ~ it's Easter basket grass filler - LOL!!

I bought this on clearance last year and it was like $ .39 a bag! Gotta love a bargain ;)

So here's what I did...take a wad of the grass and gently tuck it down into the ball. I used my pick to help push it in but you could use whatever you have on hand.

Since this already has metallic strips of "grass" I didn't add any extra glitter. Just replace the cap, add a bit of bling in the form of wired tinsel and a ribbon....

So there you have it...you get a two-fer on day 2!

Easy enough huh?

Be sure to stop in tomorrow for the next hand made ornament idea :)

Ink Stains 2nd Blog Birthday Winners!!!

And the winners of the "Ink Stains ~ 2nd Blog Birthday" Give-A-Way are.....
(in no particular order).....
Miz Amigo ~
mizamigo said...
Two years, happy anniversary! I just found your blog and I love it. I'm coming back again to make sure I get all the info you have here. And thanks for the opportunity to win you give-a-way.
November 26, 2009 10:18 PM
Karen L
Karen L said...
I just love the idea of drawing around the edge with the paint marker! It looks like gold!!
November 27, 2009 8:33 PM
Elaine A
Elaine A said...
Hi Roni -I've had a blast going through all your techniques today. I will be trying quite a few of these. Thank you so much for reposting them.Elaine Allen
November 27, 2009 5:07 PM
Kim
Kim said...
Gorgeous, Roni! The "Waiting for Mr. Right" stamp is in my stash waiting for ink--This may be the technique to try!!! Thanks for sharing!
November 27, 2009 4:35 PM
and
Debb
debb said...
I am so thrilled to see your posts on this! I kept seeing this tool in various blogs and not knowing what it was called, who made it, etc. I kept looking in the Tim Holtz sections thinking it was one of his tools and could never find it. Now I will track one down and try all these fab techniques- I can't wait. Thank you for your wonderful blog and all the knowledge you share- not to mention the wonderful art!
November 28, 2009 8:42 AM

Congratulations Ladies ~

Please e-mail me your snail mail address and please let me know if you prefer not to receive Christmas themed stamps. I have alternates so please don't worry if you want to change.

I want to thank everyone for stopping by and checking out some of the most popular techniques from the past couple years. I hope you had fun checking them out :)

I also want to thank all of the Ink Stains readers out there in Blog-land.

You are the reason why I do what I do here

and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

(((((((HUGS)))))))

to you all!!

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments - Day 1 - Lace Snowflake/Star

Woo Hoo!!

25 Days of Hand Made Ornaments is set to begin!!!

Now first I wanted to tell you I never even thought of Tim Holtz's 12 days of Tags when I started thinking about this in October. So, no...I didn't do this to copy him or anything. I actually thought of it while I was looking back at some old Christmas tree photos I ran across while moving things around.

So, now that you know how it came about let's begin...

I wanted to start off with a really striking ornament that is REALLY easy to create.

Lace Snowflake/Star Ornament

To begin you will need the following pattern:

You will need to print this out 5-6 times per ornament (5=star, 6=snowflake). You can print this in whatever size you would like just remember that whatever size you print it out your finished ornament will be twice this size. Say for example you print out 2" squares ~ your finished ornament will be approx. 4". I am using 6" squares so they show up better in the example photos so I end up with a whopping big snowflake!

Also, I wanted to mention one other thing before we begin. This ornament looks like it takes a long time to make but once you get going it doesn't take long at all. I chose to ink and stamp my cardstock. You could cut your time way down by simply printing the pattern on pattern papers. Just a thought if you're short on time but still would like to make them.

Supplies:

Pattern

Cardstock (plain white or pattern paper)

Ink Blending Tool

Distress Inks

Archival Inks

Rubber Stamps

Exacto Knife

Glue Dots

Thread/Ribbon (for hanger)

Instructions:

1. Print out 5 or 6 of the squares on cardstock if you plan on decorating it yourself or pattern paper for the quick version. I printed the pattern out at 50% tint so it wouldn't show up as well on the finished ornament.

2. Ink the unprinted side with a light color ink and the printed side with a dark colored ink. The contrast of light and dark make for a more striking finished ornament.

3. Stamp both sides of the cardstock. For mine I used two different colors of ink as well as two different stamps.

4. Using the exacto knife, cut along all of the dotted lines on all of the squares. Now, these lines don't have to be perfectly straight or anything so you don't have to worry about perfect cuts. I just used the exacto knife like a pencil and traced over the lines.

5. Fold both of the the center flaps up ~ place a glue dot on one side and secure the second flap to the first as shown.

6. Flip the cardstock over and fold the second set of flaps over, add a glue dot and secure.

7. Continue alternating sides, securing each set of flaps to each other until you have finished each set. It should look like this...

8. Repeat with the remaining 4 or 5 squares.

9. Now it is time to assemble the star or snowflake. Place a glue dot at the two points shown in the following images....the point and the center -

10. Place the next section of your star/snowflake beside the first and secure with the Glue Dots.

11. Continue adding sections until you have added the remaining sections.

Here is what the 5 section star will look like.....

and here is the 6 section snowflake....

Now of course you can dress this up in all sorts of ways...

-try embossing the stamped images with a tinsel or glitter embossing powder.

-use a variety of inks to tint the background.

-instead of inks, mist the squares with Color Wash or Glimmer Mist.

-apply Stickles Glitter Glue or Dimensional Pearls for added sparkle and shine.

-add a vintage image to the center of each star or snowflake.

-use twine, raffia, ribbon, gold thread, etc. for the hanger.

-transfer the pattern onto vintage sheet music or pattern paper.

So there you go,

Hand-Made Ornament #1 ready

and set to go!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for Ornament #2!

See you then!!

Sunday Poscard Time!!

Today I have some VERY old postcards (pre WWI) from France... Le Havre France to be exact! You can click on the name and it will take you to a site with current info about this area. Sure looks different than the postcards!!

Enjoy

Le Havre France

Be sure to tune in tomorrow, I'll be posting the Ink Stains Blog Birthday winners

and

this week is also when I'll start sharing my 25 days of ornaments!!

Yep, that's right 25 different techniques for creating unique and beautiful hand made ornaments for gifts or for keeps :)

See you then!!

Ink Blending Tool

I'm sure most of you know that my favorite tool is the Ink Blending Tool & Foams!

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this critter and don't know what I did without it.

Over a couple weeks in early '08 I posted my Favorite Top 10 IBT techniques along with loads of examples.

People still ask me about these techniques and view them over and over.

Enjoy!!

Ink Blending Tool Techniques

1. Edging

Edging Examples

2. Monochromatic Gradient Background

Monochoromatic Gradient Background Examples

3. Multi Color Gradient Background

Multi Color Gradient Background Examples

4. Spritz & Flick

5. Burnt Edge Technique

6. Masking Made Easy

7. Distressed Linen

8. Faux Wood

Faux Wood Examples

9. Distressed Stamping

10. Blended Pearls