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Sunday, October 31, 2010

P3 Challenge 11-1-10 Wineglass Candle Lampshade

Where has this year gone? I can't believe it's November 1 already!
Time for a new challenge at Paper Cubed!
The challenge this month is to create a candle/votive holder, luminary, wrap or decoration of some kind. It can be any theme.
So, whip out your candles and your craft supplies and create a 3D project that shines!
Head on over to Paper Cubed to get all inspired by the rest of the fabulous design team, then upload your project so we can all "ooh and ahh" over it!

Here's my contribution this month, I went with a fall/leaf theme for my friends south of the border who celebrate Thanksgiving this month:
I made a wineglass candle lampshade

It starts with a mismatched wine glass that's just collecting dust.
(You know, the one way in the back of the cabinet that used to be
part of a matching set until you moved and broke a couple?)
Just plop a real votive or battery operated candle inside:
(If using real candles, please don't leave unattended!)

Here's a pic of it lit up, it looks really pretty with the light glowing through the leaves, but it's difficult to capture with a photograph:


The shade is made out of vellum cardstock, which is heavier than vellum paper.
(You could also use cardstock and punch a design out of it to let the light through.)

I dug out my ancient Fiskars border scissors for the top scallops, and sponged it with Sorbet ink. Then I stamped it in Sorbet, Autumn Terracotta, honey and Barn Red with scrolls and leaves from CTMH stamp set B1355 Timeless (available only with the Olivia Workshop on the Go Kit), which were then embossed with clear detail powder because the ink seemed to be taking forever to dry. I added a hand-gathered 1" paper ruffle (pattern paper from CTMH Felicity promo kit) to the inside of the bottom edge, and hid the glue which showed through the vellum with a strip of stitched honey color ribbon. Then I attached the edges of the shade together, overlapping them by about 1/4". I used 1/8" scor tape for the whole project so it won't fall apart. Then I used the same ribbon to accent the stem of the glass, with some curly vines made by wrapping some chocolate waxy flax around a cocktail stick to curl it. Added some fabric leaves from my junk drawer under the glass for an extra pop of color.

These would be really pretty (and cheap) to make for a wedding or any party table.

Here is a template I came up with for this lampshade. I printed it as big as I could get it on an 81/2 x 11" page. You may need to resize it to fit your wineglass.


Join us at Paper Cubed this month for an illuminating challenge! ;)
You could score a $15 gift certificate to Papertrey Ink!

There are also a couple of openings on the Design Team...see P3 blog for details.

Thank you for visiting my blog,
Lorrinda
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EDIT:
I have had many emails requesting help with the ruffle edge:
.
For the box pleat ruffle, I used 3 strips of pattern paper cut at 1"x12", (there will be a bit of scrap ruffle left over from this)  To fold the ruffle, it's basically a valley fold, mountian fold, mountain fold, valley fold (with the valley folds touching under the pleat) for each box pleat. I found a video by the master Tresa Black that shows it for those who need a visual HERE.

To attach it, I ran a strip of 1/8" scor-tape (any strong double-sided tape will work, I just like scor-tape best for curved lines) along the INSIDE bottom edge of the decorated vellum shade, and attached the ruffle box-pleat side down, overlapping the edges of the 3 strips of ruffle to look like one continuous strip (trim off any excess, I had about 3" ruffle strip left over). Then flip it over, run another strip of scor-tape along the OUTSIDE bottom edge for the ribbon to hide the adhesive and uneven edge of ruffle that show through the vellum.  Then, when the shade is fully decorated, run another strip of scor-tape along one of the straight edges, curl the shade, overlap the straight edges by 1/4 inch and stick together. Ta-da! Pretty vellum shade! It is much easier to decorate the shade while flat, then curl it together last.

I hope this helps those who are having difficulty with the ruffle edge! 
Thanks for your comments!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Spooky Halloween Decor

Are you ready for Halloween?

My kids have had their costumes for over a month, and can hardly wait to wear them. I still don't have the treats to hand out, I usually wait until the last minute because they tend to disappear before Halloween in my house. I have no idea why that keeps happening, I even hide them in my craft room. It's truly baffling.

I made this SPOOKY coaster decor to put on my mantle. (The back says WINTER, but I'll post that pic another time).  I love Halloween paper crafts, but people don't usually give out Halloween cards, so this covered coaster decor fulfilled my craft cravings nicely. And I get to use it year after year.


Here are the close-ups:







Wanna hear something really spooky? When I finished making this and was cleaning up, I found 5 candy wrappers...mini Halloween candy wrappers. Reece's Pieces and Candy Corn. I don't remember eating them, and I haven't bought the Halloween candy yet.  Cue scary music....

Recipe:
All Product CTMH.
Pattern Papers: Abundance and Enchanted
Cardstock: Pansy Purple, Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush, Garden Green, Cocoa, Black
Chipboard
Inks: Black, Cocoa, Autumn Terracotta
Stamps: D1442 Thriller, C1323 Who Loves You, D1311 October Word Puzzle
Z291 Hinges
Chocolate Waxy Flax
Black Embroidery Floss
Liquid Glass
Glue Dots

Other tools:
Cricut Cartridges: Storybook, Stretch Your Imagination, Basic Shapes
ATG tape runner
Chipboard coasters cut at 4" with Cricut Deep Cut Blade

I am entering my project in the following challenges this week:
Heart 2 Heart - Halloween or pumpkins
OCC- color challenge
Crazy 4 Challenges - Halloween
Dutch dare - Halloween or color challenge
CRAFT - spooky
Fab n' Funky - things that go bump in the night
Corrosive - Halloween or orange and black
Fabulously Artsy - Halloween linky party


I was inspired by this coaster decor piece from fellow CTMH consultant Jennifer Smith.  Isn't this fabulous? Check out her blog Stampin Stampede.







Thanks for visiting my blog,
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Lorrinda








Wednesday, October 20, 2010

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Do you know anyone who has NOT been affected by breast cancer in some way? October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Hug your mother, your aunt, your sister, your daughter, your friends. Tell them how much you love them, and remind them to check the "girls" regularly, and to get regular mammograms if they're eligible. Here's a cute way to remind them:


The cute little bees were stamped first, then layered with pink vellum cutouts popped up with 3D foam dots.
I am entering this card in the One Layer Wednesday challenge hosted by Jennifer Styles this week. The challenge is to make a one layer card using the birds and the bees or the flowers and the trees. I think my  boo bees fit the criteria, don't you? Check out the challenge...it's fun to make simple cards once in a while, and more challenging than it looks.
I am also entering this card in the Splitcoast Stampers "Hope You Can Cling To" card drive campaign, for challenges HYCCT10(inspired by something on your walk), HYCCT14(use ribbon), and HYCCT17(popped up elements). For more info, check out Splitcoast Stampers HERE.

Thanks for visiting my blog,
Lorrinda

Recipe:
All product CTMH
Card base: White Daisy cardstock
Stamps: W2017 Bee Mine (bees), D1311 Oct Word Puzzle (Boo), D1402 Togetherness (border), D1013 Playful caps alphabet, C1079 Playful lowercase alphabet.
Inks: Z2105 Black, Z2106 Blush
ribbon scrap
white mini brad

Monday, October 18, 2010

Under the Northern Lights

This week's challenge at H2H is to add dry or heat embossing to a project. I went a little crazy with the embossing, (I love embossing!) I used 4 different embossing techniques:

1. Cuttlebug embossing using divine swirls folder on vellum:
Tip: Vellum tends to crack when embossing like this, I found misting it with water first really helped.



2. Dry embossing by scoring a border with a stylus, then sanding the raised edge to reveal the white core of CTMH cardstock:















3. Heat embossed text, using clear detail embossing powder on sentiment while ink is still wet, then melting it with a heat gun. The effect is subtle and hard to photograph, but IRL you can see the shine and feel the raised edge of the font:


4. Heat embossing the main image with white embossing powder, which was then cut out and popped up on 3D squares to give it some dimension:
                                     

And, I put them all together to make this scene: (you can click on the pic for a larger view)
                            
 I made several attempts on scrap paper to get the northern lights effect that I was looking for. If you've ever seen them from Northern Alberta, you know that it is a beautiful sight. I have seen them dance and change colors from pinks to greens, and the ethereal glow they cast on the landscape below is just amazing. However, it is difficult to photograph, much less draw. I used white daisy pigment ink and dabbed it on in a random "dancing" pattern, then while the ink was still wet, I dragged a dry paintbrush through it. Next I used a dry brush to "paint" the colors on with teal and purple chalks. The white pigment ink caught some of the colors of the chalks. The overall effect wasn't exactly what I was going for, but this is as close as I could get to the "image" in my mind!

I then added a Christmas star, embossed it with white daisy embossing powder, then filled it in with some stardust glitter gel, which I also used as glistening snow.  I finished it off with some tiny stars (Northern Lights can only be seen on a clear night) using  a CTMH White Daisy marker. I just love the sentiment, it couldn't be more true!

Isn't embossing fun?! Now, pop on over to H2H for some more fabulous embossing inspiration from the uber-talented design team, then play along and create something using an embossing technique. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Thanks for visiting my blog!
Lorrinda

Recipe:
CTMH products:
Stamp Sets: C1424 Nature's Gift (bear and sentiment)
                  D1305 Gloria (star)
Papers: Cardstock in White daisy(snow and card base), 
                             Twilight(bear),
                              and Outdoor Denim(sky)
            Vellum paper
Embossing powders: White Daisy and Clear Detail
White daisy pigment ink pad
White daisy marker
Versamark ink pad
Summer Soft Chalks
Glitz Glitter gel in Stardust
Tools:  Dry embossing/scoring stylus
           Sanding kit
                Craft heater
           Paper trimmer

Other products:
Cuttlebug and Divine Swirls embossing folder
Paintbrush

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A couple of pumpkin layouts...a la Studio J

It's a beautiful fall day in in east central Alberta, did I spend it frolicking in the leaves with my kids? No. I spent the afternoon detailing my SUV (hey, it probably won't get done again until spring) I drive a Santa Fe, not sure if that's an actual SUV, but it's not a car, or a van, it's one of those crossover thingies. We call it Steve...if you've seen "Over the Hedge" you'll get it. ("I'd feel better if I just knew what to call it, so I'm naming it Steve!"  bonus points if you know who said it.) Anyway, it's now nice and shiny and smells of leather cleaner.  Life is good.
The gorgeous sunshine today reminded me of the October days we took the kids on a pumpkin hunt with their cousins. I have a couple of layouts to share. Would you believe these are digital? Done with CTMH Studio J website:
(click on the pic to get a larger view)
Those 2 in the middle of the 5x7 on the lower right page are mine :)
They were sure cute when they were little.


There they are again, on the right end of the log this time, only they got bigger.

Great thing about Studio J, not only did these layouts get done super fast, these papers which coordinate with the photos so nicely are no longer available. They have been retired from the CTMH catalog, but you can still use them in Studio J!  There are also exclusive Studio J papers and patterns which are not available anywhere else.

Give Studio J a try, it's FREE. Yep, I said FREE. You can access it HERE, and you can play with it until you're happy with your layouts. There are no charges until you order prints, which get delivered to your door, in fabulous archival quality. Pricing starts at $15.00 per 2 page layout, with discounts for purchase of a membership such as $7.00 per 2 page layout (that's just $3.50 per page, I couldn't print my photos for that, let alone a 12x12 layout!) which includes .jpg files for archiving, free page protectors and free shipping.

If you haven't tried Studio J yet, what have you got to lose? It's free to play! I suggest creating an account when it asks you, no charges- you just set up a user name and password which allows you to save your layouts and come back to them later. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can create gorgeous scrapbook layouts, with no mess to clean up.

Thanks for visiting my blog;
Lorrinda