Day 24: Tissue Puff Balls

This is a great project from last years 12 Day's of Christmas blog series. These are perfect to use as present toppers or decorations for your holiday - we couldn't leave this project out!

Here is a simple video tutorial showing you how to make the puffs:



Step One:
Take 3 sheets of tissue, crease and cut it in half at the crease to create 6 smaller sheet. Stack the 6 sheets and accoridan fold them.
Step Two:
Fold the piece in half to create a crease so you know where the center is. Using scissors, cut the edges off in a rounded shape. Tie ribbon, string or fishing wire around the center where you made the crease.
Step Three:Peel away each layer of tissue one sheet at a time to finish your puff ball ornament!These have a fun, whimsical look to them and the adorable candy cane striped tissue and blue snowflake pattern make them even more festive for the holidays!

Day 1: Glitter Paper Globes

Holiday Ornaments – Glitter Paper Globes

Use these sparkly ornaments to decorate your tree or take this basic design to a whole new level! This is a great starting point to get really creative: Shimmer Sprays, assorted embellishments, double-sided papers, different punch designs and the list goes on!

Materials -

- 2.5” Circle Punch

- Assorted Glitter Paper -or- Stardream Shimmer Paper

- Glue Gun, Glue Dots or another quick-drying adhesive

- Ribbon

- Scissors

Optional Accessories:

- Beads, Brads or Embellishments of your choice

- Floral wire or fishing line

Step 1) Punch out circles with your Circle Punch from your assorted paper. You can be adventurous with the quantity of circles you use for your design; however, I have found that 10 circles total work best.

(Tip: Try using a Christmas double sided paper or adhere a fun holiday paper to a glitter paper to achieve a totally different look.)

Step 2) Fold the circle in half with the design side out (for glitter paper – glitter side out).

Step 3) Put a drop of glue at each corner. Line up and glue the folded edges together at the seam. Continue to do this until the last one; however, do not glue the ornament closed.

Step 4) Knot off the bottom of your ribbon a few times then glue the excess ribbon up. Tie a loop at the top large enough to hang on the branch of a tree.

(Tip: You could also place a bead or glue a brad at the bottom instead of knotting off ribbon.)

Step 5) Take your ribbon and place it into the center of the ornament’s seam. Place some glue across the center of the ornament - press to seal your ornament closed and to glue your ribbon in.

Step 6) Glue the each flap of the ornament together with a small bead of glue. Repeat until the entire ornaments open flaps are glued shut.

Happy Holiday Crafting!

- Stephanie

9th Day of Christmas: Quilled Snowflakes

Warning, I am not a quiller. I have never watched a video on quilling, read a book on quilling, nor have I looked at any real instructions on how to quill. But I got so excited by the craft, I bought all of the supplies and my amateur status hasn't deterred me from trying different projects. Given that warning, you should know that if I can make this snowflake, anyone can. I mean ANYONE.

Supplies needed for this project are quilling paper, a circle board, a slotted quilling tool, glue, spray adhesive and quilling tweezers. For the glue, you'll want a nice, fine tipped adhesive that dries quickly and dries clear.

To create the snowflake pattern I designed, you'll need to make 6 large cat eyes, 6 small cat eyes, 12 small tight coils and 1 large tight coil. They actually call the "cat eye" shape a "marquise", but I like to coin my own phrases and they look like eyes to me, so there you go.

For the larger cat eyes, I used an 18 inch piece of quilling paper and the 1 inch circle. For the smaller eyes, I used a 10 inch piece of quilling paper and the 1/2 inch circle. For the small tight coils, I used 9 inch a piece of quilling paper and for the large tight coil I used one whole piece (18").

The following 40 second video demonstrates a standard quilled circle, the starting point for the cat eye shapes:

To create the cat eyes, you start with a quilled circle. And then pinch the ends. So easy! This 15 second video demonstrates shaping of the eyes:



Creating the tight coils is a snap: wind the paper on the slotted tool, carefully remove and glue.

Making the Snowflake: To assemble the snowflake take your 6 smaller cat eyes and organize them so that they can easily be glued together leaving only a small gap in the center. Apply a small amount of glue on the side of each tip, place the cat eyes in place and let dry.
Next, attach the larger eyes to the tips of each smaller eye. You will attach these by placing the small coiled pieces on either side of the tips and adding a big glob of glue in the middle. This is why you want clear glue. These pieces will take a little longer to dry.

Tip: Keep checking your pieces while they dry to make sure they are not sticking to your work surface or you will have a beautiful snowflake adhered to your table. Working on a glossy surface like a magazine or wax paper helps.

Finally, add the large coiled piece to the center with a dollop of glue.

Lastly, you want to harden this baby up so that you can hang it on your tree, attach it to a wrapped package, or hang it from your dogs collar. This is accomplished with the spray adhesive.
When the snowflake is dry enough to move without falling apart, place it on a piece of wax paper. Take it outside and spray it like crazy. Bring it back inside and transfer it to a clean piece of wax paper. In the morning you'll have a nice, stiff snowflake, ready for hanging.

Phew, that was a long post! But really the snowflake takes less than 30 minutes to make including drying time before the spray adhesive. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! --Kim

8th Day of Christmas: Fimo Ornaments

My craft of choice is usually paper related, but I wanted to stretch myself a little and do something new... we have carried Fimo clay in our stores for a while now and because I had never used it I knew I wanted to try it out! I thought making some ornaments would be a good first project. I gathered a few supplies: an Exacto knife, craft wire, Sharpie maker and glitter along with the clay. The package of Fimo looks small but it goes a long way. You'll want to start by working the clay in your hands to soften it up a little. Then simply mold it into any shape you want. After I formed my ornaments I sprinkled some glitter on them and stuck a piece of wire so they could be hung, before hardening them in the oven (Bake at 230 degrees for 30 minutes). Here are the clay ornaments I made:

I have to admit that I was really nervous about if these would actually turn out or even be fun to make. But they turned out to be so much fun! Adding glitter was like the icing on the cake, so make sure you don't forget the glitter!

Happy 8th Day!
Christina

Geoball ornament - here's one for the puzzlers!

Do you remember from geometry class that a perfect triangle, also known as an equilateral triangle, has 60 degree angles on all sides? For those of you saying "who cares?", the answer is: you will, if you want to perfect the awesome geoball ornament!

I have to say that I picked this ornament to blog about because of the challenge. First, I kept seeing pictures of it saying it was made of 20 circles, with very little instructions. Seems easy enough, right? Wrong! Because the challenge with this ornament is to fold the circles with a perfect triangle in the center so that you have 20 folded circles that perfectly align geometrically (hence the name "geo"ball).

So, here is what you need for this project: one double sided piece of 12 x 12 paper, a circle punch (preferably with a diameter of 2 inches or less), a ruler, a bone tool (for scoring), plus the two key elements for me: "this to that" adhesive runner from American Crafts and a cutting mat with angles pre-imprinted on it. I used the Art Alternatives mat which I believe is one of the less expensive mats that Paper Zone carries and I LOVE it.

First, punch out 20 circles. Snap!

The next step is to score a perfect triangle in all 20 circles. I accomplished this by finding the 60 degree angle line on the mat (my pen is pointing to it in the picture to the right).

I then set my circle so the 60 degree line starts at the top middle part of my circle. (to find the center of your circle, align it within the measuring cubes on your mat). Make the first score using a ruler and a bone tool along the preprinted 60 degree line. Again, my pen is pointed at the 60 degree line in the photo on the left.

Next, turn your circle clockwise until the end of that the 60 degree line is back at the top center of your circle touching the end of the scored line that is at the right top part of your circle. The trick here is to make sure your circle is centered left to right within your measuring points, not to try to figure out the angle yourself. If your circle is centered between the left and right lines of the squares you used to measure it, and the end of the score is at top center, score again along that 60 degree line.

Rotate the circle and make the 3rd score using the same guidelines. The following pictures shows all 3 scores that should be made:You should end up with folding lines that when the flaps are folded over, creates a circle with folded flaps of equal sizes. I cannot stress enough how important this step is and you'll probably have to do several test scores to get it right. But it is very important that all of the folding flaps are the same size in order for your ornament to line up properly.

Score triangles onto all 20 circles. Then fold. Fold an equal amount of circles so that you have both sides of the paper showing to give your ornament a little bit of variety. I used this great 12 x 12 by American Crafts that reminded me of a candy cane. Minty!

Next, use your adhesive runner to place adhesive on all of the outer sides of the folded flaps. A good adhesive is so important in this project. My first attempt with an inferior adhesive was a disaster. I love, love, love this American Crafts This to That tape. They didn't pay for this blog entry, but if they see this, feel free to send me more samples!

Really, this adhesive seems gummy, and it is, but it allows you to pull apart the pieces and re-stick them yet remains very tacky. Coincidentally Paper Zone is selling a value pack of these. . .great Christmas gift for any crafter!

Now the assembly begins, and this is where you must have patience. The one thing to remember during the assembly is that all points must have five pieces to them, not four, not six, but five (see bottom image to the left). I found it easiest to start with creating the top and the bottom of the ornament and then adding pieces until the whole ornament has formed.

So, start with adhering 5 pieces together by perfectly aligning and attaching the flaps of 5 circles together. Do this again to have your top and bottom.

Take one of your 5 piece bases and start adhering more circles remembering that each point should have 5 pieces in it. This will take a little bit of maneuvering and probably some rejiggering of pieces, but it's actually pretty easy. Pretty soon you'll have 15 of the pieces together in this nice little ball that just needs the top put on.

Add the 5 remaining pieces that you already adhered together and you've got a geoball ornament! Punch a hole on any flap, insert a string and this will be a great addition to any tree. This is definitely more challenging than the bird ornament or the snowflake, but I think the results are worth it. Makes you miss algebra, doesn't it? --Kim

3D Snowflake Pattern

Every year our Beaverton store makes these great hanging snowflakes and this year I snagged the pattern to share (thanks Darlla!). This is another simple decoration that is super easy and only requires paper, scissors and glue or tape.

In 5 easy steps you'll have a snowflake that won't melt or snarl traffic. Click here for a FREE template and instructions for making the 3D snowflake. The template contains the steps below, along with a diagram to guide you through the cutting and folding.

Start with a square piece of text weight paper any size. A 4" by 4" square will result in a medium sized snowflake. I suggest using a heavier text weight paper, such as a metallic, because they tend to hold their shape better and look festive. If you go with a 4" by 4" square, you will need 2 1/2 sheets of paper to make one snowflake.

Step 1: Fold the square diagonally to form a triangle.
Step 2: Fold the triangle again so that there is one side with a double fold and one side with 2 single folds.
Step 3: Cut 4 or 5 slits in the paper as pictured in the template.
Step 4: Unfold the paper carefully and attach the tips of the square to each other, alternating the direction you fold the paper. Attach the tips with either glue or tape. I like to cut a piece of tape into tiny strips before starting each section to make this go quicker.
Step 5: Attach 6 of the sections you made using Steps 1 - 4 by gluing, taping or stapling the tips together. Honestly this is the trickiest part, but I found a stapler works best.

This video demonstrates making one section:


I hope this is a bit of snow everyone can enjoy!! Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! --Kim

Shadow Box Ornament

We recently ran a tree decorating contest in our stores... We ended up with really beautifully decorated trees. One of my favorites was a shadow box ornament created by Hue in Shoreline. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make my own! Below is the step-by-step on how to create a shadow box ornament.

Step 1:
Gather ornament supplies. You will need paper (I used 12x12s from Basic Grey's Jovial line), scissors, glitter glue and a two piece jewelry box (You can find EVERYTHING at Paper Zone!) Step 2:
Take the fuzzy stuff that comes inside the box and tear it apart. You will use this as the snow that the deer sits in.
Step 3:
Cut a piece of paper you want to use a background (I used one that looked like snow falling!) and glue it to the back of the inside of the box.


Money saving tip: You can get two ornaments out of each box, simply use the lid for one and the box for the other!

Step 4:
Cut your favorite deer out of the 12x12 "Nordic" piece of paper.

Step 5:
Glitter your deer up with glitter glue.

Step 6:
Place the cut-out deer into the fluffy "snow" and glue it into the box.

Step 7:
Attach a ribbon or string to the back of the box and hang your ornament on your tree!


Wasn't that easy? After making this cute deer shadow box I started thinking about all the other things I could place into a snow scene... I'm thinking a snowman would be cute!

Happy Ornament Making!
Christina

Note: You can dress up the outside of the box using wire ribbon and paper similar to the ornament featured on our Facebook wall. This ornament, and a dozen fabulous other ideas, are hanging on the gorgeous tree in our Shoreline store if you want to stop by and see it!

Paper Tweets

Because I like my crafts simple, I jumped at the chance to try this wonderful bird ornament that has been 'flying' around our stores. Practically all you need to make this is a sheet of cardstock and a pair of scissors.

Start with the Bird Ornament Template that can be printed off Paper Zone's website. Simply cut out the two shapes and trace them onto a piece of cardstock paper.
Tip:trace with a pencil because it's very faint and can be removed after the final pieces have been cut. You don't want a bird with marker on her wings! (note that in the pic I am using a marker and it didn't quite work out, thus the tip to use pencil)

Next, cut the pieces out of the cardstock. Using either your scissors, an xacto knife, or a box cutter, cut a slit where indicated by the dotted line on the template. The slit needs to be long enough to fit the wing piece through, but not much longer so the wing is snug.

Slide the wing through and you're done, that easy! Punch a hole and add a loop of ribbon and this little birdie is ready to fly. People will be oohing and awing over your amazing skills to make handmade ornaments.

Use colored or patterned paper for variations. Make a whole bunch and put a new meaning to "flocking" your tree! Enjoy. --Kim

Paper Holiday Ornament

Happy November All!
With the holidays quickly approaching I wanted to share a fun paper holiday ornament with you.

First cut 8 1/2 x 1/2 inch strips of paper. I used red and white metallic paper for a candy cane look. I used 36 strips, a tip to make this step quicker is to stack your sheets paper and then cut the strips.

Next punch a small hole on each end of the strips while the strips are stacked together.
Once you have your hole punched insert a brad at each end. Then you'll want to start pulling apart each strip. (You'll notice that your ornament will naturally take on a sphere shape once you pull the strips apart.)
Simply tie a string to one of the brads and you'll have a beautiful ornament!


There are lots of different ways you can make beautiful ornaments simply with strips of paper. Check out these other great ideas here and here.

Happy paper ornament making! I can't wait to see what you come up with!
Christina