happy holidays bloggers! i had a wonderful break after the 12 tags of christmas. if you notice, i’ve been working on the blog a bit, and now have a new post format with condensed posts. in other words, the blog will load faster allowing you to continue reading the posts that interest you by simply clicking to do so. i’ve also added the “12 tags of christmas 2011” category with the previous years on the bottom left column of the blog so if you’re just looking for the techniques, they are more convenient to find. as i continue to enjoy this wonderful time of year – i know with just a week left before christmas i still had time for one more idea to share…
back in november i had this fun idea using my rosette dies (both the original and mini rosettes) to create the quirky turkeys. today i wanted to share another idea using these dies – the holiday rosette tree. these would be perfect to add a little festive fun to your holiday table decor. so get ready to deck more than the halls…
supplies: paper rosette dies (original and mini); kraft core *or any cardstock; tissue tape, sanding grip, holiday muse tokens, long fasteners; paint dabber (snow cap), glue n’ seal (matte), glossy accents, wonder tape; pencil *or 1/4 dowel, glitter, jute, glue gun, ribbon, wooden spool, *optional 1/16″ hole punch
*note: before you start, if you haven’t seen the paper rosette video tutorial i posted last month, check it out here…
step 1: die cut one of each of the 3 sizes of paper rosettes from kraft core.
step 2: apply tissue tape to the back of each strip.
step 3: using 1/16″ hole punch, punch a hole on the scallop edge of the rosette for a little decorative element. *remember this step is totally optional.
step 4: sand over kraft core with sanding grip to expose kraft core.
step 5: accordion fold each strip.
step 6: adhere the ends of each strip with glossy accents as shown.
step 7: now this step is a little different than what i show in the video since we are not applying any hot glue to the craft sheet. all you do is press and create the rosette and hold flat with your fingers as shown – no adhesive at this point.
step 8: apply hot glue to the center hole of the rosette (like filling a jelly donut).
step 9: while hot glue is still hot – CAREFULLY – let the center of the rosette lift off the craft sheet to a peak making the base diameter about 1 3/4″. hold in place to dry!!! do not let this go or the rosette will fling back open and you can get burned by the hot glue – again, please be careful. it’s an easy step as long as you are patient.
step 10: repeat with the 2 other rosettes making the medium rosette about 1 1/2″ diameter at the base, and the smallest about 1 1/4″ diameter at the base. they kind of look like little lamp shades!?
step 11: next, cut a pencil or dowel about 1 1/2″ long with cutters.
step 12: cut a piece of wonder tape to wrap around it.
step 13: apply the wonder tape around the pencil and remove the top liner.
step 14: wrap a piece of jute around the pencil to cover it. *note: if you don’t want to use jute, you could wrap with ribbon or simply paint or ink a dowel.
step 15: adhere or tap the pencil into a wooden spool.
step 16: apply hot glue to top of pencil.
step 17: place the largest rosette on to the pencil and let cool. then add each rosette layer with hot glue until you are happy with your tree. *note: i like the layers a bit “wonky” so don’t worry if they are tilted a bit.
step 18: cut a piece of 1/4″ ribbon about 6″.
step 19: wrap the ribbon once around 2 fingers as shown.
step 20: open a long fastener.
step 21: fold the wrapped layers flat between your fingers and place the layers between the posts of the fastener.
step 22: straighten the posts of the fastener – do not pierce the ribbon with the fastener, it should fit between the posts.
step 23: insert the ends of the fastener through the hole in the muse token and secure in back. adjust the ribbon by pulling the ends and trim the ends to desired length. *pretty cool simple brad bow huh? adhere token to top of tree with hot glue.
step 24: for a snowy look, swipe a paint dabber (snow cap) along the edges of the rosettes.
step 25: for an icy look, brush glue n’ seal on to the rosettes and sprinkle with clear glitter and let dry.
*another option for decorating these little trees is to hang “ornaments” from the punched holes.
– gather the smallest pearls from the baubles
– get a few loose staples from your tiny attacher
– create mini ornament hooks by bending one end of the staple through the loop in the pearl, and bend a hook on the other end (clever…)
since i had a couple of good friends here to visit over the weekend, they joined in and created a few themselves (thanks joy & monica)! here are some other fun ideas using different papers and tree topper ideas. hope this sparks a little creative idea for your holiday festivities. i think they are just the “cutest” little trees and i like the idea of using the seasonal muse tokens since they come 12 words in a pack you can create one for each place setting or use this idea to create some dimensional ornaments. hope you’re enjoying the magic of the season too…t!m
