Valentine's Lanterns

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Products in this post were provided to me. Project and opinions are mine.

Yikes. How is it almost Valentine's Day already?  Time to get busy with some new decorations right? Fortunately I get to work with Oriental Trading Company and with their selection of  decor and craft items, was able to come up with some new  pieces I now have up not only for Valentine's Day  but as part of my decor all year round! 

Since I tend towards neutrals and metallics, I fell in love ( no pun intended) with these silver metal lanterns. I decided I'd make some altered candles to put inside them but since I knew I wouldn't light them, I chose battery operated flameless candles. They look great lit or unlit and no risk of burning down the house! 

Never one to leave anything plain, I used a Love Letter background stamp to make candle wraps for the candles. 

I stamped on plain white cardstock then tore the edges and went over with a metallic gold rub-on to give them an aged look. Adhered them to the candles with a strong double sided tape. 

Still not content to leave my candlewraps alone, I cut a couple of hearts from some scrap glitter vinyl. And of course, STILL not content, had to embellish some more! What goes better with hearts than more hearts and keys? 

I adhered the large keys with foam dots,  wrapped gold and white Baker's twine around each candle a few times  ( this also keeps the keys in place) and finished with heart charms and a rolled paper rose made w/ scraps from my stamped candlewraps. We makers don't wastestuff  do we?!

Once my candles were done, of course I needed to add some embellishments to the lanterns themselves. Using scrap glitter paper , more Baker's twine,  charms , and paper roses did the trick! 

When lit, the candles give of a calming soft glow. I miss just sitting and looking at the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree. I think I've found a solution! 

Supplies Used ( unless otherwise stated all are from Oriental Trading Co) 

• Metal Lanterns
• Flameless Candles
• Heart and Key Charms
• Gold and White Baker's Twine
• White Scrapbook Paper
• Love Letter Background Stamp
• Gold metallic rub on (my stash)
• Strong double sided tape ( my stash) 

Happy (almost) Love Month!!

Winter Blues Wednesday @ DIY by Design

Flaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring

Metal Embossing: Fired Copper Plaque

Sharing a a gift / décor idea using one of my favorite techniques that looks a lot harder than it is:heat fired  embossed copper.

For this project you will need:

• Embossable copper (you can find at art supply stores, Michaels, JoAnn etc.)
• Die or image to trace
• Heat source ( pencil torch, micro torch, something w/ a flame)
• Wood plaques
• Paper scraps
• Mod Podge
• Washi Tape
• Stamps, colored pencils, ink
• Embellishments

First step is to prepare the plaques. I have a roll of this masking paper in my stash that I use in a number of projects. It’s thin, accepts Mod Podge and/or paints easily and most of all is cheap. Look for it in the paint aisle of your HW store. Measure to fit your plaque, cut to size and then crinkle to give it texture before applying.

You now have a canvas you can play with. I used some paper scraps, inks and washi tape to make my background.

I used a Memory Box die to cut the oak leaves. Run through a die cutter ( I used a Cuttlebug). TIP: If you don’t have a die cutter, print out an image that you want, lay it on top of the metal sheet ( put a magazine or rubber mat under the metal) trace on top of the image with a stylus and then cut with scissors.

Once you have your shape you can use a stylus to draw lines, details etc into it. I just did this freehand.

Using your pencil torch ( you can find these at the hardware store) apply flame to your copper pieces. USE LONG TWEEZERS NOT YOUR FINGERS TO HOLD METAL! Here’s a video that shows the basic process.

If you have a gas stove you can also hold the metal over a lit burner.  The thinner the sheets, the faster the process so watch closely until you get the effect you want. If you don't want to play with fire, you can skip this part and/or use a different metal.

Since I like to age things, I dry brushed my finished metal pieces with black craft paint and then wiped off just to dull them a little. Once done, glue to your prepared plaque with a strong adhesive ( I used Liquid Fusion) and embellish.  I used scrap velvet ribbon tied in a simple bow and some pinecones I found on a walk.

Now that you’ve made a lovely gift, the presentation should match don’t you think? I used a stamp with acorns and oak leaves on the envelope for the card and the gift tag and stippled inks on the envelope.  I also used some of the masking paper and scap paper from the plaque for the tag.

Here are some other metal embossing projects you might like:

Embossed Metal Snowflake Tile

Embossed Metal Christmas Ornaments

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Ghosts of Christmas Ornaments Past: Paper Mache Ornaments

You could say I love ornaments. Did you say it? I have all kinds but some of the ones I love the most were the simplest to make.

 One of the easiest types of ornaments to decorate are the plain paper mache ones that every craft store carries. They come in all kinds of shapes...the basic ones like circles, squares, etc can usually be found year round, and during the holidays there are lots of choices.

I thought I'd share some past projects using them . The original posts / tutorials are all linked. They are an easy and inexpensive way to add to your decor or to make as package toppers, gifts etc.

French Stamped and Glittered

For these, I stamped directly onto the ornament and embellished with rhinestones and glitter. 

Stamped Glittered and Beaded

These were done the same way as the first but I added some beads to the end of the ornament. 

Vintage Sheet Music and Santa Ornaments 

These use a combination of vintage sheet music, graphics from The Graphics Fairy, and Mod Podge. The only limit is your imagination!

Sheet Music and Stickers

These are a combination of the two. Mod Podged with sheet music and edged in glitter. The focals are metallic snowflake stickers. Again, you could use any combination of papers / stickers, buttons, jewels. 

Ornaments as a Banner

These I actually used in a banner for Valentine's Day but the idea could easily be adapted for Christmas. PEACE, JOY, NOEL are all words that could be used. 

Each year when we get out the Christmas stuff I get to re-live memories of the years I made these. I hope you find some inspiration !

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More Birthday Fun With Tim Holtz Stamps and Embossing Folder

I’m sharing a couple more things I made to celebrate Mr. Chocolate’s birthday. As we get older, we’re less about giving each other “things” and more about experiences. So for his birthday this year, I planned a day filled with stops at some favorite spots as well as a couple of places he’s mentioned wanting to check out.

Since he’s a good sport and comes with me on some of my crafting stops, I’ve discovered that he likes Tim Holtz designs. So Tim helped me out with my birthday plans.

You might recognize the stamped car on the front of the card from the altered cigar box I recently shared. That box held the card, along with the little altered box shown above.

For the card, I covered a blank 5x7 card with a piece of “wood paper”. It’s actual wood veneer over cardboard. I picked it up at one of my favorite stores before they went out of business. I added strips of paper from the Tradewinds collection by DCWV to the top and the bottom.

I ran a piece of chipboard through my Cuttlebug using a Tim Holtz gear embossing folder. Went over that with Ranger Distressed Ink in black and Fresh Ink pigment ink in grey, leaving some of the chipboard exposed.  Layered this onto more of the DCWV paper, alternating with black cardstock,  and added some gear charms by Bead Landing. I stamped the car and sentiment ( both Tim ) onto scraps of the wood paper and tore the edges. Finished with some coordinating washi tapes.

The other part of this present was a little altered “clue” box I made. I created vintage themed clue cards for  the places we’d go during the day (breakfast at a favorite spot, a tour of a local small batch distillery, a fun little 20’s / 30’s style tavern with a secret room, and a favorite restaurant for dinner)  numbered them and tucked them inside the box. I told  Mr. C. throughout the day when it was time to look at the next clue. In between our "scheduled" stops we had fun roaming around new neighborhoods and places we just stumbled upon. Including a CHOCOLATE FACTORY! More on that next month.

The box ( see how it matches my wood paper!) I found in the  $1 bin at Michaels. You know I had to buy a few of these right? I decided not to cover the whole thing but went over parts of it with printed tissue paper and washi tape, sealed with Mod Podge. I forgot to take pictures of the sides but I traced around them and used up the last of the DCWV paper from the card and Mod Podged them to the box.

Accented the button closure of the box with another of  the gear charms.

We had a wonderful day and even had cooperation from Mother Nature with the Seattle weather! 

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Sunflower Card in Orange and Green

One of the reasons I like making cards so much is because they’re a  way to show someone you’re thinking about them. I feel like I can send some of myself along with the card and hopefully the recipient feels that.

We have a family friend who’s going through some health issues so I thought this card might brighten her day. I started with a Magenta brand Sunflower stamp which I stamped on white cardstock using black pigment ink.

I filled in the flowers with colored pencils and then went over lightly with a complementary alcohol ink pen. I used Spectrum Noir alcohol ink pens.

I chose an orange damask print paper and a green script paper, (both Recollections from Michaels) and covered the front of my 5x7 card as shown. I guess tearing paper is my “signature” card style.  Mounted my sunflower panel to scraps of the same papers, and finished with pieces of self adhesive scrapbook borders, coordinating ribbon, and a piece of washi tape.

Since I hate wasting pretty paper, I usually add some of it to the envelope. No reason the envelope can’t look nice too right?

French Script Stamped Paper Mache Ornaments

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Sometimes I get an idea in my head that I execute on exactly as conceived. Other times, not so much. Such was the case with these.
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For this project you will need:

• Paper Mache Ornaments
• Stamps
• Ink ( I used a pigment ink for deeper color)
• Glitter
• Glue
• Embellishments

I found these ornament shaped paper mache ornaments somewhere after Christmas last year. I initially planned to use Christmas scrapbook paper and Mod Podge to cover them but then I looked at my stamps and since I was going for a vintage shabby feel , just decided to stamp directly on the ornaments. I used stamps by Tim Holtz Visual Artistry collection with a French theme.

I randomly stamped a couple of the images all over my ornaments. No particular pattern in mind.
Using Mod Podge as my adhesive, I went around the edges and applied silver glitter.

Applied a scrap of washi tape to the top and then grabbed some self adhesive rhinestones and pearls from my stash ( a great way to use up strays) and just kind of went wherever.

My railings this year are very simple with some sheet music ornaments I made and others I bought on sale at PB after Christmas so these fit right in.

I like that they’re not perfect and remind me of something old and found.

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