celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms

The Pleasure of Poinsettias

There's no flower that symbolizes the holiday season like the Poinsettia. 

This leafy, red and green flower is bright and beautiful and as you'll see in this post, this popular plant is quite visible around my home this time of year.

 

Poinsettias (and sometimes Jordy) are the first thing you see when you enter our foyer for the holidays.

Every year I wrap my staircase with yards of Poinsettia garlands and then wrap the railing with strands of light.  It's a wonderfully festive look.

You'll also find loads of Poinsettias adorning my Christmas tree.  When spread out, the artificial Poinsettia leaves help fill in the gaps in the pine needles to help give the tree a more full appearance.

 

Click here to see more of my nature-themed Christmas tree which includes birds, bows, berries, dried fruit, wooden Santas, woodland elves and one pair of snakeskin baby-booties to name a few of the dozens of enchanting and unexpected tree decorations.

 

In keeping with the Poinsettia theme this week, I'd like to share how to make this beautiful 3-dimensional card which features, what else?   

 

This Poinsettia card involves a lot of cutting, but if you have a sharp pair of craft scissors designed for intricate cutting, you'll be in good shape.

Take a look at the numbered photo below for a list of the supplies needed for this pretty card.  You'll also need a pack of foam dots which are not listed in this photo but their use is explained further down in this post.

(1) Red and green cardstock (2) Heat gun (3) Poinsettia stamp (4) Gold embossing powder (5) Embossing pad (6) Gold leafing pen (7) Lettering stamp (8) Pinpoint scissors.

The heart and beauty of this project is created using a Poinsettia medallion rubber stamp.

Medallion stamps are known for their detailed images which can be stamped once and colored as is, or stamped multiple times, trimmed and layered to create a 3-dimensional look.

As you can see this medallion rubber stamp has five layers of Poinsettia leaves.

For this project, the image needs to be stamped and embossed five times to create one card.

Cover the rubber stamp generously with rubber stamp embossing ink.  This ink acts as an adhesive to hold the embossing powder in place.

Once the image is inked, stamp the cardstock and then sprinkle embossing powder over the outline in the card. 

Make sure you cover the image completely with embossing powder to ensure that all parts of the design appear in the finished project.

 

Tap off the excess embossing powder onto a sheet of paper.  Pour the excess powder back into the original container and return the cap.

It's a good idea to keep the container lid on the embossing powder when not in use, in case it's  accidentally tipped over while working.

The embossing process involves heating the powder which then melts but quickly hardens. 

WARNING: The heat that comes out of a heat gun is extremely hot and can cause injury if exposed to the skin so be careful when using it. 

Heat guns should also be considered a very dangerous tool in the presence of young children.  Because the power switch is generally quite easy for a child to flip, always keep heating guns unplugged when not in use.

The heat gun melts the embossing powder onto the cardstock.  It dries almost immediately leaving behind a crisp, raised impression of the image.

After embossing the cards, identify the various layers in the image and then cut each layer out in the order in which it is stacked in the image.

Take  a look at the cut pieces in the photo below and you can see that each cut piece gets smaller and smaller as each subsequent layer is defined and cut.

You'll need a few foam dots to stack the cutouts.  Foam dots have an adhesive on the top and bottom and are used to give an element lift.

Foam dots are available at most crafts stores.

Place the foam dot at the center of each cutout and then begin to build the layers upward.

You can see how the dots give the layers lift in the photo below. Foam dots are really versatile and help add 3-dimensional effect and interest to scrapbook pages, cards and loads of other projects. 

Once the layers have been created, slightly bend the points of each leaf to add more interest.  The addition of a few rhinestones to the center add a nice finishing touch.

 

You can always use pre-made cards for this project.  However, I couldn't find the shade of green I wanted so I just cut 8 /12 X 11 green cardstock down to size to create my own card.

I used a Krylon gold leafing pen to add an attractive edge to the card.  These leafing pens are also available at most crafts stores and at many major hardware stores in the paint section.

QUICK TIP: You can also use a gold leafing pen to add a dazzling edge to those giveaway, holiday family photos.

     

Decide where the medallion will be placed on the card and then add an embossed greeting just below the paper craft.

    
A pretty card like this deserves a pretty envelope too.  Here's a way to not only dress up your envelope but make good use out of wrapping paper scraps you have on hand.

Cut scrap wrapping paper down to size to fit inside the envelope just under the glue line.  Fold the wrap to match the fold in the top of the envelope and use a think strip of glue or double sided tape to adhere.

QUICK TIP-Adhere the wrap just above the crease line in the envelope. No need to glue or tape the entire sheet because it's hidden down inside the envelope and the crease will also help hold it in place.

 

By the way, you can also use medallions for more than just cards. 

Consider creating a handful of these 3-dimensional, paper-crafted Poinsettias as tree ornaments.

 

Need to spruce up a holiday gift bag? 

This checkered bag is OK, but add a Poinsettia medallion to the front and give it a beautiful holiday makeover.

     
I'm sure you could think of loads of other ways to incorporate these fun-to-make medallions into your next paper crafting project.

Of course you still have a little more time to get those holiday cards made too.

 
Meanwhile, I thought you'd enjoy seeing a holiday photo I snapped of my family this week. 

Many thanks to Cameron, Jordy and Boris for helping me with all my various projects this year and tolerating my gazillion "just one more shot" demands.

   

Also, a huge thanks to all of you who have supported my blog with your visits and kind words throughout this year.  

I love knowing that you've been inspired to try a few of my projects here and there and I really appreciate all of your interest and enthusiasm for my handiwork.  I'll have lots more to share in 2010.

Happy Holidays and all the best for a crafts-y and creative New Year!

Holiday Kissing Ball

Have you ever seen those hanging holiday balls, suspended by a pretty ribbon and covered in cranberries? 

Well this is my twist on that idea with fragrant, natural botanicals substituted as the main ingredient creating a unique and unexpected addition to holiday decor.

This project is called a kissing ball and it can be made out of any number of embellishments including artificial fruit, florals, evergreens, cranberries and as you can see, pinecones and assorted nuts.  You'll also need a hot glue gun.

For my project I used a Styrofoam ball, acrylic craft paint and a few wreath florals which are typically attached to a wire stem.

     

The adornments help set the tone for the overall appearance.  I choose these dried fruits and botanicals because I love the natural color, the texture of the pieces and their earthiness.

You can find bags of these botanicals in the floral department of most craft stores.

First step is to completely cover the Styrofoam ball with acrylic paint.  This is an important step because the irregular shapes of the the adornments may not fit together perfectly like a puzzle piece. 

You definitely don't want to see white Styrofoam peeking through so the paint helps conceal any gaps in the arrangement. 

TIP: A plastic fork is a great way to hold the Styrofoam ball in place to prevent it from spinning while painting.

Determine how much of a ribbon loop is desired and cut accordingly.  The loop size will vary depending on the size of the Styrofoam ball.

Remember your embellishments will increase the overall size of the ball when finished so keep that in mind as you cut your ribbon strip. 

I used a 4-inch Styrofoam ball and cut a 14-inch strip of ribbon which creates a 6-inch finished loop when folded in half.  1-inch of ribbon on either side will disappear down inside the ball.

    

Use the flat end of the plastic fork to carve a small hole into the top of the Styrofoam ball about 1-inch deep.

The hole doesn't need to be very wide, just big enough for the two ends of the ribbon to fit down into.  Any opening will be completely covered up the various embellishments are added.  

Fill the hole about half-way with hot glue and then immediately push the two ends of the ribbon down into the hole.

Once the ribbon attachment is dry and securely in place, use the glue gun to begin adhering the botanicals to the Styrofoam ball.

By the way, the construction of this project is very similar to the apple topiary project I featured a while back which you can see if you click here.

Before covering too much of the top of the ball, add the decorative florals. 

Rather than stick the wire stem down into the ball, I recommend cutting the pieces off the stem and hot gluing them in place to ensure consistent coverage of this element all the way around the ribbon.

When attaching the botanicals make sure you adhere them in a way that maintains a consistent, even-roundness to match the shape of the ball.

I really like like the way this greenery and the tiny splash of red from the berries helps to break up the all the neutrals in the other adornments.  

Kissing balls, like mistletoe not only help mark the holiday season but traditionally symbolize a warm welcome when hung in the entry or doorway of a home. 

Their legend also suggests those who walk under them are universally granted health, happiness and good luck in the new year.

Of course while good fortune will likely befall those who walk under these decorated orbs, as the name suggests-this holiday kissing ball may also get you a few smooches this festive season.

 

Happy holidays!