I spent the evening finishing up my last piece for the Seasons Round Exchange. I love swaps. Imagining another family out there who will open this box and (I hope) find a treasure or two that appeals to them... it's really fun. Good, clean, generous, imaginative fun.
The theme for this exchange is LIGHT. And here is what is going in the box.
This last piece is what I worked on tonight and I fear I may have fallen down the rabbit hole (holding an exacto knife no less). Here's a quickie how-to on how I did it and may I suggest you go make one? Now. Because this was one of those intensely satisfying little projects that makes you want to turn your whole life into a silhouette.
Begin by drawing your objects onto black cardstock with a pencil.
Use an exacto to cut them out. This is tedious when you are cutting, say, teeny tree branches. It helps to pass the time if your husband/wife/partner/roommate spends the time showing you absurd homemade music videos on youtube while you work. (As with so many internet phenomenons, what are people thinking?!)
Lay your pieces out on a scrap sheet of paper so begin to determine the size of your window and side panels. I just laid them out, squared off the area they needed in the center of the paper.
Now, using the measurements you just figured out on your scrap paper, transfer those to your frame paper (I used yellow cardstock). You want to be sure your area for your image is centered and that you've cut down the top of the paper to create the right height. You can see here I have my frame marked off in the center and have added an arch to the side panel on one side (no need to do the other, we'll trace later). You need to make two of these, exactly the same.
Cut out the center hole of your frame on both sheets. Cut out the arch you drew on one side panel. Use that cut out arch piece to trace and cut arches on the remaining three side panels. Score the lines between the center and side panels on both sheets. Score on the side of the paper that will face up and mountain fold the side panels back.
Cut a piece of tracing paper or vellum to the size of the frame. Lay your front piece of frame down, front side down and center that piece over the frame opening. Lay out your pieces in the mirror image of what you want them to be.
Use a watered down white glue to paint glue on your pieces and glue them onto the transparent paper. I left the transparent paper over the frame to be sure I was placing all my objects within the frame opening.
When you are finished, use a glue stick to attach the transparent paper to the front of the frame and then glue the back piece of the frame over that, so you sandwich the image layer between the two frame pieces. Trim any edges that don't match perfectly.
Set a tea light behind the scene at a safe distance.
Strike your match and voila!
I am imagining a whole series of these based on the Twelve Days of Christmas. You know, because I have so much free time on my hands.
(And if you are here looking for my Giveaway Day entry... here it is.)
Lovely items - who wouldn't love to be the recipient of that parcel?!
Posted by: Hannah@HomeBaked | 01 December 2011 at 10:06 AM
we adore everything. My 2.5 year old daughter was WILD for the star! And the tealight...put it in the holder; take it out of the holder. LOL
Seriously...we just loved it all! We'll be lighting all the candles and the silhouette for solstice on Saturday.
Posted by: Jennifer | 18 December 2009 at 10:39 AM
Brilliant.
truly.
Kimmie
mama to 7
one homemade and 6 adopted
*expecting again....from Ethiopia
Posted by: Kimmie | 06 December 2009 at 06:49 AM
Michelle, I should have put it in this post too. I got the star tutorial off another blog and had linked it in a previous post. http://www.54stitches.com/2009/11/as-promised-if-a-little-late.html
Go make one!
Posted by: Liv | 05 December 2009 at 07:44 AM
Oh Oh Oh - can you please do a tutorial for the star. It is totally FAB. Thanks Michelle
Posted by: Michelle Winson | 05 December 2009 at 04:13 AM
ooh! we are on the same wave length...i made one of those lanterns for my seasons round partner, too! i posted a tutorial for them on my blog recently. that star is absolutely stunning!!! amazing. thanks for the silhouette tutorial. excited to try this out.....in that free time you speak of! ;)
i am very excited about your giveaway. still trying to think of the perfect name...... ;)
Posted by: rae | 04 December 2009 at 01:36 PM
Thank you for the tutorial! What an amazing package you sent off!
Posted by: BOATBABY | 04 December 2009 at 12:17 PM
Wonderful Tutorial! This is a super fun project!
Posted by: jess | 04 December 2009 at 08:03 AM
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing each step.
Posted by: The Tan Family - Syrendell | 04 December 2009 at 04:36 AM