Ever Thankful Always Grateful Tutorials

Paper Necklace

2009-04-25T15:08:00.001-07:00

Here's what we'll be making-

Here's what you'll need- Below you will see a picture of the supplies I used. I printed off some papers I liked from Emily and Kathryn's Metamorphosis kit but you can do this with scraps too!

Next cut the papers into strips. I cut these the length of the paper which really adds bulk and strength to the "paper bead."

And I'm not a quiller so I utilized the end of a paint brush to wrap the paper around. Wrap it fairly tight and a touch of glue at the end will hold it in place.

This next step would be optional. I coated the "paper beads" with a glass finish to help protect them and give them a little shine.

If you do this step, make sure to let them dry completely before handling so you do not smudge the finish.

And to finish, string them on the leather cord and add your ends.

I hope you enjoy this project. It is one that is great to do with the kiddos too!

Paper Lantern

2009-02-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

as posted in the first 2009 issue of The Daily Scrapper.

For this project, you will need:
paper (here I printed off some red digital paper by Amanda Heimann),
transparency film,
a paper cutter,
adhesive,
brads,
a razor knife and wire.
A paper piercer or small hole punch will help out for the brads- you really only need one or the other for this project.

Let’s get started.

First, let’s mark off an inch or two at both the top and bottom of the paper. It doesn’t need to be exact. This will become our guide for the cuts we will make in the next step. Make sure your markings are on the backside of your paper.

Next, slice your paper from the top guideline to the bottom guideline in even strips. You can make them thin or thick strips for the desired look. I used my paper cutter to slice and a razor knife to make sure the cuts were uniform after. When this step’s done you should have a flat piece of paper slit from one side to another.

This is the easiest step. Use adhesive to glue the top and bottom bands together full circle. This will leave you with a tall cylinder shaped skeleton of our lantern.

Here’s where the transparency comes in. Cut two piece of transparency a few inches shorter than the paper you are using. So if I used 11 inch paper I should cut my two strips at about 9 inches. Then punch holes in both ends. You will do the same with the lantern.

Now, use the brads to attach to transparency inside the lantern both top and bottom. This will give the lantern the round look and help it to hold that shape. Adjust the length of the strips to achieve the desired look of your lantern.

Last, twist some wire around the backside of the brads (inside the lantern) and it will be ready to hang. These are really fun and festive.

I hope you give this project a try.

Frames

2008-12-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

I love to Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.

I love to incorporate that into my daily life and that includes scrapping when possible.

Today I wanted to do a tutorial on how to redecorate a picture frame. In this tutorial I am working with a ceramic tile frame that did not match my décor. The techniques shown here can be used on most kinds of frames. The supplies you will need are: a sheet of digital paper you wish to use, razor knife and cutting mat, and a good type of multi- purpose glue. Also- have handy a few things to decorate your frame with once it’s recovered.

Now, let’s get started. First we will need to remove the glass from the center of the frame. Just set that aside until the project is complete. Next, lay your printed paper face down on your cutting mat. With a pen or pencil, trace the opening for the photo on your printed paper. This will outline our workspace in the next step.

Here’s where we use the razor knife. Working within the box you’ve drawn, cut on “X” as shown in the center. *Note: the overhang of the outside edges should be slightly longer than the depth of your frame. You should have enough to cover the depth and wrap around to the backside of your frame.

The technique should work with any square or rectangular shaped frame.

Now we will apply glue to the face of your frame and then lay it centered on your printed paper. It is important to take a few minutes to smooth out the air bubbles that may form. The most difficult steps are behind us.

Let’s glue the flaps down (inner and outer) to the backside of the frame and trim.

And here’s a front view of the project.

As we finish up you will notice that your frame’s really taking shape. Now it’s time to decorate. For the example shown, I wanted a shabby chic look. I chose to accent with a gold leafing pen and attach an antique drawer pull with a couple of glue dots. Those were things I had left over from another project.

And here’s how the project turned out.

I hope this inspires you to reuse an old frame or customize a new one. It’s fun, easy, and great to personalize. Add a name or sentiment and it would make a perfect gift too.

Flip Album

2008-11-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

Want to give this a try? It's really easy to do. Here's what you'll need-

12x12 cardstock, a paper trimmer, ribbon, adhesive, scissors and a razor knife.

A couple of tips- If you click on an image here it will come up larger in its own window for easy reading or printing. Another thing I find handy when assembling this is to have a bone file ready or you can use the side of a zig pen to run over the creases/folds of your papers. And last, if you use heavily textured papers, use a good glue rather than tape for adhesive. Its my experience that tape and glue-dots aren't quite strong enough for those types of papers.

As always, I would love to see what you create. Please feel free to post a link!

Paper Bag Book

2008-11-10T12:05:00.001-08:00

Let’s talk paper bags…

These are so much fun to do and perfect for fall albums.

So here’s what you need-

Alternate them as you lay them out in the opposite directions like this-

Once they are laid out, you will need to make sure you have some ribbon handy. Take your stack of bags and fold the entire stack in half together, like this-

Give the seem a good hard crease. (A bone file or the side of a zig writer work good to enforce it.) Tie the ribbon around at the crease to hold your album together. There you go! The hardest part is done!

From here we decorate our albums to taste. That is one of the reasons I love doing these types of albums- the possibilities are endless. For this album, I wanted to add pull-outs. I measured the dimensions of the space in my bag and cut some basic cardstock. Then I cut some smaller circles out of the digital paper I printed. Add a little glue and fold the circle over the edge like this to reinforce (and decorate) the paper that will be slid in and out.

At a side view of your album you can see that two of these will fit into each open end of a bag. Decorate them, add pics or journalling, whatever your heart desires. Be creative! For this album I used Funky Fall collab kit by Amanda Heimann and Kelley Mickus.

And don’t forget to do something fun and fab to the cover of your album. Here I used the digital papers I printed off to layer. I stamped fall on with acrylic paint and inked around the edges with a coordinating color.

I hope you have fun with this! I would love to see your project so drop me a link if you'd like! :)

Candle Sleeves

2008-11-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

This is an easy way to make your candle match your home decor or the theme of a party you may be having. For this candle sleeve, I used two patterned papers, a sewing machine (optional), glue stick, and ribbon.

Here's an example of a project I did this summer.

1. First I sliced my patterned paper in half lengthwise. To ensure I had enough material to go around the candle I glued the paper end to end, giving me a long stip of each. And - I trimmed the top layer to make it a little more narrow than the first before extending it. At this point you have two long extended strips of patterned paper.

2. With the narrow paper on top of the other, I then ran it through my sewing machine with a zig zag stitch. (This step is optional.) If you don’t sew, grab a zig pen and add a doodle or and ink pad and ink the edges. Have fun!

3. And to finish it all up, I wrapped the sleeve around the candle and dabbed a little glue on the edges where the paper overlaps. Trim if needed and finish off with a coordinating ribbon.

This is a technique anyone can do. So as you start digging out the candles again, keep this project in mind.

I would love to see what you design! Feel free to link me up to your project! :)