Hi ya'll! Sorry to be late posting our next challenge! With the craziness of Eli this just got pushed back a day or two! I think you will love this weeks project and it will have been worth the wait! Take a look:
It is a holiday wall hanging/decoration using Chipboard Coasters and a fabulous digital kit titled "
Mistle Toe" by Melissa Bennett.
To download directions in word - along with additional photos, go
here.
I have fallen in love with chipboard coasters! They are such simple things with amazing possibilities for fun little gifts and decorations. Today we are going to make a Christmas wall hanging using 4” Chipboard Coasters.
Where on earth do I get square chipboard coasters, you ask? Simple, there are many places to order them from online. I know of at least a few people who went to a popular restaurant who uses them and bought them cheaply from the restaurant. Mine came from a terrific lady on ebay who was cheap and quick! The local scrapbook stores probably sell them too but they will be pricey. Off of Ebay – I got 80 4” chipboard coasters for $10.70 including shipping and handling. Not bad!
Let’s get started with our project!
Supplies:
4” chipboard coasters
Modge Podge
Paint Brush or sponge
Cutter
Craft Wire (or ribbon if none available)
Ribbon
Crop-A-Dile; Gind-It-All or Eyelet Setter/Hole Punch
Any embellishments you want to add
Credit: I made my fun Christmas wall hanging with Melissa Bennett’s fabulous
Mistle Toe kit available at Scrapbook-Bytes and Jen Caputo’s paper tears.
Melissa has generously offered a 40% off coupon to anyone interested in picking up her Mistle Toe kit for this project or any of the Alter The Season challenges. Wow! The code is MLBmistletoe. Thanks so much Melissa!
Ready to get started? Let’s get scrafty! Okay that is goofy – but oh well!
Instructions:
1. After you have assembled your supplies and picked the digital kit you want to use, open a new document in your photo editing software measuring 4” x 4”. Since I wanted my wall hanging pieces to flow together, I created a document 24” by 4.25” and built all of my pieces on it. If you have the memory to do it that way – great – if not, one 4” by 4” square at a time will work just fine. Just think ahead a little bit about how they will all flow once pieced together.
2. Using your Custom Shape – draw out a rounded corner 4” by 4” square in any color. This is going to be the “template” that will cover each coaster.
3. Go about building your wall hanging “pieces”. Essentially you are creating a 4” x 4” layout here with a letter or letters on it instead of a picture. Create as many layouts as needed to spell out your word.
4. When all of your layouts are completed, open a letter size document and arrange the finished squares on it so that you can print them out. I printed mine on Epson Premium Double Sided Matte paper. You can print them on any paper you want – photo paper or good quality card stock.
5. Print in best quality that you can for your photo. Allow at least 15 minutes to dry.
6. Cut and adhere. I used my straight cutter to cut the squares out. Since I wanted rounded edges, I manually rounded them with a good pair of scissors. I then edged each square with a little red ink. Next I painted a layer of Modge Podge to the coasters and then adhered my “layout” to the coaster. Repeat for all squares. Then lightly paint Modge Podge over each square again to seal.
7. Next I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in the chipboard. I then threaded silver wire through the holes of the chipboard to tie the squares together. I added ribbon ties.
8. For the “hanger” part of the Wall Hanging. I threaded a long piece of craft wire through each end, added some ribbons and then threaded beads to cover up the wire. At the end of the strand, I wrapped the end around my finger to form a circle and then twisted it around itself.
9. Add any embellishments you want to the layouts and the end ties. I may go back and add sequins to the tree and maybe some glitter too. Be creative and have fun!
I can't wait to see what you create! If you have any questions - please post here! Enjoy!