My Wrapping Paper Artwork

A few weeks ago when I had purchased this amazing wrapping paper from The Container Store I had said that I planned to use it for artwork rather than to wrap gifts in. This paper is made of recycled cotton and was too beautiful to resist.

I wanted to do something festive for the holidays with it. I decided on a trio so I purchased three 8x24 canvas boards from Joann's that happened to be on sale.

I found some ornament images online and printed those out after having enlarged them to a good size.

images via here, here and Google

Alongwith the new wrapping paper and tissue paper I also pulled out some silver and gold paper I already owned.

 First I laid out the paper on the canvas and realized the creases were apparent across the center and would not look good so I proceeded to crush the paper more.

Then I sprayed the canvas and laid it upside down on the tissue paper.

And evened out the paper before the glue dried.

I made cuts on the top sides and folded over.

 Then glued with Loctite glue.

It was a little loose at the back.

I gave this time to dry.

Next, I decided to reinforce the paper by stapling it to the board so I used a staple gun.

I traced out the ornament images I had printed onto tracing paper and then onto the back of tissue and wrapping once I had determined which image I wanted in which paper.

Time to cut...

And move the ornaments around until I was happy with the mix, the layout and the look of each board making sure to have silver and gold on each.

I first used basic Elmer's School Glue to glue the ornaments on.

That red spot on the paper was there when I opened the packaging.

I did the silver star in two layers.

I used a hole punch to punch a hole in the top of this ornament.

Then came time for Mod Podge, of course. For those reading this in countries where this product is not available, this is an all-in-one glue, sealer and finish used for decoupage.

I decided to add some ribbon to the ornaments to complete the pictures and had some old ribbon in my stash of gift wrapping - some silver and some gold.

But as you can see, there was overlap with the ribbon and the ornaments. I had thought I would be ok with that but I was not happy...the ornaments are the stars.

So I cut another round of ornaments in the same paper and did another layer of Mod Podge over the first ones.

To give a sense of a framed look to the artwork I decided to glue some hemp I had around the sides of the boards multiple times until they were covered.

 

And now, here they stand on my family room floor until I have the time to hang them.

I had two small problems - the metallic ribbon did not adhere in a few spots. I guess it adds dimension. Also, I pulled a little too hard on the paper during my final (third) layer of Mod Podge on the third board therefore it has a deeper crinkle to it on the left of the star. I only realized this once it had started to dry and it was too late to spread it out. One has to be a little more careful when using delicate (in this case, tissue) paper. I love how this turned out, though. I have toyed with the idea of just glueing a bow of metallic string to a couple of the ornaments but I might leave that for next time. I did not get to the red wrapping paper but do have an idea for something for the next Christmas season.

You might think I have a lot of time on my hands but truly, I do not. Arts and crafts such as this one are done while I wait for my kids to get off the bus (starting an hour or a half before) and then subsequently after dinner. But these are also easy and really do not take much time once you have some vision.

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Please Note: I have not been compensated in any way for this post. The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely mine and are based on my experience with the products mentioned.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Easy Tree-Shaped Napkin Rings

I wanted to share with you a way to add an additional festive element to your entertaining this season. My color scheme for the dinner table is shades of silver with touches of gold. I did not have enough napkin rings for thirty people (when I was planning this particular event) so I decided to make my own.

I came across this simple craft for tree-shaped napkin rings my Martha Stewart.

I bought shimmering gold scrapbook from Joann's and also had to pick up some silver ones as they did not have enough gold in stock. My kids love getting involved in the fun projects and my youngest had some free time on occasion to help me out with this. This was easy although it required some cut of thick paper. 

I proceeded to print out the tree template from here and traced it onto the back of the craft paper (I did silver and gold equally). And then we cut out the template.

I traced the outline onto tracing paper, then flipped it over and went over the tracing again onto the back of the scrapbook paper I wanted to use.

Then we cut it out.

I used pewter colored paper napkins.

I worked on putting everything together in a large tray. I folded each napkin over a set of flatware so they were held down in a pocket-like holder.

Then I rolled them.

And lastly, held everything together with the napkin rings - gold and silver.

I lined a couple of platters with silver paper doilies.

These pictures are just to give you the idea. I arranged them better on the day.

This idea was much appreciated on this particular evening. My own recommendation, if you do try this, is to use paper that is not too thick as that will make for quicker and easier cutting.

One could make these in any shape depending on the occasion. All one needs is the basic outline of an item - an ornament, a leaf, a balloon, for example. These could also be further adorned with beads or trinkets or something else decorative.

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If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

The Dining Table For The Holidays

I decorated the dining table for the holidays. Although I had some idea what I wanted to incorporate in the overall design I had no idea how I was going to set it up. I had scoured Joann's and the Internet (including eBay) for some inexpensive mercury glass items thinking I would love to incorporate an antiqued effect with some modern sparkle and a dash of color. My grand plan had been to have done some mercury glass work on regular glass pieces purchased at a consignment store or Goodwill or Salvation Army. There was no time to drive to these stores which are located miles away. My overall color scheme was to be silver with a touch of gold and some green and/or red for color.

I was hosting a couple of parties which were to be buffet events so I did not need to incorporate any place settings.

During my search I came across these items on ZGallerie a couple of weeks ago. They were in a gunmetal finish. I bought 2 sets. Each set cost $7.99 (originally $9.95).

Modello tealights

and these in silver finished on the inside in an antiqued mercury glass-like finish with nickel-plated stems. This was on sale for $19.89 (originally $39.95).

Monte tealights

I laid a green tablecloth (large enough for my dining table) and a smaller off-white cotton embroidered tablecloth which was given to me by one of my sisters, purchased in Hong Kong. I placed the Monte tealights in the center (tallest centered). Inches away on each side I placed a set of the Modello tealights in a random pattern (I do love the organic elements in design). I had planned to use flameless candles.

These pictures were taken in a hurry while I was getting a hundred other things ready. I had pine cones which are gold and glittery...I just used a couple here. I took a couple of stems with silver berries (purchased at Joann's) and wove them around the tealights and threw in a few green glass marbles which I have had for a few years. The walls of the dining room are green (but I plan to change them over the holidays) so I did not want to get carried away with the green hues but just for a bit of color. The pine cones and the stems are a way of introducing nature, and the pine cones and the tealights, when lit, would lend the gold tones to the setting.

View from the top - flameless candles within.

Yes, my tablecloth has some crinkles but these were eventually ironed out. A little picture overload while I try to capture many angles of this tablescape and some with the candles lit.

I love the effect - silver and gold. The warm gold effect would perhaps not be achieved with real tealight candles. My flameless candles were purchased last year from Crate & Barrel. A good investment.

Candles are on here, too. One can see the gold through the glass.

I would agree that nothing can replace the look of a real lit candle (or the warmth) but the flameless candles are a good option and I decided to use them in this setting instead.

This is an easy way to decorate a table. The colors can be changed by just adding a different pop of color. And it turned out to be inexpensive, too. It was worth investing in the votives as I will use them a lot and they were at a great price, too.

I did not want a heavy tablescape as the table itself is large and heavy but I did want to add something sizable in terms of the length so that the decorations would not be lost on the table. For a relatively unplanned tablescape I am really happy with the way it looks.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa