Tutorial: Ribbon Tree Ornament

This was the first ornament I made for MegaCrafty's Crafty Christmas Tree Challenge.  It's kinda weird having to figure out (down to the penny) how much something cost to make and in all honesty, it's a good eye opener!!

I based this ornament off of the Tabletop Ribbon Tree tutorial over at Uncommon.  If you want to make ribbon trees that are any bigger than my little ornament, you'll definitely want to check out Tricia's tutorial!!

Okay, I'm not going to make you wait any longer!! Let's get started!!

Step 1: GATHER SUPPLIES

- Cardstock

- Printed template (From DomestiFluff's Halloween tutorial "How to Make Mini Book Page Trees"

- 3/8" Ribbon (wired is preferred, but as long as it will crease if folded then it it'll work)

- Hot glue gun & glue sticks (I used tacky glue and I don't recommend it for this project.)

- 1/2 Sheet of tissue paper

- Acrylic paints & small paint brush

- Wooden skewer

- Tiny wooden "terracotta pot"

- 2 Small wooden stars

- 6"-8" Piece of thin hemp or jute cord

- Large-eye needle

- 2 Clothespins

Step 2: MAKE & PAINT CONE

I just want to say "Thank you" to Kristen at DomestiFluff for posting the template for these little trees!! With a tiny adjustment, it worked great for this project!!

Make the Cone

Fold your cardstock in half and crease the fold. (Note: I fold the cardstock for a stronger tree.)

Place one of the straight edges of your template along the fold.

Trace & cut out the pattern. (Note: I added about 1/2"-3/4" to my semicircle.)

Roll the cone so that the edges overlap and glue in place.

Paint the Cone

Choose a color that either matches your ribbon or is the same color.

Paint a the entire cone, including inside.

Step 3: CUT & ADD RIBBON STRIPS

Cut Ribbon Strips

Cut 1" to 1.5" strips of ribbon. (Note: I only needed about 55-60 strips total.)

First Row

Start adding the strips around the bottom of the cone as shown above.  Allow about 1/4" or more to hang over the edge and overlap the top corner over the previous strip. (Note: Make sure they are going straight up and down and are not angled at all.  If one isn't straight, they'll all be crooked!)

Other Rows

Move up to the next row and add strips around the cone.  Allow 3/8" or more to hang over the previous row.

Continue adding rows until you reach the very top.

Add Cord & Cover Top

Tie a knot into one end of the cord.

Thread cord onto large-eye needle.

Push needle up and through the tiny hole in the top of the cone and then up and through the very center of one strip of ribbon.

Place glue around the top of the cone.

Fold ribbon and pinch over the top of the cone as in the picture above.

Fold Tips

Fold up 1/4" of every strip of ribbon as shown above.

STEP 4: ADD STAR  

If you don't have wood stars, I'm sure a couple stars cut out of cardboard or even grey-board (cereal box cardboard) would work too!!

Paint

Paint the front and edges of both wooden stars in gold or yellow.

Glue

Fold the cord so the end is touching the tip of the cone.

Glue the stars back-to-back over the tip of the cone, folded section of ribbon, and cord.

Use clothespins if your glue doesn't dry almost instantly. (Note: Since I used tacky glue, I had to leave the clothespins on for about an hour!)

 STEP 5: PREP TRUNK & BASE

Again, if you don't have the wooden pot, just cut a similar shape from cardboard or grey-board.

Prep & Paint Pieces

Temporarily put the skewer inside the cone to see how much you need to cut off.

Cut (or break) your skewer so it's the right length.

Temporarily put the skewer inside the hole in the bottom of the pot and trim off any that sticks out.

Paint the skewer dark brown.

Paint the outside and inside of the pot.

Glue Together

Add a generous amount of glue around the tip of the skewer and inside the pot.

Push the skewer into the hole in the bottom of the pot, making sure the skewer is straight.

Hold in place until dry.

 STEP 6: ADD TRUNK TO CONE

If you don't have any tissue or just want to use something cheaper, I'm sure a paper towel would work just as well!

Prep the "Trunk"

Point the tip of the skewer towards the middle of the tissue paper.

Wad the paper around the skewer in the rough shape of a cone.

Temporarily pull the skewer out of the wad of tissue.

Add a lot of glue to the top 2" of the skewer.

Reinsert the glue-covered skewer into the cone.

Tightly squeeze the tissue around the skewer to make sure it holds.

Add the "Trunk"

Add a thick layer of glue all over the upper 2" of the inside of the cone.

Using a significant amount of pressure, push the tissue wad into the tip of the cone.

 FINISHED!!

The total cost of the supplies for this project is well under $1 and that included the wooden star and pot!!  If you were to use cardboard cut-outs rather than wooden pieces, it could  be as low as 25-30 cents per ornament!!

TOTAL SPENT = $1.00

Items made: 2 paper flower ornaments and 1 Ribbon Tree Ornament

COMING TOMORROW...

Paper & Lace Snowflake Ornament Tutorial

Despite the pricey appearance of this ornament, it's actually pretty inexpensive to make!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

I'm Already Making Christmas Ornaments

Meg over at MegaCrafty has started "The Crafty Christmas Tree Challenge" and I'm participating!!  

Basically, the challenge is to fully decorate a 4-foot tree (or bigger) for $20 or less (not counting the tree or the lights).  For more details about her challenge click the button below.

I'm not too sure I'll be able to do it for under $20, but it sure will be fun trying!!  Of course I'm going to post everything I make here on my blog!!  There will be tutorials available for all the decorations I show, whether I write them myself or link you to them!!  

My final tree reveal will be on December 17th and Meg is revealing her tree on the 15th.  I can't wait to see how they both turn out, along with the other trees people decorate for this challenge!!

I've already started making super inexpensive ornaments and have ideas for sooo many others!!  Here are the ornaments I've made in the past 24 hours...

The two paper flowers were made from Stephanie's tutorial at Under the Table and Dreaming.  Her tutorial, Book Page Flower Ornament, is super easy and there are so many ways to use this technique!!  I'll probably make other ornaments and use these flowers in part of the design.  Here are close-ups of the two I made:

The red Christmas tree was roughly-based on Tricia's Tabletop Ribbon Trees tutorial over at Uncommon.  Tomorrow I'll post a tutorial on how to make a Ribbon Tree Ornament like mine for about 75 cents or less!!

I combined Quill Cottage's Vintage Paper Snowflake Ornament and funEZcrafts' Lace Flower Ornament to come with the snowflake ornament shown below.  There will be a tutorial for my Paper & Lace Snowflake Ornament on Wednesday.  With the white on a dark background my camera didn't take a very good picture, but here's a close-up:

Thanks for reading!! Until next time...

Shopping Show & Tell #1

Welcome to my first Shopping Show & Tell!!  This is where I'll highlight my favorite purchases and best deals from my shopping outings!!

I went to Micheal's during their Veterans Day sale and used my handy-dandy 25% off coupon in addition to their great sale prices!!  Even though I bought well over 20-30 things I'll only show a few things.

Michael's

1. 25yd of 1 3/8" Velvet Ribbon: Original price=$6.99, Sale price=$3.74, Price w/Coupon=$2.81
2. Pack of 6 "Smoothfoam" Balls: Original price=$3.99, Price w/Coupon=$2.99

1. 25-Pack White Blank Card & Envelopes: Original Price=$4.99, Price w/Coupon=$3.74
2. 20-Pack Natural Blank Cards & Envelopes: Original Price=$4.99, Clearance Price=$1.99, Price at register=$0.01
I'm pretty sure this was entered wrong somehow!! I highly doubt it was supposed to be only 1 cent!!

1. 80-piece Decoupage Tissue Paper: Original Price=$2.99, Clearance Price=$0.89

2. 8-Pack Metallic Markers: Original Price=$5.99, Clearance Price=$1.99

3. Texture Magic: Original Price=$5.99, Price w/Coupon=$4.87

Grrrr!! This was in the clearance isle and marked $1.99 but I didn't catch it until just now!!

4. Inkabilities Floral Brights Sponge Kit: Original Price=$15.99, Clearance Price=$5.99 (I also have the Earthtones set like this and can't wait to try them out!!)

5. Eyelets Multi-Pack: Original Price=$14.99, Clearance Price=$5.99

1. Paper Mache Skulls: Original Price=$1.99, Clearance Price=$0.39

2. Skeleton Ribbon: Original Price=$1.99, Clearance Price=$1.00

3. 24-Sheet Halloween Scrapbook Papers: Original Price=unknown, Clearance Price=$0.99

4. Halloween Tote: Original Price=$2.49, Clearance Price=$0.49

Yesterday I went to Dollar Tree and Ollie's Bargain Outlet and got some great deals there too!!

Dollar Tree

Everything was $1...of course!!

Ollie's Bargain Outlet

8x10 Canvas

Original Price=$2.49 (That's already really cheap!)

Ollie's Price=$1.69

The original price was already really cheap!!  I bought 3 of them.

9x12 Drawing Pad with 50 Sheets of 70lb Paper

Original Price=$7.99

Ollie's Price=$1.99

45 Sq. Ft. Holographic Foil Gift Wrap

Original Price=$6.99

Ollie's Price=$1.99

This stuff is so flippin' cool because in regular light it's plain silver, but in bright light, such as sunlight, it has those neat holographic flecks in it!! I can't wait to use this for various craft projects!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Tutorial: Fabric-Covered Notebook (Part 2)

This is the second half of the Fabric-Covered Notebook.  You can find the first half HERE.

In this part of the tutorial, I'll show you how to...

- Attach the fabric to the cover

- Hide the edges of your fabric

- Add the belt-style closure

I'll list the supplies from Step 1 again so you can be sure you have everything.

SUPPLIES

Necessary Items
- Notebook (I used a mini composition notebook)
- Glue (I used Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue)
- White or black cardstock
- Fabric
- Coordinating cardstock or other thick paper
Optional Items
- Grey-board (cereal box cardboard)
- Wide ribbon or strip of fabric
- Coordinating 1/8" satin ribbon
- Large-eye sewing needle
- Coordinating beads
- Charm
- 2 Jump-rings or split-rings

Step 5: ADD  THE FABRIC COVER

The most important part of this step is making sure your fabric gets glued down straight!  If there is a pattern to your fabric and it's crooked, it will be noticeable!

Prep Fabric

Cut enough fabric to cover the entire book and have about 1" extra on all sides.

Iron the fabric if it's wrinkled; this is optional because when you glue it down you pull out the wrinkles anyway.

Glue Fabric - Front

Make sure your fabric is straight, especially if it has lines on it like mine! You will notice if it's not straight when you look at it from the side.

Put a thin layer of glue on the white/black cardstock part of the front cover, but not the spine.

Smooth out any "globs" of glue because you don't want a lumpy book.

Gently place your fabric onto the cover, making sure it's still straight.

Gently tug on the edges of the fabric to remove any loose fabric or wrinkles.

Put a little bit of pressure on the cover to make sure the fabric is glued down.

Glue Fabric - Back

Flip the book over and wrap the fabric around the book.

If the fabric was straight on the front, it should stay straight when you wrap it around to the back.

Put a think layer of glue on the white/black cardstock part of the back cover and still none on the spine.

Gently pull the fabric away from the spine and lay onto the cover.

Gently tug on the edges of the fabric to remove any loose fabric or wrinkles.

Put a little bit of pressure on the cover to make sure the fabric is glued down.

Step 6: GLUE DOWN FABRIC EDGES

For some books you may want to skip the "Glue Corners" part of this step, but since my book had rounded edges, it was important to glue them the way I did. 

The Spine

Close your book and determine the width of the spine.

Cut straight lines where your fabric is bent to make a "flap".

Open the book to make the fabric puff up at the spine.

Fold the "flap" down behind your fabric; you may need to use a pencil to push it down insides if your using a smaller book.

Repeat these steps on the other side of the spine.

Cut a little triangle of fabric off so it looks like the photo; it'll make gluing the edges down much neater.

Glue the Corners

Put a thin layer of glue in the corners of the inside of your cover.

Gently pull the corner of the fabric at a 45-degree angle towards the opposite corner of the cover.

Lay the corner into the glue.

Gently tug the fabric so it's tight around the corner.

Press down to make sure the fabric is attached; you may have to hold for a moment so it doesn't come loose.

Repeat these steps for the remaining corners.

Glue the Edges

Put a thin layer of glue that covers about 1" from the outside edge.

Gently pull the fabric towards the inside of the book.

Lay the fabric into the glue.

Gently tug the fabric so it's tight around the edge.

Repeat these steps for the top and bottom edge of the cover and then glue down the edges of other cover.

Step 7: ADD CLOSURE (optional)

If your cover is really thick and you did not have to reinforce your cover, you'll definitely want to do this step before attaching your fabric!!  There are many different kind of closures you can add, but this is the one I use the most since it's adjustable.

Prep Ribbon & Cover

Cut a length of ribbon that will wrap around your book at least 1.5 times.

Put a tiny dab of glue on one end of your ribbon (back side).

With both jumprings on your ribbon, fold the end over the jumprings and glue the end to the ribbon, making a loop.

Determine where you would like your closure and your jumprings to lay on the front cover.

Notice where the glued section of ribbon is located and put a dot just under it.

Using an awl, put two holes on either side of the dot; this will be where you sew the closure onto the cover.

With your knot on the inside, push the needle through one of the holes in the cover.

Sew your closure in place using the holes you've made.

With the book closed, determine where you want to secure the back of the closure; I usually put my stitch about 1/2"-1" from the edge.

Using an awl, place two holes in this location just as you did for the front cover.

With the knot on the inside, push the needle through one of the holes in the cover.

Sew the ribbon in place using the holes you've made.

Step 8: HIDE FABRIC EDGES

Cut & Glue Cardstock

Cut a piece of cardstock a little smaller than your cover (see photo).

Place a thin layer of glue on the back of the cardstock.

Press it firmly against the inside of the cover.

FINISHED!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Veterans Day, 11-11-11, & Fact Friday #1

Happy Veteran's Day!!

A very special Happy Veteran's Day to any previous or current military members that may be reading!!  As some of you may know, my hubby is a Chief in the US Navy and I'm so proud of him each and every day!

Happy 11-11-11 too!!

Are you doing anything crafty to commemorate this special date?  Would say craft supply shopping counts?  That's my plan for the day and I can't wait!!  I'm hoping I find some great Veteran's Day bargains so I can post another Shopping Show & Tell!!

Time flies when you're having fun!!

Can you believe we're getting into the middle of November already?  I certainly am blown away by how quickly fall is passing by!!  I've just been so busy focusing on this blog.  Lately I've been making changes to this blog, adding new features, preparing for the Grand Re-Launch, and of course getting things in place for the big giveaway.  I must say that I'm having a blast working on all of these updates and changes!!

This week’s Grand Re-Launch & Giveaway Facts are...

1. New Blog Feature: Starting in January, every Friday I will feature at least one great blog or project from another crafty blogger!

2. Contest Dates: The contest will run from 12:01AM on January 1st and will end at 12:01AM on January 30th.

Note: This giveaway is not being sponsored, therefore there will be a required minimum number of entries that must be reached in order for the contest to end Jan.30th.  If the minimum is not reached it will be extended until Feb.27th.

3. How to Enter: In order to gain your initial entry for the Grand Re-Launch Giveaway, you'll need to be following or begin to follow Lisa's Craft Blog using GFC (Google Friend Connect). Then you'll need to use the super easy Rafflecopter gadget I post to officially be entered.  After obtaining this first entry, you'll be able to get up to 7 additional entries!!  How to earn those additional entries will be announced soon.

4. Prizes: The 3rd Prize will be an 8x10 padded envelope full of various crafty goodies! The contents of the envelope as well as details about the 1st & 2nd prizes will be included in future "Fact Fridays"! 

Next “Grand Re-Launch Fact Friday”
November 18th is when the next bunch of information will be released so be sure to come back then to see the details!!  Remember that you can see all currently released Grand Re-Launch & Giveaway details on the Grand Re-Launch page.

Don't forget...
Part 2 of the Fabric Covered Notebook tutorial will be published tomorrow morning!! If you haven't checked out Part 1 yet, you should do that before moving onto the second half of the tutorial.

Thanks for reading!! Until next time...

Tutorial: Fabric-Covered Notebook (Part 1)

This 2-part tutorial will show a simple way to cover a notebook with fabric.

It includes details such as...

- Reinforcing flimsy covers

- Adding a built-in ribbon bookmark

- How to work around the spine

- Attaching a belt-style closure

You can use the steps in this tutorial to cover other books and journals, as well as on projects like the Fleur de Lis Wall-Hanging.  

In this portion of the tutorial, I'll show you how to...

- Strengthen your cover

- Make sure you don't see the book's original cover & spine through your fabric

- Add an attached bookmark

Let's get started!!

Step 1: GATHER SUPPLIES

Necessary Items
- Notebook (I used a mini composition notebook)
- Glue (I used Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue)
- White or black cardstock
- Fabric
- Coordinating cardstock or other thick paper
Optional Items
- Grey-board (cereal box cardboard)
- Wide ribbon or strip of fabric
- Coordinating 1/8" satin ribbon
- Large-eye sewing needle
- Coordinating beads
- Charm
- 2 Jump-rings or split-rings

Step 2: REINFORCE COVERS (optional)

The little notebook I used had covers that were made from a single layer of grey-board.  I wanted them to be more sturdy, like a regular book cover.  This is an easy way to strengthen your covers and can be repeated to make them even stronger.

Prep Cardboard

Find or make a straight edge on one side of your cardboard.

Place your cardboard inside one cover with the straight edge towards the spine, making sure it's straight.

Trace around the edge of the cover and cut out.

Repeat this process for the other cover.

Attach Cardboard

Place a relatively thin layer of glue on one side of your cardboard.

Flip over and line up with the outside edge and corners of the cover.

Press firmly to make sure the cardboard is bonding to the cover.

Wipe away any excess glue and trim any overlapping cardboard.

Step 3: ADDING A BOOKMARK (optional)

If giving your book as a gift, adding a bookmark can be another special touch that's functional as well.  It's a great way to personalize your book even further if you're keeping it for yourself.

Make the Bookmark

Cut a length of ribbon that's about 3x the height of your book; remember that it's better to cut it too long than too short!

Tie a knot or a charm on one end of the ribbon.

Thread the other end of the ribbon through the large-eye needle.

Feed the beads on to the needle and pull them onto the ribbon; it will be difficult.

Push the beads all the way down to the knot or charm.

Attach the Bookmark

Place a thin strip of glue down the center of the spine that goes the entire length of the book.

Gently press the end of the ribbon without the beads onto the glue starting at the bottom and working your way towards the top.

Make sure the ribbon is straight and that it's adhering to the book.

Step 4: HIDE THE COVER & SPINE

This step is really important especially if the original cover isn't a solid color.  You'll want to use white cardstock for light to medium fabrics and black cardstock for dark fabric.  Having this behind your fabric guarantees you'll see the true colors of your fabric.

Hide the Cover

Using the white/black cardstock, repeat the steps shown in Step 2.

Hide the Spine

(Sorry for the lack of photos)

Cut a length of grosgrain ribbon that is 1" longer than the spine and wide enough to cover the spine and reach the edges of your white/black cardstock.

Fold your ribbon about 1/2" from the edge and glue in place.

Fold the other end so that the final length of your ribbon is a little shorter than the spine and glue in place.

Place a strip of glue from one end of your ribbon to the other, making sure it's centered.
Gently press the ribbon along the length of the spine.
Make sure the ribbon is straight and that it's adhering to the book.

Glue down the sides of your ribbon to the cover

Press firmly in place.

Note: Sorry about the photos in steps 3 and 4 being out of order.  While writing this I decided it would be easier if I grouped hiding the cover and hiding the spine into one step since they have the same purpose.

Part 2 Coming Saturday!!

I hope you'll join me on Saturday to see how we finish this project!!  In the second half of this tutorial, I'll explain how to...

- Attach your fabric to the cover

- Hide the edges of your fabric

- Add the belt-style closure