Thursday, November 15

silver wreath tag tutorial...



today i needed a little tag for this bag of mercury glass beads....
so i got out a few supplies and got to work.  these silver dresden wreaths are new in the shop.
i first saw them in the martha by mail catalog years ago and loved how tiny and detailed they were.
the wreaths are the perfect frame for making a tiny holiday tag.


step 1. cut out a piece of tracing paper just larger than the wreath.  glue a little image on the tracing paper and center your wreath over it.  
i like these old vintage holiday gummed seals by dennison.  little pieces of wrapping paper and holiday cards also have great images to use.
step 2. run your glue stick around the back of the wreath and stick the wreath down to the tracing paper.

 step 3.  cut out the extra tracing paper around the wreath.
 step 4.  poke a hole in the wreath with a large needle so you can thread some ribbon through.


 step 6. make the berry twist.  wrap a double ended berry stamen around something smooth and round.
 i used the end of a paper piercer.  { i have lots of these berry stamens so let me know if you need some }



step 7. thread the berry twist on the ribbon and tie the ribbon in a bow.  i poked my ribbon through the
cellophane bag so the wreath was tied right on top.


just darling!
hope you have fun making a little stack of your own,
julie





Tuesday, November 13

its all red and green today...

tiny red tinsel string tied on a vintage bottle of mica flakes
with a pile of snow sparkling outside today all i wanted to do was make christmas decorations...
i bought a roll of 1940s Christmas crepe paper streamers and quick turned it into ruffles.
1940s vintage crepe paper ruffles


finally found a tiny red tinsel string for all my packages.

evergreen ruffles, love that tulle bow!

can't get enough of these lacquered holly leaves and spun cotton mushrooms...

new french bistro white bordered labels, look great with a tinsel pom.

tiny curly tinsel and striped string.

vintage dennison crepe paper a lovely sage green

these dyed trees were a special request, in juniper, evergreen, and spruce.

mistletoe stamen bundle

i just gave in and everything turned red and green in the studio....
around here we don't wait until after thanksgiving to start making things for the holidays.
left over from last night on the kitchen table is a bucket of glitter glue,  a stack of tiny wool stockings and
ornaments, and a forest of bottle brush trees....

we sent off a package today to my nephew Christopher who is in Norway with some glittered ornaments, a tiny wreath with a snowman, and a lovely hand finished black walnut star my husband made. 
it's beginning to look a bit like happy around here.
hope you found a bit of sparkle today,
julie