Holiday Traditions!!

Start with Glue Arts and Graphic 45!

What kind of traditions do you have around the holidays? Decorate with a special theme....snowmen, reindeers? (we think after today...you'll absolutely want to!!!)

Well guess what we have for you...two beautiful holiday decorations from Designers Patti Milazzo and Linda Albrecht that will inspire you to want to include those in your holiday traditions and decor!!!

Holiday Reindeer

Designer: Patti Milazzo

Supplies:

Glue Arts:

Glue Glider Pro with

1/4 High Tac Cartridge Refill - Pro

Glue Gun

Glue Gun Sticks

Graphic 45:

Christmas Past pattern paper – The Holly & The Ivy, Holiday Spirit and Glad Tidings

Christmas Past Tags

Other: wooden reindeer used as a template; red bells; beads; 6” of trim; glitter glue

Introduction:

We keep a wooden reindeer and sleigh set that holds candy in our family room.  I’d love to update it as it’s become dated over the years but my kids are attached to keeping it as is so I decided to recreate the cute reindeer design with chipboard, the beautiful Graphic 45 Christmas Past collection and some help from Glue Arts adhesives.

Title: Reindeer Décor

Instructions:

1. Trace wooden craft décor (reindeer pieces) onto chipboard and cut out with a craft knife and scissors.  Ink edges with brown.
2. Cover one side of each cut piece of chipboard with High Tac Adhesive using the Glue Glider Pro and apply the Holiday Spirit pattern paper on the body and Glad Tidings pattern paper to the antlers.
3. Trim excess around chipboard with scissors and craft knife.
4. Repeat Step 3 to cover other side of chipboard pieces and ink edges of each piece.
5. Use small amounts of hot glue with Glue Arts Glue Gun to where the reindeer pieces join and briefly hold in place to set.
6. Once the reindeer is assembled, attach decorative trim around the neck and secure with hot glue.  Also use the Glue Arts Glue Gun to attach additional embellishments – bells, tag and punched holly leaves.
7. Highlight embellishments and antlers with glitter glue to complete.

  

Notes: I’ve used liquid glue in the past for projects where I’m covering surfaces with pattern paper, but found that the High Tac Adhesive did a perfect job on this project.  There was no worry of the paper or chipboard warping and no need to wait for it to dry.

Snowy Season Box

Designer: Linda Albrecht

Supplies:
Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro with Perma Tac Adhesive, 3/8" Adhesive Squares, Glue Arts Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks
Graphic 45 Christmas Papers and tags
Cardboard box
3 styrofoam balls (4", 3", and 2")
Mica Flakes and clear glitter
small jingle bells
Paper Clay (for nose)
Stars floral pick
Snow-Tex paste
Silver Pipe Cleaners
2 black mini brads, 3 rust brads, 2 rust mini brads
black, rust, and white acrylic paint
twigs for arms
large silver bead
Rhinestones and other miscellaneous embellishments
Liquid Adhesive

1. Cover the cardboard box with patterned papers then adhere 3 Graphic 45 tags to the bottom front using Glue Arts Perma Tac Adhesive. Use brads to decorate tags. Distress box edges with sandpaper if desired.
2. Roll the styrofoam balls onto a flat hard surface to slightly decompress the outer layer then use fingertips to make divets and dents for a non uniform look. You'll also want to make the largest ball have a flat spot on the bottom for sitting.

3. Once balls are done use a piece of wire to insert through the 3 balls to hold in place. Insert the wire into the bottom ball first, add a large dollup of hot glue then stick through the 2nd ball, pressing them together firmly and holding in place for a minute allowing the hot glue to cool. Repeat for the top ball to hold in place.
4. Paint the entire surface of the snowman with white paint, allow to dry, then distress with a brown inkpad or watered down brown paint. Wipe off excess as desired.
5. Cut the hat for snowman from patterned paper in a 1/4 of a circle shape.

6. Glue hat into a cone shape using Perma Tac Adhesive, cut off the tip and use a 3/8" Adhesive Square to hold the silver bead in place. Use hot glue to wrap a piece of silver pipecleaner around the base of the bead.
7. Make a nose from Paper Clay and allow to dry or put in oven then make an indent into the snowman's face for the nose and hot glue in place. Hot glue the hat onto the head and trim with silver tinsel to hide cut edges.
8. Paint nose and apply clear glitter. Use lipstick or paint or chalk to make cheeks on snowman face.

9. Add jingle bells to tummy by inserting a piece of pipecleaner into the bell, gluing the end into the snowman with hot glue then wrapping the pipecleaner around the bell.

10. Add embellishments to hat, add mini black brads for eyes and paint on a smile with black paint. Paint entire snowman with a liquid adhesive then apply Mica Flakes and allow to dry. Once you add those Mica Flakes the balls don't look like sytrofoam anymore! After the adhesive is completely dry, you can rub of some of the excess Mica with your hands.

11. Cut three 2x12" strips from patterned paper, paint the edges with white paint by using a straight edge (I used a scrap piece of paper), allow to dry then apply Perma Tac Adhesive along the white painted strip.

12. Apply clear glitter to the strips along the adhesive then accordion fold each piece. Adhere the ends of the paper strips together.

13. Adhere the accordion folded piece to the top of the box as shown using hot glue then adhere the snowman to the top of the accordion folded piece.

14. Insert twigs into body for arms and add Snow-Tex paste to twigs, top of hat, etc. as desired.

So tell us....how have you enjoyed this week? Have you visited the Graphic 45 blog as well? The inspiration is just everywhere around us all this week!! Graphic 45 has a truly talented group of designers all sharing projects there for you this week!!

And speaking of inspiring....we've got some more projects from our Guest Designer Candy Rosenberg to share with you today!!! Candy's work is so unique....be sure to click on the images if you would like to see the details of her projects.

 Life is Good Layout

Guest Designer:  Candy Rosenberg

 Notes Altered Album

Guest Designer: Candy Rosenberg

Be sure to visit us tomorrow to see one of our favorite projects of Candy's! We're sure you'll love it as well!

Just a reminder....take a moment today to leave us a comment! For doing so we'll enter you to win Graphic 45's beautiful  Christmas Traditions 12 by 12 Paper Pad along with a Glue Glider Pro, a refill of YOUR choice and our Extreme Adhesive Squares (which no crafter should be without!!) Sound good? Be sure to visit Graphic 45's blog. for more chances for you to win!

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See you tomorrow!! And remember when you need it to stick....chose Glue Arts!