Email Sign Up




You may copy the project in its entirety acknowledging DCC as the copyright owner. No excerpts allowed. Chris Thornton's website directly at Chris Thornton Designs.

Click on the picture to view a detailed high resolution picture
Christmas Card Fun
by Chris Thornton

Card making is quite the rage right now. Let Decorator & Craft Corporation's fun pieces help you create the cards everyone will be glad to receive.

Surface
23-1686 Acrylic Mirror Snowman
23-1682
Acrylic Mirror 4" Heart
24-7213 Rusty Tin-Tiques 2 per wire snowman 2-3/16" Heart
24-7225 Rusty Tin-Tiques 2 per wire tree 2-1/2" Star
24-7751 Tin-Tiques Twisted Wire 22 gauge snowman 13" and tree 15"
46-3642-063
Jewel Tone Beads 10mm round Malachite 1 per snowman
46-3645-063 Jewel Tone Beads 6x13 tube Malachite 1 per tree
46-3645-008 Jewel Tone Beads 6x13 tube Ruby 1 per snowman and 2 per tree
46-3643-063 Jewel Tone Beads 16mm round Malachite 2 per snowman and 1 per tree
46-3643-008 Jewel Tone Beads 16mm round Ruby 1 per snowman
Medal Antique Gold 5X7mm #3266 AG 6 per snowman and 2 per tree
Brown paper corrugated greeting card 5" x 7"
Dark Green greeting card 6" x 8-1/2"
Red card stock 1 sheet per two wired snowmen cards
Dark Red card stock 1 sheet per two wired tree cards
Printed green and white paper 1 sheet per two wired snowmen cards

Delta Ceramcoat Acrylics
www.deltacrafts.com

2505 White 7005 All-Purpose Sealer  

Brushes
Royal and Langnickle
www.royalbrush.com
Aqualon
Series 2585 liner #0
Series 2550 shader #12

Miscellaneous Supplies
Water container
Tracing paper
Palette paper
Scissors
Stylus
Transparent tape
Deckle edged scissors
Sobo Glue
Needle nosed pliers
Wire Cutters

Preparation for the Tin-Tiques
* Lightly sand any bubbled rust off the Rusty Tin-Tiques using a fine sandpaper.
* Using the #12 shader apply an even coat of All-Purpose Sealer. This will keep the rust from getting on your hands.

Transferring PATTERN 1, PATTERN 2:
* Lay tracing paper over the pattern and trace all lines except those used to denote shadows. The shadow lines are generally short straight lines and several of them. Main lines are where there are color changes. Detail lines are facial features, patterns on fabric, and etc. Lay the tracing over the surface and tape at the top and on one side. Slide the graphite paper between the tracing and the surface; draw over the main lines only. Do not add the detail lines these will be applied after the basecoating is done. Apply the patterns to the paper and the heart.

Assembling Instructions
Cut all of the paper pieces with the deckle edged scissors. Glue these pieces to the card.

Painting Instructions
* Using the #0 brush paint the Noel in White on the Rusty Tin-Tiques Heart. Tip: To do liner-work thin your color with water to the consistency of heavy cream. Load the brush in the thinned color. As you pull it through the paint roll it so that you keep a nice sharp point.

Snowman and Tree Instructions
Cut a 13" piece of wire for the snowman and a 15" for the tree. Start in the curl on the top of the snowman’s hat. Make the curl and add appropriate beads then bend according to pattern. Add the body beads when needed. Leave a tall to go down behind the heart for gluing.

* Tip: the wire can be laid right on the pattern and bent accordingly. Repeat this process for the wired tree starting in the center as before.

To Finish
* Glue the wired snowman and hearts in place on the corrugated brown paper card. Glue the wired tree and the snowman in place on the dark green card. I set a book on this until it was dry. Paint all of the lines for the snowflakes in White using the #0 liner. Use a toothpick to do the dots at the ends of the snowflakes in the same color. Spatter both cards and envelopes with White. Tip: to spatter thin the paint with water to the consistency of heavy cream. Dip a stiff brush in the color. (Fan Brush, old toothbrush or commercial spattering brush). Drag a sharp object through the bristles starting from the front and pulling back creating specks. Often called flyspecking.

 

 

 

Chris Thornton
www.christhorntondesigns.com
Copyright © 2003 DCC All rights reserved.