Book Paper Ornaments: Bows & Pinwheels

I've been inspired by all the book paper ornaments on Pinterest, so I decided to take a crack at some my own.

The easiest is this cute little bow:

But my favorite so far are these "pinwheel" designs:

 (Not an actual pinwheel, I know. Sorry.)

 I also made a simple paper tube tree topper:

And I'm currently working on this snowflake design:

I also have a super fun and funky paper garland in the works - not the ruffle one you've probably seen already, but a new design I've been fiddling with.


Ok. So. Tutorials. Keep scrolling for how-to's on the bows and pinwheels!


Once you have a template for the bows they're super quick to make.

To make that template, cut a strip of paper a little taller than you want your finished bow to be, then overlap the ends to make a tube:

Squash it flat:

 ...and cut a center dip into either end, like so:

 Try to keep the sides even, but don't worry if they're not perfect; we'll fix that in a sec.

With both sides done, you should have a flattened little bow:

Now peel off the tape and smooth out your template. You'll find it looks a lot like a pair of goggles:

Fold the goggles at the nose piece to check your symmetry; make any necessary trimmings. 

Once everything is even, use your new template to trace as many bows as you like!

All taped together:

 Finish your bows off with small strips of paper for the center knot, taped in the back. (I find a blank strip from the margins contrasts nicely for the center, but that's your call.) You could also cut little tails!

 

These would be cute on their own, or you can add them to smaller ornaments like I did (the bronze bells are $3 for a pack of 5 at Target), or put them on wreaths, garlands, gifts, etc.

Next, my sparkly favorites:

These take a little patience, but they pack a big punch design-wise. Plus there are SO many fun things you can glue in the center!

To begin, rip out your book pages and trim off the rough inner edge.

Now's the time to add a gold paint stripe, if you like. (It adds sparkle.) I used liquid leaf with a Q-tip because I wanted a rough line (to look more handmade), but you could also use a brush or gold paint pen.

Accordion fold your page, and then fold it up so the outer edges meet:

Use a small piece of clear tape to connect the two edges - but don't overlap them. Instead, tape the two together in a V shape, so the tape bridges the gap. (Hope that makes sense!)

Now you'll have a half-circle fan. If you like, you can make a much fuller ornament by taping two of these fans together, like so:

For my design, though, you'll need to carefully pull the opposite ends together and tape them the same way you did the top:


This is tricky, because that's a tight stretch on your paper - it's going to want to rip at your crease points. Just take your time and kind of massage the paper into shape. (It also helps to tape your edges just below the outer edge, as you can see I did.)

Once your pinwheel is taped, the real fun begins: DECORATING.

I cut circles from two kinds of cardstock (one glittery, one textured like silk) and topped those with Alphabet stickers and wooden button embellishments from the scrapbooking aisle. A little glob of E-6000 keeps it all in place nicely.

Oh, and to hang them I used my Crop-A-Dile to add small metal eyelets at the top edge. It helps reinforce the seam and gives it a more polished look:

I had to add an additional ring so the fancy hooks would hang right, but I think the finished product is worth the effort. Plus these are fairly large on my little 6 foot tree, so I only needed 8 or 10 total. (I originally planned to hang a small gold tassel off the bottom edge, but that'd be way too big for my tree!

The pinwheels are surprisingly sturdy, btw, so don't let the fact that they're paper scare you off. I've knocked them around quite a bit, and it takes actual effort to rip or dent them.

K, guys, that's all for now! I'll leave you with a quick daytime snapshot of my back tree:

 I don't think there's any room left for my paper garland! Huh. Guess we're gonna need a bigger tree. 

;)

So how'd your weekend's crafty exploits go, guys? Please share pics over on the Epbot FB page; nothing cheers my geeky little heart more than seeing other people's holiday crafts & decorations!

*****

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Easy DIY Tree & Wreath Flocking Redux

Two years ago I did a tutorial on DIY tree flocking, which was so ridiculously easy (and has proven to be so incredibly durable) that I've decided to revisit it - this time with a little mini-tree I wanted to spruce up.

I know flocking an entire tree can be a little intimidating, so maybe a smaller project like this will help more of you get your feet wet. Or snowy. Or... spackle-y.

So. Here's my $5 mini tree:

... plus a glimpse into how I do all my crafts: with those big blue eyes... just... STARING.
(She's watching me. Aaaaalwaaaays waaatching.)

The only materials you'll need for the flocking (in addition to the thing you're going to flock) are:

- Lightweight spackling (available at any hardware store or even Wal-Mart, I believe)
- a chip brush or stiff paint/artist's brush

Dump a scoop of spackling into an old bowl (it'll wash out later with water, no worries), and then add a little water. Mix it up until you get a thin icing consistency:

It even looks like icing, right? Makes me want to start piping some out on cardboard gingerbread houses... hmm.... and then add some puff paint borders...

Oh. Right. Better finish this project first, huh?

Ok, now just dip your chip brush into the spackle snow mixture, and start pouncing it on to your branches, like so:

 I find it helps to hang on to the tip of the branch, to keep it from bouncing all over the place.

If you only want a light dusting of "snow," then brush instead of pounce - that will leave smaller clingy bits, like on this top branch here:

I prefer larger clumps, though, like on the lower branch. That looks more like packed sections of wetter snow to me. To get that look, just keep pouncing on larger amounts of spackle. It will clump & melt together to give it that nice wet look:

If your "snow" starts looking too clumpy or crumbly, just add a little more water to your mixture.

Oh, and while it's wet you can sprinkle on some clear glitter for added sparkle. I didn't do that this time because it makes one heckuva mess, but it was a fun touch for my big streampunk tree.

Rest assured your flocking will dry rock hard and last for years without crumbling or cracking. (The only thing you'll want to avoid is soaking it with water, which might make it dissolve.)

Here's the finished tree:

 I find the flocking makes it look like a much more expensive tree - and the same goes for wreaths!

And here it is all decorated on our bedroom dresser:

(Target sells those tree toppers for $1. SCORE.)

Since I still haven't found the right plant for our dresser, I think this will do nicely 'til January. :)

This really is the cheapest & easiest Christmas DIY I've ever found, so I hope you guys will give it a try! Odds are most of you already have some lightweight spackle in the garage, and if so, it's FREE. Can't beat that! Plus you'll find a little spackling goes a long way; I still had this much left over with mine:

Happy flocking, guys!

And for my fellow pinners:

*****

Come see ALL of my craft projects on one page, right here!