OH the SPARK-ling Possibilities... with Rinea® and Designer Crafts Connection

Greetings everyone! Today the Designer Crafts Connection is creating with the beautiful, SPARK-ling Rinea® Double-sided Paper Foil... are you ready to SPARK your creativity?! Where I live, summer has arrived and I'm getting a jumpstart for family picnics and BBQ's. 

If you are not quite ready to think about 4th of July, tempt your cre8time muse checkout these cute Easter Baskets using Rinea®... and for the fashionistas folded Rinea® bangles.

For this challenge, the maker of Rinea® has provided each of the Designer Craft Connection designers with product to use for creating. When you are done visiting here, be sure to pop over to the beginning of the hop HERE to see more inspiration using Rinea® Double-sided Paper Foil!!!

The star embossed pattern into the Rinea® foil is so lovely.

 

Rinea® Double-sided Paper Foil is a specialty craft paper imported from Germany. It is made up of a thin sheet of paper sandwiched between two layers of thin aluminum foil - the paper gives it sturdiness and stiffness while the foil gives it the shininess and the malleability to maintain the shape however you bend or fold it. It is more than just origami paper due to the specific thickness and the quality of the foil used, making it ideal for many interesting crafting ideas. The paper does not wrinkle like foil and does not cause painful cuts like thick sharp foil can. 

The paper is as popular in Germany and parts of Europe as construction paper is in the US. In Germany it is known as Alu-Bastlefolie which means Aluminum Handicraft Foil Paper. It is very difficult to find this paper in the US and those that want it have to import it from Germany. Our goal is to introduce you to unique and interesting crafting ideas popular in other parts of the world made possible only using this paper and, at the same time, make it easily available in the U.S. The paper comes in many interesting colors with shiny, matte, and embossed surfaces giving you lots of options to play with and combine.

This wonderful SPARK-ling Rinea® paper makes dimensional ornaments and whimsies from folded paper OH-so much better! Rinea® Double-sided Paper Foil solves this issue while providing a metallic {solid or textured} finish in a variety of colors that lends itself to folding and holds it's shape. For my project I have used the Magic Star/Frisbee origami pattern found in "The Origami Handbook" by Rick Beech.

I take the time to always make a sample out of scrap paper first to test the process, sizing and to figure out the final segment assembly.

First I begin by cutting all of my squares needed.

These stars are will be so wonderful made

from red, silver and blue Rinea® foil!

Following the steps from the book,

I begin folding all cut squares in half.

I follow along the steps and complete folds for each color. This pattern calls for 8 squares that are folded down to a parallelogram, then nested together and linked into final shape. The royal blue star is completed and assembled.... using NO GLUE!

Did I mention it has a fun twist... it's kinetic!

When pieced together, this is not only a star... it is a spinner.

You can open the star into an open octagon.

The star shape closed.

When you slide the points pushing outward,

the shape changes to this open octagon.

When complete you not only have a fabulous patriotic star coasters... they make a fun party favors too!

This is a fun project that can be sized up or down depending on the use. These can be smaller and strung on string to make a garland, or larger and attached to dowel rods for yard decor. This is a great project for the kids too!

What festive party decor

will you create with Rinea®?

CLICK HERE to jump over to the beginning of the Rinea® Double-Sided Paper Foil Bloghop at the Designer Crafts Connection blog and find more SPARK-ling inspiration and projects using this gorgeous foil paper!

You can find more info on Rinea® Foils

at their website www.rinea.com

Find lots of creative inspiration on the Rinea® Foil BLOG

Thanks so much for visiting!  Sb :)

** This is a sponsored post. Rinea has provided products for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.

Tie up Your Cre8time with a BOW... DecoFun™ Bow Maker Challenge with Designer Crafts Connection

Hello friends! Today I am part of a special bloghop with the Designer Crafts Connection as we explore all the fun ways to decorate with ribbons and BOWs. Today's challenge is taking us over the pond with DecoFun™ Bow Maker - the original British bowmaker. Learn in minutes... fun for a lifetime!

I don't know about you, but I use bows on just about anything and everything... cards, gift boxes or baskets, wreaths - you name it! Bows are the finishing touch and how wonderful is it to have a tool to make bows quick and easy out of any color or size ribbon to match ANY occasion. I love making my paper ornaments, so today I'm going to share how I complete one of my handmade creations and get a jumpstart on my handmade holiday giftwrapping too!

No more fussing about trying to tie a perfect bow... the DecoFun™ Bow Maker makes bowmaking so easy... and FUN! This easy bow making tool is better than a bow-making machine and I figured out that I can also use it to make tassels, too. I was provided with the DecoFun™ Bow Maker Basic Kit and an assortment of six lovely ribbons to make bows with.

I started by finishing a folded paper ornament that I started a while back. I followed a pattern from "The Origami Handbook" by Rick Beech. When I made the smaller version I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this style. I want to make an oversize version where I can dangle a vintage ornament inside. This is made from 12 folded segments  a metallic green cardstock and NO-GLUE. 

With the base shape complete and ornament installed from center with a thin piece of wire fed down from top... I'm ready to start embellishing!

I start winding the 1 1/2" red/white stripe wired ribbon around the DecoFun™ Bow Maker. Visit the DecoFun™ Bow Maker YouTube Channel for ideas.

Wrap ribbon through the prongs following the simple directions in sort of a figure 8 fashion until I use all of the ribbon on spool. Just three steps and you are done!

I use a provided silver twist tie wire to wrap around center and secure. There is even a little recessed area in the center where you can slide it right underneath the ribbon. Remove ribbon bundle from tool.

I set this aside to make another layer with other colors.

I layered two ribbons into the DecoFun™ Bow Maker -- a 5/8" sparkle green satin layered upon a 1 1/2" red wired satin ribbon. Then I gently opened up the prior ribbon bundle and layered it at the back and twisted them altogether. I trimmed the loose ends and pulled all the sections apart to form a puffy bow. I will fluff it more when I place it atop of my ornament.

Now to make the tassel! I remove the supports and move out the prongs to the match the desired length of my tassel. I just eyeball how long I think the tassel should be in relation to the size/scale of my ornament.

I wrapped the thread around and around the prongs, using the entire skein. Before removing, I fed a reserved strand to tie off a hanger at the top of the tassel and added a few coordinating beads from my stash.

To complete the tassel, I took another reserved thread to tie off the "puff" on the top of my tassel. I wrap the thread around both sides of the wrapped thread about 1/2" from the side I tied the beaded hanger. I tied a tight knot, then wrapped thread around several times, then tied knot. I gently slid the thread off the prongs and trimmed the bottom. After straightening all threads and giving a little trim my tassel is complete!

I fed the thread of the tassel up through a tiny hole made in the bottom point of the ornament, secured within the folds with a small piece of tape.  

The finishing touch is to tie the bow on top with the wire I attached to suspend the vintage ornament, then give a final fluffing. WOW!!! Because of the large size of this ornament and I don't want to disturb my beautiful bow, I'm using clear fishing line suspended through the middle of the ornament so that it hangs level.

A diamond full of holiday cheer!

What a statement piece this is!! I have a corner in my living room where I can hang a cluster of these, I'll just need to install a few ceiling hooks when the holidays arrive. Even paired with another lantern from a sheet of folded 12x12 patterned cardstock looks so lovely... and the puffy bow on top makes complete.

CLICK HERE to pop on over to Designer Crafts Connection for more ideas and inspiration using the DecoFun™ Bow Maker... fun for any and all occasions!

 +++++++

Thanks for dropping by and I would love to hear how you embellish with ribbons and bows! :) Sb

** This is a sponsored post. The Ribbon Place has provided the DecoFun Bow Maker and ribbons for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.

Framing Up a Special Friend... #Cre8time Memory Keeping with Deflecto Craft Frames

Greetings Friends! Springtime is finally here - though here in South Florida we're already feeling the summer heat. Today I am sharing a special commemorative gift that I made using one of the beveled edge craft frames from Deflecto. 

About a week ago we heard that my brother in law's dog had gone to the big dog park above. Rusty was more than just his dog... he was the family dog - a gorgeous golden retriever with a heart of gold. We have a family dinner this weekend so I want to bring a special gift for my brother in law framed in one of my Deflecto Craft frames. I have several photographs of Rusty that I had taken back in 2009 for use in one of my "Wreck this Journal" projects. He was such a good sport in partnering to help me with some creative madness.

For more information on the Deflecto line of products,

please visit: http://www.deflecto.com/craft/

This month the Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team is sharing a variety of creative and seasonal uses for Deflecto Craft products so you'll want to CLICK HERE to jump over to the Deflecto Craft Facebook Page or Deflecto on Pinterest to see more of the teams creations.

For this special commemorative gift I used the 5"x7" Deflecto Beveled Edge Frame Item #799593CR. A premium clear acrylic frame featuring a beveled edge with metal knobs that unscrew easily to be used vertically or horizontally. The edge has a tint of green so that it looks like real glass and photo/signage floats securely between two plastic panels. It's modern, sleek and will blend perfectly with any home decor. 

First thing I needed to do was select a photo then do a little creative photo editing in Photoshop. I cropped my photo to 6 1/2" x 8 1/2", the same size as the frame edge to edge and printed it out on my color laser printer {I could also take it on a disk to the drug store photo lab to get it printed}.

I mounted my print to a sheet of black cardstock for the backside and trimmed to the fit the frame. I needed to use a hole punch to punch holes where the screws secure the photo between the two plexiglass panels.

Now I need a custom piece to finish it all off. For this I got out a little metal dog tag that I have in my stash of items to mold. I mold this using Amazing Mold Putty to make a custom embellishment for my framed photo with Rusty's name. This is a two-part molding putty that is quick and easy to use and cures in about 15 minutes.

Now to prepare for a bit of resin. I brushed the mold with Alumilite Bronze and Silver Metallic Powders to add color that will adhere to the poured resin.

I prepare a small batch of Amazing Casting Resin - a 2 part resin that cures an opaque white that cures in about 10 minutes. It's lightweight and perfect for making embellishments in a jiffy. I added no dyes - the grey color is from the metallic powders swimming around during the curing process... a little happy magic that happens in small castings.

When cured I remove the tag. I'm really happy with the metallic sheen from the metallic powders. I punch the hole through and gently sand the edges on the back. I use some metal stamp letters to hammer "RUSTY" into the tag. I finish off with a silver brad and tie onto the frame with some black fibers. I was going to hang the tag from a section of a dog collar I picked up at the Dollar Tree - but it was a little out of sorts with the simple design of the frame. I want our special friend to be the focal point.

Remembering Rusty...

This one of a kind special gift turned out amazing and my BIL really loves it. I'm glad I made a mold of the tag - I'm pretty sure I'll be making a few more of these for other family members too. Rusty was a traveling dog and he never missed a family gathering.

How would you memory keep with Deflecto Craft Frames?

Thanks for visiting! Please join me each month when the Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team will has a new Deflecto product challenge to debut.  :) Sb

For more information on the Deflecto line of products,

please visit: http://www.deflecto.com/craft/

April Showers Bring #Handmade Paper FLOWERS

Hello Everyone! Another month is speeding along and the first Monday of April started another Designer Crafts Connection Bloghop... this month we bring you a floral fantasy! Our creatives are sharing projects and techniques with "Handmade Flowers" to inspire you for the Spring  and Summer seasons ahead.

What to do with that lone leftover piece of tissue... make flowers??! Can you believe these flowers are tissue paper??? Really - that's it! All you need is a sheet of tissue paper folded over several times, a circular or scallop paper punch, a pushpin and a brad. It's super easy and customizable to any colors you desire!

You punch 15-20 circles {I used a 1 1/2" scalloped circle punch and this punch with three mini blossoms} then layer them all together. You want to make sure your punch is sharp (or the tissue will just tear}. You can certainly do this with steelrule or thinlet dies too.

My selected punches haven't been used in a while and were a bit oxidized, so I had to prime them by punching though some aluminum foil. **A BONUS... THIS GIVES YOU A WHOLE SET OF METAL BLOOMS! **

Layer a stack of 15-20 punched pieces {less if thicker paper or foil}, and punch a hole in the center using a pushpin or paper piercer {or a small hole punch}, and affix with brad.

I used a pushpin to poke a hole in the center of my blooms.

After poking hole through stack, I poked a mini brad through the center and opened the wings to secure. Depending on how large the shape of the circle, the brad need not matter because after you scrunch up each layer of tissue towards the center, you won't see it anyway.

The flowers look pretty enough like this... but I'm going for some eye-popping 3D blooms here! Now it's time for the fun stuff - the fluffing! 

All the work is in the scrunching... to fuss about with the petals to make them just so. I find myself obsessing a bit at this point - LOL! These can be finished off with some paper cut into leaf shapes, or added directly to a frame or shadowbox project. 

These were so fun and easy to make - I made all of these in under an hour. These are so lovely - not even chalked or inked; and the more mushed up... the better! Grunged up with a little creamy brown chalk ink or dry-brushed with white they would be perfectly shabby chic. Embellished with some ink, glitter or shimmer spritz... oh the possibilities!

"Fanciful Flowers"

Thanks so much for visiting! Continue on the Designer Crafts Connection "Handmade Flowers" Bloghop by selecting hop back/forward on the logo below to enjoy all of the wonderful inspiration. Happy Creating! Sb :)

Designer Craft Connection

[ Hop back ] [ Hop forward ]