How to Make a Diorama Valentine's Card

These are really neat. I don't think the photo gives them justice. It's hard to show you the 3-D look of these.

They are mini diorama valentine scenes that fold up as a card. Once you get the hang of them they are very easy to make and your kids will love to try one. Please click on any picture to see larger.

Materials Required:

- 3 pieces of heavy paper (I used watercolor paper) measuring 10x6.5", 9x4.5" and

one little scrap piece

- a lighter piece of paper measuring 17.5 x 7" ( I used a paper bag )

- piece of colored cardstock

- glue stick

- scissors

- paint, pencil crayons, or markers

- glitter glue

click on to see larger

Take your 10 x 6.5 piece of paper. This is your background. Sketch out a quick landscape. I was trying to make something a bit whimsical.

Add color with whatever medium you wish. I'm using watercolor.

Now take your 9x4.5" piece of paper, this is your middle ground. Draw your focal image, you want to create a center image which then has long narrow arms to it on either side, add some color.

Cut the image out, keep those arms that go the full length of the paper.

Fold in half and place aside.

Take your background and fold it in half.

You now are going to glue your middle piece to your background. Only apply glue to the ends of your arms from your middle piece.

Your middle piece is 1 inch shorter than your background but you need to match up the ends. By putting the folds in you are able to get the ends to meet.

It will look like this from above. Please note that on this picture my ends shifted and they don't match up to my background. They should match up.

Take your scrap piece of paper and draw a few elements that will be in your foreground.

Add color.

Add some glitter if you want.

Cut out. Notice that my details are very narrow that is so they don't overwhelm my focal image in the middle section.

Take your long piece of paper and place some folds in the following places. Click on the picture to see larger.

Using the 6" section fold in 1/2.

Cut a heart shape out. This is the front of your diorama card.

Take that heart that you cut out of your paper and use it to trace onto your colored piece of cardstock.

Draw a heart about 1/2 inch larger around the traced image. Fold this paper in half.

Cut the inner heart shape out and then cut the larger shaped heart out. You will have a heart shaped frame.

Using the glue stick, glue this frame onto the heart cut out on your long piece of paper.

Turn this paper over. You can glue your foreground bits on at this time. You can also tape them if needed as you won't be able to see the tape in the final piece.

Glue your background/middle ground into place on the two 5" sections of your long piece of paper. Try to match up folds. Your long piece of paper will be 1 inch larger than your other pieces...try to center it the best you can.

You can also add embellishments to your foreground if needed. It sometimes easier to cut pieces out seperately and then glue on to the middle ground......you might also find you need to add some elements as you start to put the card together.

The card should fold up together. Your heart framed piece will fold up inside.

Take the little flap (1/2")and glue it down to the back of the card so it is all sealed.

When you open up the card you will have to just push the middle ground away from the background a bit for the fist few times. When you look down into the card it should look something like this.

These cards are very charming and you can come up with lots of different scenes.

Give it a try.




See you next time. I'm trying to do the Virtual sketch Date this month as I have been too busy the last 2 months so hopefully (fingers crossed) I can post my painting tomorrow by the deadline.

later

gail

How to Make an Angel Clothesline

Sorry it's been awhile but tomorrow is the BIG Craft day at school and I've been a little busy with prep.

Last year one of the crafts we did was this Santa clothesline. I had seen this in the Family Fun magazine about 5 years ago. It is still on the website here, but there are no templates. You can use mine if you want.

This year we are doing an Angel clothesline. Complete with Halo, cloud, songbook or Bible, wings, and gown. In these pictures I have a bell for an instrument but I couldn't find a source for 120 of them so in this tutorial we are making a harp.





























Christmas Craft #5 Angel Clothesline






Materials Required:

click on picture to see larger

I usually find my mini clothespins at the dollar store. I can get 45 for $1.00.

You can use my template or make your own.

TEMPLATE






Using template trace out pattern pieces onto the felt. I used a light blue for the cloud. I always use a sharpie when tracing. When I go to cut the piece out I cut just inside the line leaving most of the black behind.






Cut out your shapes.




Using your colored paper cut out your harp piece and the little framed "Home Sweet Home". It is made up of two little rectangles, one a bit smaller than the other and just glued on top.





Add some detail to these pieces with markers.





Add some glitter, sequins, and beads to embellish your clothesline pieces.





Glue on your "Home Sweet Home" picture to the cloud.



Make a halo from a pipe cleaner. Cut your pipe cleaner to about 3 inches long or 1/3rd of the full stem and make a circle twisting in the ends.



For the song book take a little bit of sheet music, there is a lot you can download on line, and cut it to about 1 inch by 3 inches. Cut a cover for the song book from some colored paper. It should be the same size.

For a Bible you can print off some verses. For school we will have both.





Fold both pieces in half and fit together. Staple in the center of this fold.




Using a fine pen put on a title and a few notes if it is a song book. When your glitter and glue has dried on your pieces cut a piece of string about 30 inches or so. Make a loop on either end and using your clothespins hang up your angel laundry!

That's it for this one.

I will be trying to post a few more crafts tonight. This way I can just print off the tutorials from the blog for all my Mom volunteers to follow tomorrow. See I knew this blog was good for something!

see you soon

gail

How to Make Mini Christmas Trees

For the last two years I have organized a Christmas Craft Day at the school. The kids have a chance to rotate thru craft stations and make a bunch of crafts to take home. This year I have 6 classes participating (grades 1-3) around 120 kids. I have a team of volunteers who help run the stations but I need to come up with the crafts and test them out. This year we are doing 12 crafts. I plan on posting them all and maybe throwing in some of last year's as well.

Here is Craft #1 Mini Christmas Trees. They are approximately 5 inches tall and very easy to make.

Materials Required:

1 toilet paper roll

green felt ( I used 3 different shades)

tacky glue

scissors

felt pen

small (5mm) beads and/or pompoms, stars or sequins

green paint or marker (optional)

You need to print out 2 templates

Template 1

Template 2

The first step is optional. My husband pointed out that you really don't see the toilet paper roll so you don't need to paint it.

I painted mine so I'm leaving this step in.....I don't think the kids at school will be doing this step but you can choose for yourself.

Paint toilet paper roll or color in with green marker. Let dry.

Using the printed out templates, trace onto felt. If you are using different colors decide where you want them to go.

You need:

1 XL

1 L

2 M

2 S

and 2 XS

Cut out your circles. I find that when I use a marker to trace with I try to cut just inside that line. This way there is no black marks on the felt.

Cut out 1 top piece as well.

You now need to cut an x in the middle of each circle. Easiest way to do this is to fold circle in 1/2 and then in 1/2 again, make a cut and then repeat going the other way.

For the large circles make your x cut about 1 1/2 inches long. As you work up to the smaller circles the cuts get a bit smaller. Felt has a bit of stretch to it and you can also clip it a little larger if needed.

When you open it up it should look like this.

Repeat for all circles.

Take your top piece and place a little tacky glue on the bottom corner of one end.

Curl the other end around and glue together. It should look like a little hat.

Let dry.

Take your toilet paper roll and flatten it slightly on one end. Using you scissors cut the side from about 1 inch above the bottom to a point at the top. Do this on both sides and try to get them equal.

Place a little glue at the point and glue the two points together.

You can use a clothespin to hold it together while drying.

When dry try to round out the roll again so the sides are so squished. You want the bottom to be in its original shape so it will stand up.

Take your felt circles and start pushing them down onto the toilet roll.

You don't need to glue them in place in fact it's better if you don't. That way you can position your tree branches just so.

Place all the circles on. Smooth the circles down a bit so it forms a sloping tree shape.

It should look something like this.

Put some glue in the top cap and place on the point. You may have to hold into place for a while or use that clothespin.

Now you can decorate. I kept mine fairly simple as that is what the kids will be doing. I used some 5mm pony beads which kinda of look like lights, some pompoms, and a star at the top.

I experimented a bit with a garland but found it a little fussy for the kids. You could use some glitter glue or sequins.

There you have it. A mini Christmas tree that stands on its own using simple supplies.

You can even make mini presents to go underneath.

give it a try and I'll see you next time with another Christmas craft.

gail