Button Snowflake

This snowflake used either as an ornament or a tree topper is a great way to display all those white and translucent white buttons your mother or grandmother left you in their button jar.   With these special buttons the snowflakes would be a great way to share a treasured memory with your close relatives.   

This would also be a great inexpensive “bulk craft” for a church children’s group or a school classroom art projects.  To keep the project to one session, pre-glue and paint the snowflake. Then allow the kids to decorate their snowflakes with buttons, trim and markers.

Materials

• Popsicle sticks (4 per snowflake)
• White & translucent white buttons (assorted sizes)
• Large decorative white buttons (for the center)
• Lace & trims
• DecoArt Snowflake White acrylic paint
• White Glamour Dust Ultra-Fine Glitter paint (optional)
• Green chenille stems
• Clothespins (optional)
• Clear fishing line (optional)

Also Needed

• Craft glue
• Glue gun
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Glue four Popsicle sticks together in a “snowflake” pattern then allow the glue to dry.
2. Give the snowflake two coats of white paint and allow the paint to dry between coats.
   1. Spray paint the sticks white before gluing them together if you are mass producing the snowflakes.
3. Flip and repeat.
4. For a nice shimmery finish on the snowflakes apply one or two coats of white ultra-fine glitter paint to the front of the snowflake.  Allow paint to dry.
5. Glue lace to the snowflake for a more Victorian effect.
6. If needed cut the shanks off buttons with wire cutters.
7. Lay out your buttons on the snowflake.  Graduate the sizes of the buttons starting with the larger ones in the center.  Use the smallest buttons on the ends of the snowflake.  Choose a large decorative button for the center.
8. Glue the buttons down and allow the glue to dry.
9. Attach a hanger to the snowflake.
   1. Glue a green chenille stem to the back of the snowflake (center).  If your tree is not green use a stem of a matching color.
   2. Mount your snowflakes on clothespins so they will clip to the branches.  Paint the clothespins green first so they will blend into the tree.
   3. To hang your snowflakes suspended in a window tie a long strand of clear fishing line to the top of the snowflake.
10. You are then ready to display your snowflake.

Continuing with my new fav craft, punch art, I will be posting some of my spring punch art.  I can’t say this duck is an original idea, in fact I looked extensively on-line before I started my project, but it combines the best of all of the great ideas I found and added a few unique touches of my own!

I like this craft because it gives you so much more range of die cuts than simply using your punches alone.

My ducky used a lot of different punches so you probably won’t have all of them – the challenge with punch art is to make the project with the punches you have on-hand.  So let me know what you used to create your masterpiece!

Punches Used

• 2 inch circle punch (body)
• 1 inch oval punch (remove piece from body)
• 1.5 inch circle punch (head)
• 1 inch daisy punch (feathers)
• 1 inch folk heart punch (beak & feet)
• 1 inch cloud punch (wing)
• Regular circle punch (eye)
• Zig-zag chain punch (water)
• Small circle punches:  ½, 1, 1.5 & 1¾ inch (bubbles)

Paper Used

• Yellow cardstock
• Orange cardstock
• Light blue cardstock
• Black cardstock

Also Needed

• Glue stick
• Scissors
• White paint
• Small piece of natural sponge

Instructions

To start off with you will need two graduated circle punches.  As long as you have a “large” circle punch and another that is about one half an inch smaller you can make a ducky “easy-peasy”.  Lots of punches other than the cloud can be used to make the wing; a small heart leaps to mind.  A tiny heart can also be used to make the beak and feet.  Cute duck feet can also be made from a small flower punch.

1. Sponge paint the blue cardstock with the white paint and sponge to create a lacey effect for the bubbles.
2. Punch all shapes needed.  You will also need one additional punch of each shape punched from black to create a 3D effect.
3. Glue black punches on each colored shape.
4. Remove unneeded portions of the punches.  Use a small oval punch to remove a piece of the duck’s back.  I don’t have one the size I needed so I grabbed my Stampin Up bird punch and used the wing to make the “divot”.
5. Glue punches together.
6. Layout your scrapbook page or homemade card and enjoy!

Punch Art Leprechaun

I love the punch art leprechauns I have ogled lately on the web but I don’t have the correct punches to pull it together.  So I set out to see if I could make one with the punches I had on hand.  And I succeed fairly well I think!   A little re-cutting of the punches, something I just recently “discovered”, was required but overall the project fell easily into place.

Materials

• 2 inch peach circle
• 1 ½ inch peach heart
• 1 ¾ inch black square
• 1 ¾  inch green square
• 2 ½ inch green square
• ½ inch black circle x 2
• ½ inch peach circle
• 2 inch rusty brown scalloped cameo x 2
• 2 inch rusty brown mustache
• 1 inch Stampin Up bird punch wing x 2
• 1 inch gold square
• ½ inch black square

Also Needed

• White paint pen or white paint (apply with a toothpick)
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Corner rounder

Thanks for taking a peek. I hope you enjoy this tutorial.   I would LOVE to hear from you! . . . . . . . buggalcrafts

Photo Tutorial

Valentine Card Die Cuts

I’ve been fooling around working with my punches lately – learning what uses they can be put to other than punching say a heart from cardstock.  So with Valentine’s Day coming up my thoughts went to sending a Valentine card!

Materials

• Square punch
• Heart punch
• White cardstock
• Black cardstock
• Red cardstock

Also Needed

• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Black marker
• Ruler/straight edge
• Mini stamps
• Ink pad

Photo Tutorial

Thanks for taking a look.  As always I ask for a comment and look forward to responding!

Mini Sheep From a Cloud Punch?

My last post was making a sheep from an oval scallop punch but my first try was with a Fiskars’ large cloud punch. I never was really happy with it but I’ve kept tinkering with it and I think I have it right!

Thanks for taking a look.  I’d love it if you leave me a comment and tell me your thought!

Materials

• Fiskars large cloud punch.
• Recollection 0.5 inch circle punch
• Recollection 2 inch square punch
• EK Success 0.5 inch folk heart punch
• EK Success 0.5 inch tulip punch
• Light blue cardstock
• White cardstock
• Black cardstock
• Yellow cardstock
• Pink cardstock
• Dark and light green cardstock

Also Needed

• Scissors
• Glue stick

Photo Tutorial

Punch Art Sheep Card

I LOVE sheep and have found LOTS of versions of a Punch Art Sheep Card on-line!  SO I am presenting to you my version of the Punch Art Sheep Card.

Tutorial

Materials Needed

• Punch Art Sheep
• Wescott 1/16^th Inch Circle Punch
• Paper Studios 1’ Circle Punch
• Recollections 3” Scalloped Circle Punch
• Light Blue, Medium Blue & Olive Green Cardstock
• Pink & Yellow Cardstock Scraps

Also Needed

• Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Pen
• Ruler

Photo Tutorial

Thanks for taking a look.  I’d really, really like to hear from you.  Please drop me a comments. buggalcrafts

Punch Art Sheep

I bought my medium SMALLISH (to me) cloud punch on clearance with the intention to create a flock of sheep grazing on a card.  When I got home the first thing I did was try to make a sheep.  He did come out cute and I’ll show you him later but he is so tiny and I really wanted a bigger sheep.I did a search of the web and all I could find were sheep facing front using a scalloped circle punch.  So I created my own side facing sheep using my oval cameo punch AND my new cloud punch.   I have been “getting into” making 3D punches so I added another dimension (ha! ha!) to my sheep.

I hope you enjoy my newest baby!

Tutorial

Materials Needed

• Fiskars’ Medium Cloud Punch
• Fiskars’ Large Scallop Oval Cameo Punch
• Paper Studios 1’ Circle Punch
• Wescott 1/16^th Inch Circle Punch
• Black Cardstock
• White Cardstock

Also Needed

• Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Pen
• Ruler

Photo Tutorial

Thanks for taking a look.  I’d really, really like to hear from you.  Please drop me a comments.   buggalcrafts

Handmade Cardinal Die Cut

I love cardinals so when I found the instructions on how to make these cute little red birds on-line at Blinkin’, Thinkin’, & Inkin’ I had to make them and adapted the instructions to fit my purposes.  My birds are a little bigger than then ones by Ellen so if you need some tee-tiny ones check out her directions.

They are super easy, super cheap, and super cute!

They would be adorable perched on a fence, branch, or highline wire on a handmade winter greeting card.

Materials

• Red cardstock
• Black cardstock
• Yellow cardstock

Also needed

• 1 inch scalloped circle punch
• Hole punch
• Mini heart punch
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Red ink pad – 2 shades
• Black permanent marker

Photo Tutorial

Thanks for taking a look and as always I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Valentine Gingerbread Angels Revisited

Christmas is over and my mind has turned towards late winter and spring crafting.  So last night after making several examples of one of my last year’s Valentine project, Gingerbread Angels, for a friend on Listia I decided to re-work the project.  The wings just don’t look right to me – maybe if the hearts making the wings were larger?   I set myself to ponder the matter and it didn’t take very long!

That’s because recently my eyes were opened to the infinite ways your punches can be used other than to just punch out the same old boring shapes.  See my Pinterest board Using Your Stampin Up Bird Punch for the examples of creative uses for a bird punch that inspired me.

So giving the desire to re-work the angel’s wings and my newly acquired punching skills I quickly came up with a punch to use – ok, it was the first punch I picked up but I did have to play around with it for a few minutes!!!  A cameo punch cut in half turned out to be perfect to give my baby Gingerbread Angel flight!

Here are photos and instructions for the newly designed wings.  Please take a minute or two to look at the old tutorial, Gingerbread Angels, as there are some good suggestions there and some tips to make this project without having the punches I used.

Materials

• Light brown cardstock
• White cardstock
• Pink or red cardstock
• Scrapbook paper
• Baby rick-rack or other trims
• Narrow ribbon

Also Needed

• Scissors
• EK Success Large Slim Paper Punch – Gingerbread Man
• Fiskars large squeeze punch – 2” cameo
• Heart punch (0.25 inch)
• Small diameter hole punch (1/4^th inch)
• Glue stick, Elmer’s purple
• White glue

Photo Tutorial

Thank you for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  If you have any questions or something is not clear, please let me know so that I can improve the tutorial.   

Please take a moment to leave a comment and rate this post.

Thanks again.