Project designed by Sandi Genovese.
Materials:
Ellison machine and dies (or cut your own using scissors)
- extra-large ring
- gift box with ribbon die cut
- gingerbread boy die cut
- gingerbread girl die cut
- Christmas light die cuts
- Christmas carolers die cut
- toy soldier die cut
- country Christmas die cut
- gingerbread house die cut
plain and patterned paper
fine grade sandpaper
acid-free double stick tape and glue stick or Xyron adhesive system
adhesive foam dot
acid-free colored pens
15" length of silver cord
snowflake craft punch
5" x 7" photograph
Steps:
- Start with an enlarged photo that's 5" x 7" or larger. The more prominent your subjects the better.
- Cut a ring the size that will best frame your photograph. If you don't have access to a handy ring die like that offered by Ellison, create a pattern for a ring from any object of the right size. You can use a paper plate if necessary. The ring will be used as a background to support and shape the wreath.
- Using the object chosen as a pattern cut the ring from the paper in the same color as the background page. The featured project used white. If any of the ring peeks through, it will blend in with the background page. While traditional wreaths are circular, your wreath frame can be any shape that best frames your picture.
- Place double-stick tape all around the ring then plan the wreath design. Use either a variety of shapes to decorate the wreath or multiples of a single shape.
- Embellish or "dress" all of the die cuts before arranging them on the wreath. In each case, the perforation of each die cuts acts as a guide for embellishing. To make yours look like the featured project:
- Cut the gift box bottom from green pin dot paper and the gift box top from yellow paper. Cut the ribbon from red paper.
- Cut the gingerbread boy and girl from a fine grade sandpaper and their clothes from green and red paper. Use a craft punch to make a white snowflake to decorate the gingerbread girl's head. Give the gingerbread people blue eye color by taping blue paper on the back side of the die cut eye opening. Use red paper in the same manner for the mouth.
- Give each of the five Christmas lights a black base, but cut the lights all varying colors. Use a pen to add shading to each bulb and weave faux, silver "electrical" cord between the bases of each light. Fasten the cord on the backside of each bulb.
- For the Christmas carolers, use the perforation on the die cut as a guide to cut the dresses and suit with matching hats. Cover the songbooks the bow tie and the backside of the mouth openings with black paper. Use a silver pen to make finishing touches such as buttons on clothing, etc.
- Dress the toy soldier in many colors using the perforation on the die cut as a guide.
- Cut the country Christmas trees out of green paper, cutting one large and two small trees.
- Cut the gingerbread house and use the perforations on the die cut as a guide to embellish with candy cane "supports", snow on the roof and a front door.
- After embellishing the die cuts, arrange them on the wreath ring. Place one of the Christmas lights on an adhesive foam dot to add dimension. Once you're pleased with the design, press the die cuts so they adhere to the double-stick tape. Turn the wreath over and add additional double-stick tape to anchor each shape.
- Position the photo inside the wreath, trimming the photo as necessary to fit. Fasten the photograph behind the wreath using adhesive.
- Attach the finished wreath to the scrapbook page. Use a red pen to add sparkle around the wreath.
Tips:
- The same steps apply to making a wreath for any occasion or holiday theme. Simply substitute the appropriate die cuts.
- Ellison machine and dies can be found in craft and scrapbook stores to use for free in making die cuts in your choice of papers.
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