Various Vellum Tricks

Fish in a Fish Bowl

Materials:

vellum: pale blue, sparkle
paper: red dot w/3 leaves, gray dot
deckle and jumbo scallop scissors
blue brush-tip marker
blue chalk & applicator
pattern paper
card stock
2-way glue
punches:
1/2" and 3/4" hearts for ears
1/8" circle for eyes
1/4" circle for foot pads
5/16" circle for nose and foot pads
3/4" circle for muzzle
1" circle for paws
2" circle for fish
3/8" heart for fish
templates or patterns:
3-3/4" oval for body
2" heart cut in half for legs
2" circle for head and tail

Steps:

1. Make a cat and fish with punches (figure A).

2. Cut a fish-bowl shape from translucent vellum to create the illusion of looking through glass or liquid. Cut a second shape from vellum using the same fish-bowl shape, cutting off the base and trimming top with wavy edge scissors to create a water line.

3. To make the edges of the bowl more visible, use a foam applicator or cotton swab to shade edges of vellum with chalk (figure B).

4. Prepare background of album page or card. Arrange and glue shapes in desired design (figure C).

5. Working on wrong side of vellum shape, place tiny dots of 2-way glue along edges of bowl and water and bowl and background page so marker lines hide them. Glue vellum shapes on page (figure D).

Materials:

vellum: white striped, white marbled and white
2 sheets of Design Originals Home Style Bricks paper
card stock: moss green, ivory
fleck card stock: burgundy, forest green, rose, rust
album page
dark green 2/4" letter stickers
scallop scissors
punches: 1/16" circle, 1/8" circle, 1-1/4" heart, 1-1/4" tulip

Lacy Vellum Curtains

1. Cut out both curtains with scallop scissors: one from white striped vellum for curtains and one white vellum curtain shape for lace (figure E).

2. Use punches to make lacy effects along the edge of the solid vellum curtain (figure F).

Window Page with Lace Curtains

1. Glue 6-1/4" x 8-1/2" ivory photo mat to brick paper.

2. Center and glue 5-1/2" x 7-3/4" burgundy mat to ivory mat.

3. Glue 1/4-inch-wide wide dividers to 6-3/4" x 8-1/2" window frame and window glass and curtains to back of window (figure G).

4. Glue hinged portion of window frame on left of mats (figure H).

5. Glue 2" x 8-1/2" shutter on each side of window.

6. Punch hearts from brick paper and glue on shutters.

7. Glue 1/2" x 7-1/4" windowsill under window.

Vellum Techniques

Tearing vellum makes another interesting effect. To make a carrot, use a pencil to lightly draw guidelines for a carrot on light orange vellum. Tear orange vellum into a carrot shape. Hold the paper between your fingers when tearing in order to control the tears or use one hand to press vellum against the work surface; with your other hand, pull vellum towards you and tear. Erase any pencil lines. Use the same method to create shading or shadows.

Crimping vellum is an easy and fun technique. Just run the vellum through the crimper. A long narrow piece of crimped vellum can be used as an oval frame. Straight pieces of vellum put through a crimper creates dimension for a ghost, Santa's beard, clouds, the shore, etc.