Star Ornament (December Class Project)

This was a kind of challenging project -- partly because I gave my class attendees the wrong measurement for the cut that needs to be made -- so that required us to use tape and fix things before we could finish our projects.  They still turned out ok, I think (see photo of my star below), but this taught me an important lesson -- ALWAYS double-check directions before getting started!!!

Another important tip . . . be sure to read through ALL of the directions before beginning the project.  I've sometimes forgotten an important step by just starting out to make my project before reading everything, and have ended up having to backtrack to pick up a missed step.

Click on image for closer look.

NOTE:  Rather than trying to explain how to make the basic star, I'm going to refer you to a You Tube video for detailed instructions.  So much easier for you to understand than my trying to explain it in words . . . .  (See link below.)

Materials:

Paper:
* Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper ("DSP") (2 pieces, each 6" x 6")
* Gold Glimmer Paper (about 12" x 4", maybe a little more)
* Shimmery White card stock (about 4-1/4" x 4-1/4")

Accessories and Tools:
* Big Shot Die Cutting Machine
* Leaflets Framelits Dies
* Darling Doily Thinlits Die (NOTE: This item is no longer available in the Stampin' Up! catalog, but as of today -- 12/14/2015 -- it is available online at a price of $14.99 -- visit my site at http://cathyhansen.stampinup.net, and click on the SHOP NOW link.  You'll find the die under the Year-End Sale link.)
* Gold Cording Trim**
* Gold Metallic Thread
* Adhesives: Tombow Liquid Glue for paper-to-paper gluing; Tear and Tape Adhesive.

** 2015 Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog (available through January 4, 2016)


Instructions:

First thing you need to do is view the You Tube video tutorial and make the basic 4-point star.  You will need two stars -- each uses one 6" x 6" piece of paper.  You can view the tutorial at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wgdn3piXpU.  The basic star ornament will look something like this:

(NOTE:  If you want to add the fru-fru stuff as shown above, DO NOT join the two stars quite yet.) 

(IMPORTANT NOTE:  Before gluing all of the points together, if you want to have a hanging cord, cut a length of the Gold Cording Trim, hold the two ends together, and tie a BIG knot near the end.  Snip just a teeny-tiny tip off the end of one point on one of the two stars, and stash the cord inside the point before gluing down the flap -- loop on outside, BIG knot on inside.)

To add all of the "fluff" . . . follow these steps.

1. Use the Big Shot Die Cutting Machine and the Leaflets Die to cut 8 of the long, multi-pointed leaves from the Glimmer Paper.  Also cut one Darling Doily from Shimmery White card stock.

2. Adhere the leaves to the doily with a strong adhesive (I used Tombow Liquid Glue) as shown in this photo.  There are four leaves glued to each side of the doily, so what you're seeing on the opposite side of the doily is the back side of the Glimmer Paper.  Set this piece aside until Step 4 below.

Click on image for closer look.

3.  Hold the Gold Cording Trim and the Gold Metallic Thread together and wrap them around your fingers about 3 times to make a loop.  Pinch one end of the loop together and wrap Tear and Tape around the pinched end a few times -- as you're wrapping the tape, pull it away from the backing, so just the tape itself is wrapped around the loop -- not the backing.  Adhere the taped edge to the inside of the star as shown below.  You will need a total of 8 of these loops to go inside the four corners of each of the two stars.



Click on image for closer look.

4.  Now you need to go back and pick up the doily piece made in Step 2 above.  With the front side of the star facing down, make sure the glue end of the loops stay inside the star and kind of push the loopy parts down and toward the front of the star to get them out of your way.  Then use Tombow Liquid Glue or other strong adhesive to adhere the doily piece to the back side of the star.  (NOTE:  The glittery side of the leaves facing down should fall between the star points -- see top photo -- and the glittery side facing up will line up with the star points.  So, in other words, the wrong side of the glimmer paper leaves will be glued to the back side of the star points.)

5.  Let the glue dry and set up for a few minutes before repeating Step 4 to adhere the second star to the other side of the doily.  You'll want to kind of hold everything together for a few minutes to allow time for the glue to set up and take hold.  And then just let everything rest on the table for a while to allow the glue to dry completely before hanging your star.  (How do I know this?!  Because I was anxious to view my masterpiece and didn't allow the glue to dry completely on one of my stars.  As a result the glue didn't make good contact, so as I was sitting there admiring my work . . . BOOM!!!! . . . one side of my star just fell right off!)

I sure hope you enjoy this project.  Or even just the simple stars without all the added fluff!!!

Happy Holidays!

Cath  ;D