Each year I try to make a special little ornament for my sister who has a table top Christmas tree that she sets up. This year I made a bunch so she could choose the one she likes best. These were relatively simple to make and I hope I inspire you to step out of the box and make some decorations or gifts yourself!
This is a long post, so settle in with a cup and relax!
What I Used to Make my Angel Ornaments:
Ranger Glossy Accents
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Designs BASIC Fairy Shrine
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Designs ANGEL Shrine
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Design SWEETHEART Style 4
Retro Art Cafe' Tiny Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts - 1 pk
Dresden Wings, Small Gold
From my Stash: Tiny Red Fabric Heart, Pink Heart Shaped Stone, Iridescent Star, Tiny Gems, Die Cut Waste, Scrap Paper
Stickles in Gold, Iridescent and Platinum
Jump Rings, 4 Medium
Lindy's Gang Embossing Powder in Raspberry Lemonade, Imperial Crown Purple Gold, Midnight Teal and Bougainvillea Red Teal
Ranger Embossing Powder in Rich Red {unavailable but any dark red will do!}
E6000 adhesive {you probably have some}
Krylon Leafing Pens in Silver and Gold
I love Retro Art Cafe' and the cool products they carry; seriously I could spend an absolute fortune there! When I was a brand new crafter making shrines was THE thing {besides cards and scrapbooks - I don't think there was ever a time when those 2 paper crafts weren't popular}to make. Mixed media was just born, Suze Weinberg was the Embossing Powder Queen {do a google search or check out You Tube} and Ranger Ink was still in it's infancy. Collages, canvases, altered books and so much more were being made at breakneck speed. That's when I found Retro Art Cafe' and I still shop there; most likely I will until one of us is done! When I was brainstorming for this years ornament I knew if I went there and browsed around I'd find something awesome to spark my imagination and Retro Art did not let me down {plus, they have awesome sales!}. I saw the Inspirational Fairies and I knew that was what I needed to use this year, so I bought a bunch of kits, matching heads and Dresden wings. I actually wasn't sure what wings would fit the shrines so I emailed Kristin and asked what she thought and she was kind enough to recommend the small Dresden wings. Once I got my goodies I got to work.
Each pack of Shrines has four pieces in it so you can make 2 double figures or 4; it's up to you and your design. The set includes 2 solid pieces and two shrine pieces {the shrine pieces have a hole in them to make a small window}. For these I used two pieces for each, one solid piece and one shrine piece. The first step I took was sandwiching a jump ring in between the two pieces so I could attach an ornament hanger, piece of string or ribbon or even put them on a necklace if I wanted. I first tried to stick them together with regular glue because I was all out of E6000 - no luck; the jump rings were so loose I could pull them out. So once I got a new tube of E6000 I glued the rings back in and used binder clips to keep the pieces together while they dried. I let them dry for few days to ensure they'd be
sturdy. I also sandwiched the wings I used between the layers on one of the ornaments; my intent was to do that to all of them, but then I decided since I was going to be decorating them with who knows what that I'd attached the wings to the other three when I was done. They also come with teeny little pieces of product that you can mount them on so they will stand up. As well as crowns!
I wanted a super shiny, almost enamel look on the bodies so I embossed them. I embossed them so many times I lost count using all the delicious colors from Lindy's Gang as referenced above. I used my fingernail {something I am SO guilty of - I know I shouldn't use them, but they are so accessible and I often find myself using them without even thinking. However, I don't recommend it!} to remove the embossing powder, while it was still warm, on the Red ornament to try and keep the heart shape. Once all of them were embossed, I coated each with Glossy Accents, except for the head area, and again, on the Red one where the heart design wasn't. Let them sit again for a few days as I
had plenty of projects to finish. I edged each one with a Krylon Leafing Pen {I've had these pens for YEARS - another throwback to the beginning of my paper crafting. We used them for everything, mostly to edge paper and to do the original Polished Stone technique with alcohol inks} and used the pens to cover the wings. Turns out the wings I had attached between the two parts at the beginning took a beating with all the embossing and stuff so I wanted to jazz them up a bit and bring the wings to life. I also used a leafing pen to color the gold wings silver. Once the wings dried I layered some matching Stickles on them to make them shine even more; the leafing pen can have a dull finish. I embellished my angels with bits and bobs I've had in my stash for years and attached the doll head cut outs so they could have faces. Lastly, I painted one crown silver {with the Leafing Pen} that I gave to the Blue angel, and added some gold dots of Stickles to the Purple angel's crown that was a part of her head.
Then I was done. I find waiting for things to dry the most annoying part of making art and this was a study in patience for sure! But it felt really good to make something 3D, something fun and out of the box. I hope my angels inspire you to get some older art supplies {or, buy some new goodies at Retro Art Cafe'!} and have some messy fun. I really had no idea how these babies were going to turn out so this entire project was an experiment for me. On that note I'm glad I bought more than one set of the Angel Shrines because I have LOTS more ideas for these! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and are having a safe, healthy and artful holiday! Fondly, Christi
I am entering my Angel Ornaments in the following challenges:
Altered Eclectics - M, Anything MM Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - M, {running til Feb} Anything MM Goes
More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything MM Goes
The Three Amigos - Winter
Bleeding Art - M, Shiny & Sparkly
An Inky Mess - Anything MM Goes
CHNC - #416, Anything Christmas Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Christmas
Moo-Mania - Angels
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge - Anything MM Goes
Crafter's Castle - Anything Goes OPTION: Christmas Ornaments
Lindy's Gang - M, Color Challenge
HLS Mixed Media Challenge - Fantasy
This is a long post, so settle in with a cup and relax!
What I Used to Make my Angel Ornaments:
Ranger Glossy Accents
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Designs BASIC Fairy Shrine
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Designs ANGEL Shrine
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Design SWEETHEART Style 4
Retro Art Cafe' Tiny Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts - 1 pk
Dresden Wings, Small Gold
From my Stash: Tiny Red Fabric Heart, Pink Heart Shaped Stone, Iridescent Star, Tiny Gems, Die Cut Waste, Scrap Paper
Stickles in Gold, Iridescent and Platinum
Jump Rings, 4 Medium
Lindy's Gang Embossing Powder in Raspberry Lemonade, Imperial Crown Purple Gold, Midnight Teal and Bougainvillea Red Teal
Ranger Embossing Powder in Rich Red {unavailable but any dark red will do!}
E6000 adhesive {you probably have some}
Krylon Leafing Pens in Silver and Gold
I love Retro Art Cafe' and the cool products they carry; seriously I could spend an absolute fortune there! When I was a brand new crafter making shrines was THE thing {besides cards and scrapbooks - I don't think there was ever a time when those 2 paper crafts weren't popular}to make. Mixed media was just born, Suze Weinberg was the Embossing Powder Queen {do a google search or check out You Tube} and Ranger Ink was still in it's infancy. Collages, canvases, altered books and so much more were being made at breakneck speed. That's when I found Retro Art Cafe' and I still shop there; most likely I will until one of us is done! When I was brainstorming for this years ornament I knew if I went there and browsed around I'd find something awesome to spark my imagination and Retro Art did not let me down {plus, they have awesome sales!}. I saw the Inspirational Fairies and I knew that was what I needed to use this year, so I bought a bunch of kits, matching heads and Dresden wings. I actually wasn't sure what wings would fit the shrines so I emailed Kristin and asked what she thought and she was kind enough to recommend the small Dresden wings. Once I got my goodies I got to work.
 |
| This what was left of mine; Saving them - you never know! |
Each pack of Shrines has four pieces in it so you can make 2 double figures or 4; it's up to you and your design. The set includes 2 solid pieces and two shrine pieces {the shrine pieces have a hole in them to make a small window}. For these I used two pieces for each, one solid piece and one shrine piece. The first step I took was sandwiching a jump ring in between the two pieces so I could attach an ornament hanger, piece of string or ribbon or even put them on a necklace if I wanted. I first tried to stick them together with regular glue because I was all out of E6000 - no luck; the jump rings were so loose I could pull them out. So once I got a new tube of E6000 I glued the rings back in and used binder clips to keep the pieces together while they dried. I let them dry for few days to ensure they'd be
 |
| The Blue Angel |
 |
| The Red Angel |
I wanted a super shiny, almost enamel look on the bodies so I embossed them. I embossed them so many times I lost count using all the delicious colors from Lindy's Gang as referenced above. I used my fingernail {something I am SO guilty of - I know I shouldn't use them, but they are so accessible and I often find myself using them without even thinking. However, I don't recommend it!} to remove the embossing powder, while it was still warm, on the Red ornament to try and keep the heart shape. Once all of them were embossed, I coated each with Glossy Accents, except for the head area, and again, on the Red one where the heart design wasn't. Let them sit again for a few days as I
 |
| The Pink Angel |
 |
| The Purple Angel |
Then I was done. I find waiting for things to dry the most annoying part of making art and this was a study in patience for sure! But it felt really good to make something 3D, something fun and out of the box. I hope my angels inspire you to get some older art supplies {or, buy some new goodies at Retro Art Cafe'!} and have some messy fun. I really had no idea how these babies were going to turn out so this entire project was an experiment for me. On that note I'm glad I bought more than one set of the Angel Shrines because I have LOTS more ideas for these! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and are having a safe, healthy and artful holiday! Fondly, Christi
I am entering my Angel Ornaments in the following challenges:
Altered Eclectics - M, Anything MM Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - M, {running til Feb} Anything MM Goes
More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything MM Goes
The Three Amigos - Winter
Bleeding Art - M, Shiny & Sparkly
An Inky Mess - Anything MM Goes
CHNC - #416, Anything Christmas Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Christmas
Moo-Mania - Angels
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge - Anything MM Goes
Crafter's Castle - Anything Goes OPTION: Christmas Ornaments
Lindy's Gang - M, Color Challenge
