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Holidays Handmade Begins with a Snowflake in a Frame!

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Oh my gosh!  I am so very excited about this crazy week!  You are going to be blown away by all the different projects! 

Some are simple and quick to do. 

Some are complicated and take a little bit of time. 

Some are painty and messy.

Some are quite ordered and neat! 

I think there's something for absolutely everyone!

Every day from now through Sunday there will be at least four posts at 12:30am, 8:30am, 2pm, and 7:30pm EST.  And maybe a few extras in between!  So be sure to check back frequently!

I know that we'd all love to see anything you make after being inspired by these tutorials.  Please leave a link to your project in the comments or if you don't have a blog, feel free to e-mail me (or any of the blog authors) a photo of what you've made!

I thought I'd kick things off with a wickedly easy home decor project.

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I started with a blank frame from Chatterbox.

Blankframe
I used Elmer's White Glue to draw some swirls and dots on the frame.  This creates dimension.

Applyglue
Once the glue is dry (it will turn clear), add gesso and texture with a toothpick.

Gesso
Once the gesso is dry…

Goldpaintdots
…cover the frame with gold paint.

Goldpaint
You can see how the glue and gesso created all sorts of texture.  Use watered down black paint to really bring out that texture.  Just slap it all over the top of the frame and it will sink into all of the grooves.

Addwatereddownblackpaint
Pretty cool antiqued frame now, huh?

Cut out a piece of paper that will fit inside the frame.

Squarecut
Fold it in half.

Foldinhalf
Fold it in half again.

Foldsquare
Now fold it into a triangle.

Foldtriangle
Round the top of the triangle.

Roundthetop
Cut away portions of the wedge, being careful not to cut so much away so that it all falls apart.

Cutsnowflake
Open it up and you will have a snowflake!

Unfoldsnowflake
Color the snowflake with Glimmer Mist.

Mistsnowflake
Let dry or dry with a heat gun.

Adhere a book page inside the frame.

Gluebackgroundintoframe
Adhere snowflake to book page.

Gluesnowflakeintoframe
(You can see that this is a different snowflake.  I accidentally ripped the other one while it was wet.  So be careful!)

Take a typed sentiment and cut it into a strip.

HH-strip
Fold the edges in to create dimension.

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Cut the ends to look pretty.

HH-edgescut
Use mist to color the sentiment.

HH-blue
Use foam adhesive to adhere it to the frame and voila!

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Check out the texture on the frame:

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And the sparkle on the snowflake:

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Three more tutorials coming your way today!  Come back for cookies and crafts of all sorts!

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. Don't miss my Live with Prima class today at 2pm EST.  The online classroom is HERE.

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a mixed-media artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops, her online classroom www.balzerdesigns.com, and through monthly membership at www.MyArtPractice.com.

48 thoughts on “Holidays Handmade Begins with a Snowflake in a Frame!

  • It will be a great week! Thank you!
    The frame is stunning and simple to do, a lovely tree-decoration!

    Reply
  • It will be a great week! Thank you!
    The frame is stunning and simple to do, a lovely tree-decoration!

    Reply
  • It will be a great week! Thank you!
    The frame is stunning and simple to do, a lovely tree-decoration!

    Reply
  • It will be a great week! Thank you!
    The frame is stunning and simple to do, a lovely tree-decoration!

    Reply
  • What a great project, Julie – love how you used that black paint to antique the gold. Brilliant!

    Reply
  • What a great project, Julie – love how you used that black paint to antique the gold. Brilliant!

    Reply
  • What a great project, Julie – love how you used that black paint to antique the gold. Brilliant!

    Reply
  • What a great project, Julie – love how you used that black paint to antique the gold. Brilliant!

    Reply
  • Love your little project Julie! I can’t keep up with this blog all day (have a deadline breathing in my neck – writing articles) but I sure will hop over every now and then! Have fun!

    Reply
  • Love your little project Julie! I can’t keep up with this blog all day (have a deadline breathing in my neck – writing articles) but I sure will hop over every now and then! Have fun!

    Reply
  • Love your little project Julie! I can’t keep up with this blog all day (have a deadline breathing in my neck – writing articles) but I sure will hop over every now and then! Have fun!

    Reply
  • Love your little project Julie! I can’t keep up with this blog all day (have a deadline breathing in my neck – writing articles) but I sure will hop over every now and then! Have fun!

    Reply
  • Way cool. Going to show this one to my kids. Plenty of mess. Just what they love.

    Reply
  • Way cool. Going to show this one to my kids. Plenty of mess. Just what they love.

    Reply
  • Way cool. Going to show this one to my kids. Plenty of mess. Just what they love.

    Reply
  • Way cool. Going to show this one to my kids. Plenty of mess. Just what they love.

    Reply
  • What a beautiful project! I have a question about your work surface: Is that a silpat baking liner you are working on? It looks wipe-up-able, and like gluey/painty projects won’t stick to it! Awesome!

    Reply
  • What a beautiful project! I have a question about your work surface: Is that a silpat baking liner you are working on? It looks wipe-up-able, and like gluey/painty projects won’t stick to it! Awesome!

    Reply
  • What a beautiful project! I have a question about your work surface: Is that a silpat baking liner you are working on? It looks wipe-up-able, and like gluey/painty projects won’t stick to it! Awesome!

    Reply
  • What a beautiful project! I have a question about your work surface: Is that a silpat baking liner you are working on? It looks wipe-up-able, and like gluey/painty projects won’t stick to it! Awesome!

    Reply
  • Ooh love all the texture on that frame!! I really need to play more with glue as a texture medium. Fun!

    Reply
  • Ooh love all the texture on that frame!! I really need to play more with glue as a texture medium. Fun!

    Reply
  • Ooh love all the texture on that frame!! I really need to play more with glue as a texture medium. Fun!

    Reply
  • Ooh love all the texture on that frame!! I really need to play more with glue as a texture medium. Fun!

    Reply
  • Lisa — Its a teflon sheet from Ranger.  Silpat actually tends to stain with paint and ink because its woven.  Hope that helps!

    Reply
  • Lisa — Its a teflon sheet from Ranger.  Silpat actually tends to stain with paint and ink because its woven.  Hope that helps!

    Reply
  • Lisa — Its a teflon sheet from Ranger.  Silpat actually tends to stain with paint and ink because its woven.  Hope that helps!

    Reply
  • Lisa — Its a teflon sheet from Ranger.  Silpat actually tends to stain with paint and ink because its woven.  Hope that helps!

    Reply

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