The projects include two different
domino books; which I’m giving away (details below), an accordion folded book
in a box and a set of coasters. I’m
thinking any of these projects would make great gifts.
NEW – Bee Themed Collage
Sheets
Colorful bee themed medallions and faux postage fill
this sheet. The medallions make great
labels for bottles, jar lids and on coasters. The faux postage can be used as
ephemera on your artwork or to jazz up envelopes.
This sheet is loaded with bird and bee themed
art. Included are 12 small panels are sized to fit on a 1” x 2” domino and a long panel that can be accordion folded to fit inside two 1”
x 2” dominoes like a book. There are also
ATC sized collaged images and extra birds and flowers.
TUTORIALS
Accordion Fold Domino Book
I started by painting the domino's front, sides and
edges of the backs with a combination of Patina Paints.
Next, I glued a panel from the collage sheet onto
what will become the back of the book and glued a strip of Dresden around the edges of each domino.
Using E6000, I attached the brass leaves to the bottoms of the dominoes to serve as feet.
To the backsides of each domino, I attached ribbon
which is used to tie the book closed.
Don’t worry if you see the glue seeping through the ribbon as it will be
covered with the accordion folded pages.
On the front domino I collaged images from the
collage sheet (flowers & bird), various brass leaves, paper roses and a
bee.
The long panel on the collage sheet measures 1 7/8”
x 7” which is slightly shorter than a standard 2” tall domino and long enough
to create an accordion folded strip with 8 panels. If you are not using the image from the
collage sheet for your book just be sure that when you fold your strip you end
up with an even number of panels (to facilitate attaching it to the domino
covers).
Mark and score along the panel every 7/8” and accordion fold the panel.
Ink the edges and the back of the panel. I used Vintage Photo Distress Stain. Cut 8 panels from decorative paper and glue to the
back. I cut my panels 1 5/8” x 6/8”. You could also use the small panels on the
collage sheet but you would need to reduce them first.
The final touch to decorate the back is the addition
of some of the faux postage from the collage sheet.
The last step is to glue the end panels to the
inside of the dominoes and you are finished!
Hinged Domino Book
To Bee or Not to Bee…Queen
(always a tough decision)
This type of domino book is much simpler to put
together as it consists of simply hinging two decorated dominoes.
Start by coloring your dominoes on all of the
surfaces that will remain exposed after embellishing. I used Onyx Patina to paint
mine. I used panels from the collage
sheet to cover the backs and fronts of both dominoes and glued Dresden around
the edges.
Dresden Note: In the case of a hinged domino book use
sturdy glue like E6000 to attach the Dresden so that when you attach the hinges
to the sides (onto the Dresden) the Dresden won’t pull away from the dominoes when you open the book.
I also added the crown (with jewels) and the bee
banner from the collage sheet.
Once I had finished decorating each of the dominoes,
I glued two small hinges to the sides of the dominoes (using E6000). In the hinge holes I glued small brass beads. Make sure you let the glue dry completely
before trying to open the book.
The final touch are handles (glued in place with
E6000), which are made from bead caps, eye pins and Victorian drops.
Accordion Fold Book in a
Box
The idea with this project is to use the box as the
covers for an accordion folded book.
When you lift the cover off of the box it opens the book. The book is attached at one end to the inside
lid of the box and at the other end to the inside bottom of the box. The box I used measures 3" square.
Start by assembling the box.
Next, I inked all of the edges inside and out. Tip: to get in the box crevices use alcohol
ink and a brush. I have brushes dedicated
to using the ink as once they are use with ink you can’t use them with other
products. I used a combination of
Vintage Photo Distress ink and Caramel alcohol ink.
I applied decorative paper to all of the surfaces,
inside and out. Be sure to glue the
paper down securely so that when you open and close the box it does damage or
lift the paper. Don’t use thick paper or
card stock as the lid won’t fit back on the box.
I used Distress Ink and a honeycomb and bee stencil
to decorate the sides.
MASONITE BEES
For an additional decorative touch I used Masonite bees.
I started by painting the bees with Ocher Patina
paint. I didn't completely cover up the brown of the Masonite but tapped the paint on with a brush.
Next, while wearing a rubber glove, I used my finger
to lightly brush on Espresso Alcohol Ink.
For a final touch I used Onyx Patina paint to paint
black stripes.
To make the book, cut strips of decorative paper 2
7/8” tall and as wide as the paper. Cut
as many strips as you like based on how many panels you want in the book. The only restriction to the number of strips is
the size of the box and you must have an even number of panels to facilitate
gluing the book to the box. I suggest
using 12x12 paper as the strips will be longer and you will have to cut and glue fewer together.
Score and fold the paper strips every 2 7/8". You should end up with a short
piece at the end of each strip which will be used to connect the strips together. For the sample piece, I cut 4 strips.
Connect the strips together. Cut away any short sections that you didn’t
use to connect the strips. I decided to go with 14 panels. Notice the direction of
the folds and how the end pieces lay flat on the surface (this means the book is folded in the right direction.
Glue one end of the book to the inside bottom of the box
and the other end to the inside lid of the box.
Lastly, I added a stained wooden knob to the top of
the box.
Coasters
After creating the Bee collage sheets
with the round medallions, I was thinking that they would be perfect for coasters
(I need a new set of coasters). I think
they would also make a great gift.
To make each coaster I cut 3 pieces of
heavy chipboard 3 ½” square. I glued the
3 pieces of chipboard together to form one coaster.
I sanded the edges to make sure
they were even and that there were no loose bits. Next, I applied a product called Texture
Magic to the edges so that you could not tell that there were 3 pieces layered
together. I used this product because it
was handy but you could use anything that you might have like Gesso, wood
filler, embossing paste etc.; anything that hides the layers.
I lightly sanded the edges one
more time to make sure they were smooth.
Next, I used Vintage Photo Stain to
color the edges (you could also paint them).
Depending on the product you used to cover the edges, you may or may not
be able to stain them. I glued
decorative paper to each side and then the medallions from my Bees collage
sheet. I sealed the coaster by painting
it with multiple layers of Mod Podge.