Bag It, Tag It, Trim It, Top It, and a How To or Two.....

"A Snowflake is a winter butterfly"

We have been building snowmen of some sort all week long here at the Quill but you can't build a snowman without a snowflake. One of my favorite times to view snowflakes is at night. There is something so magical about a blanket of new fallen snow under a star dotted velvet black sky. Today I have two special guest artist who are sharing similar tutorials but one can be turned into a beautiful snowflake to adorn your Christmas tree or a gift package and the other makes a wonderful tree topping star. Both creations are sure to bring a little magic into your holiday decor.

Cindy of Junque Art is a wonderful artist who has a passion for collecting vintage finds to reuse in home decor and art. She is a member of the Joli Paquet team and recently did a wonderful tutorial on making the sweetest little glitter paper ornaments. They are quick, super easy, and fun! You can find Cindy's Glitter Paper Ornament tutorial here. I got a bit CRAZY with these things! I brain stormed at what else I could do with them and I came up with several variations of snowflake ornaments and package tags. Below are my twists on Cindy's idea. I found a bag of 24 gold glittered snowflake ornaments at a flea market for $1.00. I had no idea what I would do with them until I saw Cindy's cute little paper ornament.I started off by following Cindy's instructions with a slight variation, before I trimmed the edges with pinking sheers, I used a gold marker and ruler to run a gold line down the two long sides, then I trimmed the edges so they were left gold tipped. When assembled, I clipped off the extra ties. I had some bits left over from one of my bird's nest broaches so I wove it into a tiny nest and added a blue glass bead egg, wiring and gluing it to the stick, adding a flying blue bird. Click on any photo to enlarge for better viewing.
Here is the image I used. Feel free to use it. I printed it out business card size which is the perfect scale for this project.For a substitute, use an acorn cup! Glue stick to rosette.Cut up tiny strips of paper and crumple up. Put glue inside the acorn cup and gently press in some of the crumpled papers, glue in bird, and tiny blue glass bead for an egg, then glue to stick. I cut leaves from a scrap of velvet and glued them on as well as a scrap of tatting and some vintage buttons. When it was dry I glued it to the center of the snowflake. To further embellish the snowflake, I added smoked topaz jewels using a clear drying glue. When completely dry, I added an organza ribbon tie to one and a gold braid loop to the other for hanging.

For a neutral palette vintage look I stuck to creams, sepia, and gold. Here is the angel image I used. Feel free to use it. I printed it out business card size and the scale is perfect for these ornaments. It would also make a lovely place card!
These two are traditional red and green.
Drum roll please! Now for my favorite, I give you Christmas Opulence! This one is my favorite! I love the colors and that glass button in the middle.Now we are ready to trim the tree! Every tree needs some presents so how about we make some tags and a quick gift bag? Using Cindy's same technique, I made some gift tags too.

For these first two I used a metallic snowflake flocked heavy gift wrap with white curly yarn for ties. I cut out parts of designs from a white paper lace doily to create snowflakes. I glued them to the center, one getting a tiny round mirror center and the other a silver bell. I cut circles slightly smaller than the rosette and stamped the center with a rubber stamp, "To: From:" using silver metallic ink. To one I brushed the edges with glue and sprinkled with silver glitter. Not only are you giving a gift tag, but it can be used as an ornament also!
TIP: To keep your tag from slipping down the gift bag handle, tie the tag to the handle, just below the tag gather a bit of tulle and knot it or use a pretty ribbon. Your tag will stay in place keeping your package looking pretty!This one sports a vintage angle print. You can't forget Santa! This one will please the little ones with its jingle bells and jolly elf. One thing I learned from this tutorial is to pay attention to how you fold. Follow Cindy's directions or you will end up with the ends being up instead of down and it doesn't look so pretty. Some of mine are goofed up but after getting that far I decided if I didn't point out the flaws maybe no one would notice and glitter still covers a multitude of sins. Do think this would work on thighs? Maybe not.

OK, so we have trimmed it, tagged it, now let's bag it! I LOVE lunch bags for small gifts. I made one sample up so you get the idea of how easy it is to make a quick bag. You could use matching paper to your rosette and have a gift bag, ornament, and a little something extra tucked inside the bag, (cookies would be nice), for a very minimal cost.

Cut a piece of paper the width of your paper bag, these vary in size so you will need to measure. Cut the height of the paper 6".Fold bag bottom back so you are working on the unseamed side. Spray paper back with spray glue and adhere to bag front, lining the bottom of the paper up with the natural fold a couple of inches from the bottom of the bag. Press in place. Hot glue trim across top and bottom of paper. Around the top of the bag measure and make tick marks 1" down. Fold bag top to inside of bag on tick mark line. Cut to 1" x 4" strips of card stock. Using double stick tape, slide card stock under flap, centering on the long sides of bag. Repeat for other side. Punch matching holes in bag top front and back. This reinforces the bag top so it won't tear easily when tying ribbon. Fill bag with gift or goodies, thread ribbon through holes, tie rosette tag or snowflake ornament to bag. Here a couple of other bag ideas for gifting a snowflake ornament. Place one in an organza bag, fill a basket full, as guests leave your holiday happenings, let them depart with not only a memory but a memento.Put a bit of shredded paper filler in a cellophane bag, sprinkle in a little glitter, settle ornament on the glittery bed. Fold down bag top and staple shut. Cut a matching piece of paper and use double stick tape to adhere it to bag top. Use a metallic pen to write: "To: From:" and you are done!

We've trimmed it, tagged it, bagged it, now lets top it off! Who better to top things off than Karla of Karla's Cottage! Karla's artful way of living has been published far and wide. Her talents include watercolor, collage, acrylics, portraiture, interior design with a flair for all things vintage and cottage, and so much more. I will have to add super star to her title after trying her tutorial because this star is super easy and super cute! Karla's Family Tree How To can be found here and allows all the family members to shine on the holiday tree. Now, here is the thing, READ ALL the directions. I skipped a step and it does make a difference if you have two or four folded pieces. I used Karla's idea to beef up a quirky little ornament that I bought in a flea market several years ago. It is made from the bottom of a tin can.
The sides of the can were snipped, curled, and flattened. It was then spray painted a cream color. A scene from and old Christmas card was cut to fit the can bottom and glued in place with a bit of gold trim glued around the edges. I wanted to turn it into a tree topper using Karla's super star.I used two pieces of printed scrapbook paper cut down to 8 1/2" x 11" to fit my printer. I did as Karla suggested and scanned and printed sheet music, printing it over my printed paper. I chose a song entitled, O Guiding Star. How perfect is that for a Nativity star? Because the paper was thin I spray glued the back and placed it on a piece of card stock for stability. I trimmed the excess and then proceeded to semi follow the instructions, correcting my mistake.I used two circles of heavy cardboard to stabilize my star. Since I knew I wanted it to be a topper, I glued a length of gold metallic ribbon across the back circle then covered it with a piece of decorative paper. After trimming the points, I brushed on glue and used mica chips for that vintage feel. I finished the star off by gluing my tin ornament to the middle. My tree is topped to perfection!
A huge thanks goes out to Cindy and Karla for lending their talents here today. Thanks to both of you ladies for the inspiration and for making my holiday a pretty one! Hats off to these hands on ideas!

KIDS CORNER:(Click and save coloring page)

Do you remember cutting snowflakes out of folded paper? I do. In the winter months my mother would give me paper, scissors, and a vacuum so I could while away my time folding and cutting intricate snowflake creations which plastered the picture window in our formal living room. How about a twist on an old favorite? Your little ones are sure to love making edible snowflakes!
INGREDIENTS:
*Flour tortillas
*Oil or butter

DIRECTIONS:
Using the same technique as cutting out paper snowflakes, make snowflake shapes out of flour tortillas. You may need to warm the tortilla in the microwave first to make it more flexible. Put a touch of oil or butter in a pan and fry tortilla until crisp.

Top with one of these ideas:
*Sprinkle with powdered sugar
*Sprinkle with a mixture of 3 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon
*Sprinkle with a mixture of 3 TBSP sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp cocoa powder

Enjoy!

Don't forget Thursday is give away day with winners being announced on Friday! Friday I hope to have one last snowman hurray with an ornament tutorial and a frosty table setting. Sunday Week 2 of Advent will be posted and on Monday, well, let's save that for whenever I come up with whatever it will be.
We have trimmed it, bagged it, tagged it, topped it, and had a how to or two so now I must bid you ado!

Blessings, Miss Sandy