Bauble Christmas Card

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Bauble Christmas Card

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lettucewoman

Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 7834
Location: Tiptoe in the Forest!!

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 5:12 pm Post subject: Bauble Christmas Card

Ok hopefully here is my christmas bauble card instructions!!

Christmas Card Baubles.

Firstly I apologise for some of the materials ï¿½ havenï¿½t got all the stuff I need but cannibalised some other things, as I wanted to get this article in ASAP. These cards turn into baubles, which your recipients can hang on the tree, or somewhere in the house ï¿½ the one I sent to Mum 4 years ago is permanently hanging off the speaker stand!

Materials:
One A4 sheet of paper or thin cardï¿½.coloured, or you can colour your own with potato stamps, drawings, sprinkly glitter etc etc., but donï¿½t use stickers as they can catch! One sheet will make two medium baubles, but again you can experiment with sizes.
Hole punch
Pencil (I used a biro for clarity but you can use a pencil so it doesnï¿½t show too much.)
Fancy silver or gold pen (couldnï¿½t find mine

)
Split pins
Thin cord ï¿½ the sparkly stuff you can find in hobby shops, or any strong thin cord.
Tassel (usually easier to make your own with the sparkly cord!)
Ruler

Fold the A4 sheet in half from the top short side down to the bottom short side and rule lines across it from the fold to the edge with the pencil about ï¿½ï¿½ or 7mm apart.

Separate the two halves and put the non-ruled piece away for later.Cut the paper into strips

Take 14 of the strips and punch a hole in them at the top and bottom. Be as careful as you can ï¿½ you may not get all the strips into the punch, so be sure to put the paper strips in the same place when you punch them.

Push a split pin through the strips with the decorated side on the outside, and bend the pins flat. Turn the strips over and write your message on the top strip. You can do something much more elaborate than me!

Turn them back, take a length of the thin cord, and carefully wrap behind the legs of the split pin at the top. Wrap a few times and make sure itï¿½s secure behind the pin. Then bend the legs of the pin in half back on themselves and flatten.

Pull the cord down to the other end until the strips bend into a bow shape ï¿½ judge for yourself how tight you want to make it ï¿½ itï¿½s best as a gentle bow. Secure the end of the cord behind the split pin at the bottom, and bend the legs back.

Take a length of cord and make a hanging loop, (about 2-3 inches doubled over and knotted) then secure it behind the head of the split pin by wrapping it around the back of the head ï¿½ pull the two sides of the loop either side of the head of the pin.

Attach a tassel to the headpin on the bottom of the strips in the same way (you can make a tassel with lengths of cord tied in the middle, then wrap a short piece of cord round the bundle, and thread a length of cord through the bundle and tie for a hanging loop). Make sure the hanging loop is on each side of the pin head

Thatï¿½s the bauble finished - this is how you send it, in a bow shape. I usually put a little card with instructions on how to turn the card into a bauble, with the card!

To turn the card into a bauble ï¿½ gently tease the strips out, starting with the top one with the greeting. Pull this one out opposite the bundle, and then gently spread out the strips to fill in the gaps ï¿½ being careful to pull them out in order. Check to make sure they are all out. Very gently, hold the bauble between thumb and finger and squeeze together so you can see how even the strips are - this is VERY GENTLE ï¿½ you donï¿½t want to crease the centre of the bauble strips.

Adjust the strips so they are as even as possible. Let the bauble go, hold by the hanging loop, adjust the shape ï¿½ and hang up!!

Last edited by lettucewoman on Wed Dec 05, 07 6:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 5:20 pm Post subject:
What a lovely simple idea. (Can we turn it into an article to preserve it for posterity? Pretty please?)

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 5:23 pm Post subject:
Coo: that's so clever, Meg. How do they fare going through the post? Don't the strips get squashed? Good if you don't have to post, though.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 5:27 pm Post subject:
I'll publish it later.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 5:28 pm Post subject:
I was asking Meg, not you

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 6:18 pm Post subject:
I knew it was coming.

lettucewoman

Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 7834
Location: Tiptoe in the Forest!!

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 07 6:22 pm Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

Coo: that's so clever, Meg. How do they fare going through the post? Don't the strips get squashed?

Good if you don't have to post, though.

The strips seem to fare ok in the post - when they are all bundled together, even if they are only thing paper they are quite strong - I have wrapped a little bit of bubble wrap around them sometimes too.

Sean did know about this - tried to send it to him as an article but unfortunately it wouldn't send - prolly my fault

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