Ok troops, I got that wonderful Bzz kit in from Elmer's and Xacto and I wanted to show ya'll something that was upcycled.....so I came up with a Halloween wall-hanging from remnants and extras from scrapbooking kits! Cause, you know, you can never have too many Halloween decorations! There's always space for just ONE more!
Here is what we started with:
The Elmer's/X-acto Kit, plus scrapbook 11x14 background page (isn't that orange tapestry gorgeous?), 1 matching 11x14 Halloween print for the frame sides, some Halloween scrapbook mini pages, fluffly yarn/string mix (sorry, out of pix range), miscellaneous Halloween stickers and brads, Modpodge and paintbrush ( I actually switched to 2 smaller ones after I started working on the piece, as I remembered where I had put them-see next pix!), and a standup frame that was missing the glass.
Step 1: Cut background page to fit inside of frame, making sure it fits. Remove and put thin coat of modge podge down to glue it to backer board of frame. Yes, I had the 2 types of Elmer's glue, but the backer board for this frame was weaved and I wanted the paper to adhere better, hence the Modpodge.
Step 2: MEASURE if you aren't good with eye-balling the paper need for the sides. I used the wonderful X-acto scissors and scalloped the inside edges of my sheet strips, as I wasn't sure if I was going to have them stick out or lay flat against the inside frame. IMPORTANT-if your frame is NOT an even square, like mine is, cut your top and bottom strips LONGER. In theory, you want the side pieces to wrap all the way over the top and bottom edges, then your cross pieces don't have to go all the way to the outside edge, which means less corners for you to cut into! Again the scalloped edge looks great here. see pix above. Make sure you cut diagnals in your corners, so you can bend strips down easier.
Step 3. Now grab that paint brush and paint the entire front of the frame sides and place your strips in place. It really is best to to a 'dry' mockup after cutting, BEFORE you add glue! I concentrated on the top and sides, then worked on the back making sure it was secure, before deciding on final position for inside-as you can see, I let them stay half unglued, so that the scallops showed some. LOTS of glue on the backside. (Please NOTE, i chose to cover the bottom opening, as I knew I would NOT be changing the background page. IF you want to change it out, then Modpodge you paper up and under the lip, so you can insert still. More work and you will have to let it dry edge by edge before you move on. )When that has set some, I went back with a LIGHT LIGHT coat of Modpodge over the entire frame strips. Just to help seal it.
Step 4. I cut out a diamond shape from one of the small scrapbook pages, using the scalloped X-acto scissors, and affixed a cute Happy Halloween sticker to it, trying to leave as much candy and purple showing as possible, and trying to center it. I then used two of the Elmer's Glue Spots to position it in place in the middle of the frame. I used these on the top and bottom points, so I could have it stand out some, and be able to slide items underneath if I decided to. I placed one of the packs that come in the box on the purple paper, so you could see what size they are!
Step 5: I looked at my miscellaneous Halloween scraps and decided to use the string/yarn for the holder to place frame as a wall hung picture, but knee it would be the last thing added.
Step 6: I cut up another small scrapbook page, using the other pair of X-acto scissors and made 2 squares and 2 diamonds and glued them onto the backing page with the Elmer's glue stick. I know what you're thinking- I covered up that beautiful backer paper. But you'll see it was worth it!
Step 7: Then I saw the BOO cutout and the bag of candy with the witches hand from the small scrapbook page I had cut earlier and had the idea for the edge shapes. I cut the tall pumpkin out of another sheet and using the Elmer's Glue runner to attach them to the frame. I made sure to run it where ever I knew the piece would touch the frame, for maximum adhesion!
Step 8: I also had the pumpkin that kiddo had made last year at the Boo at the Zoo (Audubon), which had fallen off the paper plate she had glued it onto last year, and looked at it and had an epiphany! A collage of her Halloween pix! BINGO. So I used more of the Elmer's Glue Spots and the Elmer's Tape Runner together, to adhere the pumpkin to the frame (foam seems to require more sometimes!
Step 9: I knew I had 2 extras of the Halloween pix from last year, so I just had to print out a pix from kiddos first Halloween. No problem! Then back to cutting. Using the X-acto scissors again, I cut odd shaped pieces and played around with the 3 pix, til I got them just right. Then glued them down using the Elmer's Tape Runner, so they would not bounce off a couple of weeks from now! I should have cut the one with me and her smaller, but I could NOT resist including the alligator. Unfortunately the print cut off his nose, BUT there is a orange dot that sits perfectly where the end should be-kismet! Sorta a oranged-nosed Cajun 'reindeer'? HA HA HA So I had to leave it!
I'm not sure if I'll add a pix behind the large pumpkin from this coming year. Will have to see how the pix turn out and if one seems to fit!
Step 10: Attach string to the back of the frame with LOTS of superglue- that fuzzy thread can be a bear! I will probably go back later and add one of the 3m no glue wall hanging strips to the back top edge, so that all the weight is not on the string and it can be decorative then. BUT I was out of them, so that will have to wait. I also reglued down some of the paper edges that had popped up. (Sorry the back was pretty scarred up-didn't want to take a pix of it!)
I highly recommend all the Elmer products- they worked extremely well on this project. I also LOVE the X=acto scissors- they have a much better cutting length and heft, and I found I had less bo-bos with them. And they felt perfectly balanced in my hand. The only product I didn't use was the corner punch- that will be on the next project! I wish the Glue Spots came more than 8 to a pack, but as I generally don't use that large of one, the pack would fit my needs normally.
So there you have it- one inspired Halloween upcycled memento piece! Hope it gave you some inspiration and made you want to see what you have lurking around in YOUR house that you can use!
Here is what we started with:
The Elmer's/X-acto Kit, plus scrapbook 11x14 background page (isn't that orange tapestry gorgeous?), 1 matching 11x14 Halloween print for the frame sides, some Halloween scrapbook mini pages, fluffly yarn/string mix (sorry, out of pix range), miscellaneous Halloween stickers and brads, Modpodge and paintbrush ( I actually switched to 2 smaller ones after I started working on the piece, as I remembered where I had put them-see next pix!), and a standup frame that was missing the glass.
Step 1: Cut background page to fit inside of frame, making sure it fits. Remove and put thin coat of modge podge down to glue it to backer board of frame. Yes, I had the 2 types of Elmer's glue, but the backer board for this frame was weaved and I wanted the paper to adhere better, hence the Modpodge.
Step 2: MEASURE if you aren't good with eye-balling the paper need for the sides. I used the wonderful X-acto scissors and scalloped the inside edges of my sheet strips, as I wasn't sure if I was going to have them stick out or lay flat against the inside frame. IMPORTANT-if your frame is NOT an even square, like mine is, cut your top and bottom strips LONGER. In theory, you want the side pieces to wrap all the way over the top and bottom edges, then your cross pieces don't have to go all the way to the outside edge, which means less corners for you to cut into! Again the scalloped edge looks great here. see pix above. Make sure you cut diagnals in your corners, so you can bend strips down easier.
Step 3. Now grab that paint brush and paint the entire front of the frame sides and place your strips in place. It really is best to to a 'dry' mockup after cutting, BEFORE you add glue! I concentrated on the top and sides, then worked on the back making sure it was secure, before deciding on final position for inside-as you can see, I let them stay half unglued, so that the scallops showed some. LOTS of glue on the backside. (Please NOTE, i chose to cover the bottom opening, as I knew I would NOT be changing the background page. IF you want to change it out, then Modpodge you paper up and under the lip, so you can insert still. More work and you will have to let it dry edge by edge before you move on. )When that has set some, I went back with a LIGHT LIGHT coat of Modpodge over the entire frame strips. Just to help seal it.
Step 4. I cut out a diamond shape from one of the small scrapbook pages, using the scalloped X-acto scissors, and affixed a cute Happy Halloween sticker to it, trying to leave as much candy and purple showing as possible, and trying to center it. I then used two of the Elmer's Glue Spots to position it in place in the middle of the frame. I used these on the top and bottom points, so I could have it stand out some, and be able to slide items underneath if I decided to. I placed one of the packs that come in the box on the purple paper, so you could see what size they are!
Now warning here. At this point I had no EARTHLY idea what this projects was going to look like. I had planned up to here. Now it was look at the items I had laid out and seek inspiration!
Step 5: I looked at my miscellaneous Halloween scraps and decided to use the string/yarn for the holder to place frame as a wall hung picture, but knee it would be the last thing added.
Step 6: I cut up another small scrapbook page, using the other pair of X-acto scissors and made 2 squares and 2 diamonds and glued them onto the backing page with the Elmer's glue stick. I know what you're thinking- I covered up that beautiful backer paper. But you'll see it was worth it!
Step 7: Then I saw the BOO cutout and the bag of candy with the witches hand from the small scrapbook page I had cut earlier and had the idea for the edge shapes. I cut the tall pumpkin out of another sheet and using the Elmer's Glue runner to attach them to the frame. I made sure to run it where ever I knew the piece would touch the frame, for maximum adhesion!
Step 8: I also had the pumpkin that kiddo had made last year at the Boo at the Zoo (Audubon), which had fallen off the paper plate she had glued it onto last year, and looked at it and had an epiphany! A collage of her Halloween pix! BINGO. So I used more of the Elmer's Glue Spots and the Elmer's Tape Runner together, to adhere the pumpkin to the frame (foam seems to require more sometimes!
Step 9: I knew I had 2 extras of the Halloween pix from last year, so I just had to print out a pix from kiddos first Halloween. No problem! Then back to cutting. Using the X-acto scissors again, I cut odd shaped pieces and played around with the 3 pix, til I got them just right. Then glued them down using the Elmer's Tape Runner, so they would not bounce off a couple of weeks from now! I should have cut the one with me and her smaller, but I could NOT resist including the alligator. Unfortunately the print cut off his nose, BUT there is a orange dot that sits perfectly where the end should be-kismet! Sorta a oranged-nosed Cajun 'reindeer'? HA HA HA So I had to leave it!
I'm not sure if I'll add a pix behind the large pumpkin from this coming year. Will have to see how the pix turn out and if one seems to fit!
Step 10: Attach string to the back of the frame with LOTS of superglue- that fuzzy thread can be a bear! I will probably go back later and add one of the 3m no glue wall hanging strips to the back top edge, so that all the weight is not on the string and it can be decorative then. BUT I was out of them, so that will have to wait. I also reglued down some of the paper edges that had popped up. (Sorry the back was pretty scarred up-didn't want to take a pix of it!)
I highly recommend all the Elmer products- they worked extremely well on this project. I also LOVE the X=acto scissors- they have a much better cutting length and heft, and I found I had less bo-bos with them. And they felt perfectly balanced in my hand. The only product I didn't use was the corner punch- that will be on the next project! I wish the Glue Spots came more than 8 to a pack, but as I generally don't use that large of one, the pack would fit my needs normally.
So there you have it- one inspired Halloween upcycled memento piece! Hope it gave you some inspiration and made you want to see what you have lurking around in YOUR house that you can use!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received these Elmer's and X-acto items, free of charge,from the companies themselves, as part of a Bzz Agent review kit! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post/review. Nor was I told how to review them, all opinions are my own, and yours may be different.