Flourished Baroque Candle Bowl

For You, O Lord, are my Lamp; the Lord lightens my darkness.

II Samuel 22 : 29

 Welcome to another Smorgasbord Saturday in connection with Cooking with Cricut / Paper Crafting World!  We on the Design Team are challenged to create something more unusual than the mere cards and layouts that we do so well – something out of the ordinary – ‘out of the box,’ as is currently an oft-used term.

This week I came across several ideas as I was working on other projects and actually changed my mind several times as to the ‘how to implement’ what I hoped for the final outcome.  I wanted something 'rustically elegant,' easy to do and inexpensive to make.  I ultimately decided that the ‘candle jar’ I had been mulling over would be THIS one!

Candle Bowl - unlit

Candle Bowl -lit

Ingredients:

*  a Dollar Store small ‘fish bowl’ (You can use an empty jar, also, as I LOVE to re-purpose those things, as you might know!)

*  remnants of the ‘packing paper’ that the ‘fish bowl’ was wrapped in at the Dollar Store  (!!)

*  my ‘homemade ModPodge’ – made from inexpensive White Glue and water, mixed about 50/50 –

*  the ‘FlourishedBaroque Elements 2 cf’ from CWC/PCW ( I used one of the several elements in the file – sized so that 3 fit around the middle of the bowl)

*  a Tea light candle

Candle bowl - side view

Directions:

*  Tip the bowl upside down on a bottle of some sort, making sure it’s steady.  Paint the bowl exterior with ‘Mod Podge.’  Wrap the light-weight brown Kraft paper – or whatever you have decided to use – tissue paper or a light weight paper of your choice - around the bowl, starting at the bottom of the bowl, smoothing it to conform to the shape of the bowl and meeting the edges at the back of the bowl, overlapping slightly. 

*  Push the excess paper toward the ‘top’ of the bowl inside until the paper is dry.  Either air-dry it for a while, or as I did, use a heat tool/hairdryer to dry it.  Once dry, trim the paper to ‘just over the edge and into the bowl,’ applying a tad of ‘MP’ to affix it to the rim of the bowl.

*  Apply the design of your choice using ‘ModPodge.’  Apply another coat of ‘ModPodge’ to the whole bowl exterior.  Dry it.

*  Cut a circle of paper or felt just smaller than the bottom of the bowl and adhere it with Tacky Glue.

*  Use either a Tea light or small (1 ½”) candle inside the bowl.

Using 1  1/2" candle

Using Tea light

Now it’s Your turn to create something unusual with any one of Melin’s files – then link it over there at CWC/PCW so we all can see!  Be sure to get the FREE files that Melin also offers this week:

There is also a SALE going on there:

Let me know if you have any questions for me – I look forward to seeing Your creativity! 

Welcome to Your New Home!

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,

 in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

Isaiah 32:18

My son, a Marine Captain (USNA ’05), recently returned from his third deployment – the first two to Iraq and this last one to Afghanistan.  He’s now to be stateside for a while.  He has found a townhouse to rent near where he is stationed and has been re-united with his canine friend who was just a pup when they were separated last year.  Dear Friends in another state were kind enough to care for ‘my Granddog’ while my son was away, and they are now happily back together.  Argos is a Belgian Shepherd and I wanted to include him in a card I was designing for my son and him.

I found a photo of a Belgian Shepherd online and transformed it into an .svg file with my SCAL2 program.  I made 2 cuts of it so I could cut the legs and tail further and give it a 3D effect with Pop-Dots. I used Glossy Accents for his eye and nose.

I used a ‘bare tree’ .svg file that I got quite a while ago and then added punched and inked leaves, adding dimension.  I cut the Birdhouse and Flourish(CWV/PCW .svg file.)  I cut a Bluebird .svg that I’ve had for a while, adding ‘flowers’ to the leaf flourish with glitter paint and Glossy Accents for clear dimension. 

I used a piece of ripped paper, ink and a small make-up sponge to make clouds and grass.  A piece of discontinued wallpaper completed the landscape at the front.

I typed the sentiment in WORD, printed it and punched it with an EKSuccess punch, adding a black punched piece to offset it.

I sent it and it arrived to ‘Welcome My Guys’ to their home on their first day there!  Not much I can do from across the continent, but I hope it conveyed a bit of my Enormous Love for them…

What things do you do for someone moving into a new home?  All ideas welcome -  I have other ideas for others in my life who have recently moved, also…  

If you are having trouble finding a specific .svg cut file, let me know and I’ll see what I can do for you – I enjoyed making the dog for this project and I’ve made several other images for other projects.  ;-}

NOTE!!
I've just discovered a great blog to connect with and have linked up to her 'Inspire Me Mondays' -
Stop by there and visit the creativeness shared!     Create with Joy -    ;-}   This week I am #99 !!