Home is Where the Heart Is - Wall Hanger



TOP TIP!   I just wanted to pass on a tip for cutting board.  If I am cutting mount board I put an old blade in my paper trimmer and use it to score the card before I then cut it using a metal edged ruler and craft knife.  Don't forget not to try to cut through the mount board in one pass.  Run the craft knife down the cut several times to cut through the board.  It is much safer as you are much less likely to slip or break your blade.  I would recommend a Tim Holtz ruler or any gridded ruler to help when you are cutting and measuring card without a paper trimmer or guilotine as the grids help keep your squares square!


This fun hanger was inspired by a card I designed for a Grungy Monday challenge.  It is a great way to use up your scraps of paper.

Step 1:   Start by gathering a selection of patterned papers that you think will coordinate with each other.  Look at the picture above to work out how many papers you will need.


Step 2:   Cut a piece of board 9" x 3".  My board already had a white shiny surface.  If your board does not then cut a piece of gloss card that measures 9" x 3" and attach it to the board with glue and allow it to dry.  Look through your stamps and find a suitable background stamp to use.  Mine was a freebee I picked up at a show and has swirls and dots.  Stamp over your entire board using perfect medium ink and emboss with clear embossing powder.  We are creating a resist.


Step 3:   Use Distress Inks (DI) and either an ink blending tool or cut and dry foam to blend over the embossed image with Shabby Shutters (Central) and a combination of Chipped Sapphire, Broken China and Evergreen Bough around the edges.  When you have achieved a blended effect and depth of colour you like wipe over the board with a piece of kitchen roll to remove any ink from the embossed pattern.


Step 4:   Cut 2 strips of card that measure 9 ½" x ¾" and 2 that measure 3" x ¾".  Score along the length of each strip at ¼".



Step 5:   Attach Double Sided Tape (DST) to the back of all 4 strips.  (I used two strips of tape as I did not have a wider DST!)  As we have used DI to colour the board you need to heat set them with your heat gun being careful not to over melt the embossed image.  Starting with the two longest strips wrap the top and bottom edges of the board.  The score lines are the a guide to make an even boarder of ¼" frame around the edge of the board.  Next apply the short strips to the ends of the board.  Mitre each end of the strips up to the score line to make neat frame corners.  To make sure the strips are stuck down well burnish them with an embossing tool or similar.


Step 6:   All the pieces of this hanger have been sketched and cut free hand.  Don't be afraid as the quirky look of this hanger means that you do not need to be able to draw.  Just a few simple shapes and suddenly you have a house.  If you want to email me and I will be happy to send you my sketch that you can print out and use as a template.  I started with an oblong of board measuring 3" x 2½" and then tapered the sides from the top to the bottom.  Make a mark ½" from the left and right hand sides on the bottom edge and cut to these points to make the body of your house (see the rough sketch above).


Step 7:   All the papers that cover my shapes are stuck down with Ranger's Matte finish Glue and Seal  (PVA glue will work also) and all the shapes are covered in the same way unless I indicate otherwise.  Glue the front face of the house to the reverse of the patterned paper.  Cut around the shape leaving enough paper to wrap over the edges of the shape.  It is easier to use patterned papers rather than card stock to wrap the shapes.  Mitre the corners and then glue each side in turn to wrap the shape.


Step 8:   If your shape is likely to be seen from the back then it looks better if you cover the reverse of the shape.  Use your shape as a template and put it wrapped side down on the reverse of the printed paper.  Draw around it with a pencil.  Cut out the shape slightly inside the line you have drawn.  Stick the shape to the back of the shape in this case the house body.


Step 9:   Using your house body as a guide draw and cut out shapes for the Roof, Chimney Pot and Chimney Top.  The wonkier the cuter so be brave!


Step 10:   Cover the front of each of the shapes using the same method as described in Step 7.


Step 11:   Cover the reverse of each of the shapes following the same method as described in Step 8.


Step 12:   Glue a piece of cotton lace or similar to the back of the roof to make a pretty facia....I think those double glazing and facia salesmen are missing a trick!  Trim the ends of the lace to neaten.  Repeat the process on the triangle that forms the Chimney Top.


Step 13:   Glue the roof into position on the house.  Again wonky is good!  The roof overlaps the top of the house by about ½".


Step 14:   Glue the Chimney Pot to the back of the roof and the Chimney Top to the front of the Pot! to build your house.  Allow the glue to dry.


Step 15:   All the shapes on the plaque are outlined with black pen.  I used a black Sakura Identipen for the outlining and any doodling I did using a black Sakura Micron Arkival Ink pen and a White Signo.



Step 16:   Cut out two large and two small arches in contrasting papers to make the windows and a wonky oblong to make a door.  Secure in position with glue and allow to dry completely.

Do not doodle with your pens over any wet glue as you will stop them working.... I should know!!


Step 17:   Cut out a heart shape and a tree trunk shape (is this a parallelogram or maybe a trapezium?).


Step 18:   The heart and trunk are wrapped using the method described in Step 7 but you will need to snip the edges of the heart to wrap the paper neatly around the shape.

                             

Step 19:   Stick the Heart-shaped tree top to its trunk and draw around the edges using a Sakura identipen or similar.

 Step 20:   To assemble the project first doodle squares around the black frame of the board using a white Signo pen or similar.  Next punch a hole in the top right and left corners of the plaque using the large hole of a crop-o-dile or similar.  Cut a piece of paper to form a path from the front door of the house and glue into place.  While the glue is drying doodle on your house.  Use the photo above as a guide or be like Frank Sinatra and 'doodle it your way'!  I stuck my house in position with Pinflair Glue Gel but you could also use a hot glue gun, strong glue or strong DST.  Doodle paving stones on your path and I found two cute cat buttons and a heart in my stash to embellish further.


Step 21:   Stick a small piece of scrap board to the back of the heart tree top so that you can adhere the heart tree to the plaque without a wobble!  I used Pinflair Glue Gel again for this.


Step 22:   It was when I freehand cut the word 'Home' from some black and white paper that I decided I wanted the word 'is' to be on the heart so cut out a small pennant shape from board and wrap with paper before doodling around the edge and adhering to the tree.  Glue the word 'Home' centrally between the house and the tree.


Step 23:   More doodling and embellishing.  First doodle the rest of the phrase 'is where the' and 'is' using the photo above as a guide.  Next use the small hole of the crop-o-dile to punch 3 small holes in the base of the tree trunk and hang charms from each using 3 small jump rings.  I used small piers to do this and it was still a bit fiddly as the board is thick and the jump rings I had were small!  I got there in the end.  My final embellishing was to adhere gems to the heart on the roof and to the centres of the flowers on the heart tree top using Ranger's Glossy Accents and I also used it to trace over all my lettering to add a little glossy dimension.  Put it to one side so that it can dry before attaching the wire hanger.


Step 24:   Please excuse my messy cutting mat (and I turned it over to it's less messy side!!)  I used a piece of plastic coated coloured wire to make a hanger for the plaque.  Cut a strip of wire about 16" long and find the centre and create a loop by twisting the wire around itself.  Next use a wooden skewer and wrap the wire around it 3 times to form a short spring to the left and right of the hanging loop.  on the right hand side thread on some beads.  I had letter beads and spelt the word 'love'.   Hold the beads in place with another spiral of wire.  Repeat the spiral on the left hand side leaving a gap.  I did not add beads to this side of the hanger as it sits behind the house.  When the glossy accents you applied on the previous step is dry, attach the wire hanger by threading the ends of the wire through the holes you punched in the top left and right-hand corners.  Adjust the length of the hanger until you are happy with it and secure in position by wrapping the wire around itself a few times.  Trim of any excess using small pliers to finish.


 I hope you have fun with this project.  Don't forget to email me if you want me to send you the sketch template.  I would love to see your plaque if you want to leave me a link to a photo or blog that would be fab.

3 comments:

  1. I totally love this Helen and have emailed you about the template. It would be so perfect for the 'Friend who has everything' who is moving in the near future. I am so excited by this. I will probably do one of your late nights over this, haha :0)
    Mo x

    ReplyDelete
  2. So excited. I am almost finished my first one! :D x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Helen, My friend has received her gift so I have now uploaded the pictures on my Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65345361@N02/7450624890/in/photostream
    Mo x

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. I always love to read them and if you have a question for me I will reply. Thanks again, Helen x
PS have had stop Anonymous comments as I am getting a lot of spam. I am so sorry to any real commenters that this affects. Feel free to email me if you want to and I will get back to you that way instead x

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