Joy's Life

Posted by superjoy on November 21st, 2009 in 3x3 Combo, Cricut, Cricut A Child's Year, Cricut Cartridges, Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Maple Leaf, Gypsy, Home Decoration, crafting

I had fun making this today!

This whole project started because I bought these orange lights at Halloween and didn’t use them.  See, I needed a smaller set of lights so they would fit in these things I have in my kitchen, but I bought this huge set of like 250 lights or something and I couldn’t cram them into the kitchen thing no matter how much I tried.  So, basically I waited too long to return the lights and instead of cutting my losses, I bought a glass block to cram them in and then built a project around that.  I never learn.  The worst part?  I have another box full of those lights.  Guess there’s another glass block in my future huh?

Now shall we stare at the side view?  I think so.

Wanna Know How I Did This?  Sweet!  I was hoping you would ask.

1. I bought the glass block at Hobby Lobby. (It’s hollow inside…the block is, not Hobby Lobby.  Hobby Lobby has a chocolate center.)
2. I cut a little slit in the rubber stopper that’s in the bottom of the glass block so I could fit the stopper around the light strand and plug it in.
3. I plugged it in and stared at my new creation called, “Lights Crammed in Glass Block.”  I let that sit for a few days as “art”.  Then I realized that “Lights in Glass Block” is only art in the mildest form…so I started planning how I would decorate it.
4. I used the Cuttlebug Maple Leaf combo Die Set in my Big Shot.  It’s a die that you run through an embossing machine that cuts out, in this case, a Maple leaf.  After you cut out the leaf, you place it in an embossing folder of the same shape and it embosses the leaf.  Very Cool.  So, I did that for all the leaves.
5. I used several different (basically black, brown and white) Colorbox catseye chalks to ink each leaf so the embossing would show up better.
6. I created the Happy Fall Yall sentiment on my Gypsy using the A Childs Year Cricut cartridge for the font.
7. With the Gypsy, I was able to weld all my letters together and then cut them out on my Cricut Expression.
8. I used the Deep Cut Blade (blue) and a disassembled cereal box to cut out “Happy Fall Yall”.  So cool!  The cereal box cardboard worked GREAT!  Sadly, I had no luck cutting actual chipboard.  So, I had to use the cereal box backup.  I’ve got to practice more with cutting chipboard.
9. I cut “Happy Fall Yall” in 2 sizes so I could do that shadow effect.  I applied cardstock over the final cuts using Zip Dry.  That stuff is AWESOME!
10. I taped some black velvet ribbon around the sides of the block.  Really…I just used Scotch tape and taped it on at the bottom.  Simple!  Oh and I found that ribbon when I was cleaning out a drawer in my dresser the other day.  Weird.
11. Then I just used some pop dots to stick the leaves and sentiment to the block.
12. I pop dotted some leaves to the top and….
13. TA DA!!!  I plugged it in and I was finished.

Honestly, the only reason I used paper, tape and pop dots on this project was because I planned to disassemble it after Thanksgiving and either do a vinyl design or glass etch the block for Christmas.  However, DH likes it so much, he wants to just put it away as is!   This means I have to go to Hobby Lobby and buy another glass block.  Woo hoo…a trip to Hobby Lobby!!!

Now Go Make Some Glass Block Art!!