Book Paper Ornaments

Hello, hostess Tami here with a project using one of my favorite recycled materials...
book papers.

Stamping on book papers can add interest to your designs as you have a built in text background to provide more impact to your image. Bright ink colors will pop off the pages to create a feel of modern mixing with old. And using muted colors will lend your project a vintage feel. So select the ink colors and stamp designs that fit your style.

For this project, I decided to use a bright, bold red - Fireberry Archival Dye Ink, and a little less vivid green - Golf Course Archival Dye Ink.  I love the mix of old and new, vintage and modern, so I selected stamps with scroll and damask designs. Here's my finished ornament...

Here is a view of the stamped images...

These ornaments are simple to make, and when done assembly line fashion, you can make them by the dozens pretty quickly. And since you can make quite a few from just one vintage book, they are also inexpensive. So whether you are decorating your own tree or making these for gifts, you won't spend either a lot of time or money on this project.

You can also use a variety of dies or punches in your choice of shapes to vary the look of the ornament. My ornament started out as a bracketed square, and when folded in half diagonally, created this pretty diamond shape. You can also add layers to make the ornaments fuller if you like; mine has 8 layers.

Here is a view from the top of the ornament, the more layers you add, the more "points" it will have...

An added bonus is that these ornaments can be folded flat for gifting and storage...

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap Products:

• ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Fireberry and Golf Course
• ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan

Other Products:

• Harmonie: Damask Stamp
• Hampton Art: Christmas Emporium 2
• Spellbinders: Nestabilities: Labels One
• The Twinery: Cappuccino Baker's Twine
• Beacon Adhesives: Zip Dry
• Book Paper - 8 pages

Tools:

• Scissors and bone folder.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Diecut 8 shapes from book papers.
2. Stamp the front of each diecut using the scroll stamp with Golf Course and the damask stamp with Fireberry Ink.
3. Ink the edges of the front of each diecut using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.
4. Fold each diecut in half diagonally with the stamped designs to the INSIDE; creasing well with bone folder.
5. WITHOUT UNFOLDING, begin stacking and adhering the layers. Lay one diecut down and apply glue along the edges and a bit at the center. Then lay another folded diecut on top, lining up the edges and having the folded sides even with the first piece. {NOTE: make sure that all diecuts have the writing facing the same direction as you stack.} 
6. Continue applying glue and stacking the layers - taking care that you line up the edges as EVENLY as you can as you go - until all 8 pieces have been adhered in the stack.
7. Cut an 8" piece of twine, fold in half and knot ends together. 
8. Pick up layers and open, bringing the bottom piece around to the top piece. Apply a thin bead of glue in crease and add knotted end of twine, with loop end extending out the top. 
9. Apply glue to one side, and adhere bottom and top piece together to form ornament. Pressing well, especially at loop end to flatten.
10. Ornament will easily fold in half; just divide layers evenly at each side and gently press.

In December I'll show you an idea for using the leftover book paper to make a card. You've already cut a "window" out of it for your ornament shape, why not put that piece to use too!