String Art Embellishments

Does anyone remember Spirograph?  I think I still have a few pieces in a drawer somewhere.  My kids loved it and so did I!  We would make the most amazing patterns by just putting a colored pen in a hole in a clear plastic cog like disc and going round and round and round and round a larger disc.

August 1st, is First Monday, when CHA designers in the Designer Crafts group post projects.  Our theme this month is "Favorite Techniques" and, although, I love lots of different techniques, this kind of string art has to be my all-time favorite.  Probably because it reminds me so much of the Spirograph patterns we used to make.  Take a close look at the flower-like embellishments on these scrapbook pages and on the front of the card.

 

These are string art embellishments, created by wrapping a notched flower shape with metallic or plain thread in one or more colors.  After the shapes are wrapped with thread, different sizes can be layered to make the more intricate looking shapes.  It's very easy to do and, I have to admit, quite addictive because once you get the hang of it, you're successful every time and there's so much you can do with the embellishments.  I made the one below into a book mark, but it could just as easily be used to decorate a gift bag, gift box, or hang on a tree.  You can even put a small photo in the center.

 You can use punches to create the shapes, but they are quite expensive.  I have a die that I use, but you can also cut around a circle with decorative edge scissors to create the notches for stringing.  Any kind of circle with notches would work for this technique.  Spellbinders' Nestability™ dies with scalloped or pinked edges work well.

I'll post instructions on a separate page and I may be able to package some pre-cut circles for my website, Craft Lane Designs if you would like some.  They're not available right now, but I'll try to have a selection ready by the time we announce the "Giveaway" winner on August 15th.   You'll have to let me know though if I need to do this, cutting more than a few is pretty time consuming.

So, you may be wondering, what is the giveaway this month........  I posted a photo a couple of days ago, but here it is again

There are two Marvy embossing punches, a large tag punch and a McGill folder and small envelope punch.  I also include a few extra "goodies" too, but they will have to be a surprise.  

Enter to win by hopping forward thru the Designer Crafts Blog Connection via our logo (mine is in the sidebar to the left) then leave a comment here on my blog about which technique is your favorite and which project you liked best.  The designer with the most votes will also win something.  The winner will be decided by a random drawing and announced on August 15th, so y'all come back now...........

Yours truly,

Julie :)