Monday, October 22, 2012

The Witching Hour by Laura


For this Connie Crystal Tombow Collaboration, I am featuring a Halloween Cake Stand.  It has a LOT of parts.  It is supposed to be your own creation, so I am breaking it down into sections for you.  You can use just the parts that you like. 

MAIN CAKE STAND
MATERIALS:
Parmesan Cheese Shaker (I bought mine from the Dollar Store)
Cheap Pizza Tray  (Also from the Dollar Store)
Black Sharpie
Big Bite from We R Memory Keepers
Black Brads
Two 8x10 Black Adhesive Backed Foamie Sheets
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
We R Memory Keepers Witching Hour Die Cut Paper
Scissors

DIRECTIONS:
1)  Position lid of cheese shaker on the bottom of the pizza tray and use Sharpie to trace around it and dot in the holes.
2)  Use the Big Bite to punch holes on the tray that match the cheese shaker.
3)  Match up the cheese holes from the top of the lid to the bottom of the pizza tray.
4)  Attach lid to tray with brads, keeping the heads in the lid and opening the bottoms on the top of the pizza tray.

5)  Cut Foamie Sheets to match the circular pizza pan.  Each should be in a semi circle and they should match up in the center.
6)  Cut a smaller circle out of the center of the large foam circle to coincide with the circular area of opened brads.  This foam circle will be raising the paper off of the base so that it doesn't pucker.
7)  Place the paper over the top of the foam to make sure that it fits right.  Trim a little if necessary.
8)  Use the Tombow glue on the back of the paper die cut.  Attach to the foam and let dry.
9)  Use the Big Bite on the rim of the pizza plan to create small holes next to all twelve of the markings on the paper clock. 
10) Estimate the halfway point between the holes and punch the larger size hole with the Big Bite.
11)  Use the Sharpie to color the rim.

Okay, so I thought that when I finished this part, I would be just about done.  Sadly, the pizza pan was much bigger than the cheese shaker, so when I put pressure on one side of the pan, it threatened to flip.  Therefore, I had to create the

PILLARS
 
MATERIALS:
Cardboard tubes (you could use toilet paper rolls, but I used the rolls from my Silhouette Vinyl)
Foamcore  (I used 3 8x10 sheets)
Craft Knife
Steel Ruler
Chipboard or self healing mat to cut on
Pen or pencil
Rubber creatures (I used snakes, but they were very difficult, a softer rubber is best)
Masking Tape
Stone Fleck Spray Paint
 
DIRECTIONS:
1)  Measure distance needed to go from table to bottom of pizza pan.  Subtract 1".
2)  Mark and cut four cardboard tubes to size.
3)  Measure the diameter of the bottom of the tube.
4)  Use craft knife and metal ruler over chipboard to cut the foamcore to these sizes:  8 square pieces that are 1" larger than the diameter, 8 square pieces that are 3/4" larger than the diameter, and 8 square pieces that are 1/2" larger than the diameter.
5)  Place two pieces of foamcore above and two pieces below the tube and place under the overhanging plate.  It should almost fit, but just be a little bit bigger than the opening.
6)  Trace the tube on the smallest piece of foamcore.  Cut out the circle.

 
7)  Trace the circle you just created on the medium sized piece of foamcoare.  You will cut outside and inside the line, but only cut through the upper layer, not all the way through the foamcore.

7)  Remove the ring you have created.
8)  Use the Tombow Mono glue inside the circle on the smallest piece.  Slip over tube and push down about 1/4".  Do this on the top and bottom of all four tubes.


9)  Apply Tombow Glue to the bottom of the foamcore and to the inside of the ring that you removed in step 7.  Press tube into medium sized piece.  Be sure to give it a little pressure.  Also, make sure that smaller piece makes contact with medium piece.  Do with tops and bottoms of all four columns.
10)  Apply glue to bottom of the medium piece and attach to the larger piece.  Do this with the tops and bottoms of all four columns.
11)  Apply glue to bottom of rubber snake.
12)  Attach snake to column and tape down to let dry.  Do to all four.
13)  After snake is dry, remove tape.
14)  Any areas of snake that are raised up can be tacked down with Power Tabs.
15)  Spray paint all four columns.  Now, this is the tricky part.  Follow the directions completely.  I live in Michigan, where it was colder than recommended and humid.  I also applied it MUCH too heavily.  It took way too long to dry, and in that amount of time, the wet paint damaged the glue.  I would have been better off using a room temperature, well ventilated spot in the house, as recommended.  I had to reapply the snakes later.  (They would also have stuck better if they were a more flexible rubber).  You shouldn't have to reapply them.
 
SPIDERS
MATERIALS:
Grungeboard
Manual Die Cut Machine
Craft Knife
Cutting surface
Heat Gun
Black 20 Gauge Wire
Black 18 Gauge Wire
Wire Cutters
Jewelry Pliers
Black Chain
Black Jump Rings--24 small, 12 large
 
DIRECTIONS
1)  Use manual die cut machine and Sizzix Die to cut twelve spiders.
2)  Use Big Bite to punch two holes in spiders--one for head and one for body.
3) Measure the crystals against the spiders and scratch with craft knife where you would like to cut.
4)  Enlarge holes with craft knife.  It helps to outline new hole size and then make cuts leading up to that new hole. Use the craft knife tip to make hole in "mouth".

5)  Cover front and back with Archival Ink.  Let dry.
6)  Use the Tombow Mono Aqua glue in the holes and add red Connie Crystals.  Let dry.

7)  Insert small jump ring in "mouth" hole.
8)  Use Versamarker pen around crystals and in body of spider.
9)  Add Black Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel and heat set.
10) Add Connie Crystal Raindrop into "mouth ring" with 20 guage wire. 
11)  Put top of spiders' "strings" in the smaller holes.  Fold over the "string" to length desired and wrap closed with 20 guage wire.  Do not try to make the same length.
12)  Cut 6 lengths of chain.  Pass each through two of the large holes, leaving the chain between on the top of the plate and passing it through the loop left by spider. 
13)  Attach Teardrop Connie Crystal and small red Connie Crystal at each end of chain.
14)  Use large jump ring through link on top of plate to lock the chain into place.
15)  Cut pieces from remaining chain and use small jump rings to attach to the larger jump rings.  Drape chaing between teardrops as in above picture.
 
FINAL BITS
MATERIALS:
Rubber Rat
Glow Bracelet
 
DIRECTIONS:
1)  Place glow bracelet, Fantasy Fiber and rubber rat into glass bottom of cheese shaker and reattach to the lid.
2)  Use Tombow glue to attach pillars
 
 
Now, if you want to put this through some real washing, be sure to spray it with a sealant of some sort.  While the crystals and cheese shaker would not need to be sprayed, everything else should be.  I tried to assemble it in a way that some of the chain can be removed fairly easily, but it might still be a pain.  I would recommend that you use this cake plate either for decorative purposed, with a large doily or paper covering or with prewrapped goodies.
Happy Halloween!
 




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