jokomp3.blogspot.com - Back in October, whilst drooling over a Hallowe'en display from MK's Little Cabinet of Curiosities, a small votive shown in Madame Kismet's post captured the insomniac's attention. MK was most generous and allowed the insomniac to “borrow” the photo for reference so she could attempt to make something similar. As was to be expected, the end result bears little resemblance to the original except for the black Dresden trim, which at a distance looks a bit like the metal trim on the prototype. Possibly the fact Madame Kismet purchased the votive in Frankfurt sparked the idea of covering one's interpretation with pages from an old German book instead of leaving it plain. Whatever the reasoning behind the somewhat perplexing deviations that were made during the recreation, one can't help but feel pleased with the final outcome.
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| MK's Original Votive |
Should you not happen to have an old German book with this particular Gothic Font in your collection, here are some pages to start you on your way. Print out a copy of the text and paste it onto your glass container with some sort of decoupage medium such as Mod Podge or Collage Pauge. Then give the paper an aged look with either Distress Ink (apply after the decoupage medium has dried) or Distress Stain (apply while medium is still wet). Trim the paper to fit by ripping it while wet to create a tattered edge. Add some Dresden trim around the top (Collage Stuff has a lovely selection of black trims) with whatever glue you have at hand. Might one suggest that Diamond Glaze, the only glue left in the cupboard that had not dried up since last Christmas, was not a good choice. You may want to try something different.
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| Page 1 |
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| Page 2 |
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| Page 3 |
If you're planning to keep the votive, add a coat of clear varnish to protect the paper. But in the unlikely event you've not cleaned off your craft table properly and have small pieces of grey melton wool from the mukluks you're currently working on embedded in the decoupage medium, you should probably avoid the varnish so the paper can be easily removed after Christmas and you can redo the votive again next year. Note to Self: make more of an effort to centre the paper on the large votive a bit better next year ...
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| The Insomniac's Versions Distress Ink on left votive (subtle aging effect) Distress Stain on right votive (not so subtle) |
To create the stars shown tastefully tossed amongst the votives above, cut pieces of cardboard in your desired shape. Glue a piece of the text onto the front and back of the cardboard, then trim to fit the cardboard. Distress the edges with a Distress Ink Pad (Dusty Concord has been used on the cut-outs below), and glitter the edges with Stickles glitter glue which will hide the cardboard interior nicely. These little cut-outs have many different uses during the holidays, such as:
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| Adding a bit of purple filler to the black glittered pine cone display ... |
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| ... or extending the life of your centerpiece by strategically covering up the dying greenery. |
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| 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a Corvidae Corvus ... |
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| The stockings made of old upholstery material were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there ... |
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| His eyes - how they twinkled! His dimples: how merry, When he saw that they'd left him a decanter of sherry! |
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| But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight - Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night! |
The insomniac will be taking a brief hiatus from blogging over the holiday season, returning again on January 13th. First on the post-Christmas To Do list, the refinishing and reupholstering of a lovely Gothic settee and chair; to be made ready for sale in the Attic and someone's eventual enjoyment of it in their Gothic Mansion. But not this Gothic Mansion, because obviously there is no more room. And the only New Year's resolution one has any intention whatsoever of keeping, is that 2013 will be the year the downsizing process begins. Really.
Until next time, the insomniac wishes you nights of blissful sleep filled with pleasant dreams. Goodnight, my pretties. And a very Merry Christmas to you and yours ... xox.
IA
Sources:
'Twas the Night Before Christmas or A Visit from St. Nicholas, Clement Clarke Moore - the slightly modified version.
source : http://insomniacsattic.blogspot.com, http://pinterest.com, http://docstoc.com
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