Nativity

The reason for the season - the birth of our Lord Jesus! His humble birth in a manger is depicted in this nativity set from SnapDragon Snippets, found in their online store here. You can find all the nativity pieces in the store...Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, wise men, an angel, plus the animals, and even the stable! It's a fantastic set; I hope you can get every piece and make your own set!

Thanks for joining me today! Merry Christmas!

3D Rockin' Giftcard Box Tutorial

Create this terrific and unique gift card box

for your favorite teenager, musician, rockstar relative

or other recipient who is "young at heart".

Step 1. Identify and cut the parts you will need.

Step 2. Layer and glue the accent pieces to the guitar base shape.

Step 3. Position and glue the guitar onto the accent lid shape.

 

step 4. Identify the LID (larger) and BOTTOM base shapes. 

Step 5. Center and glue the accent lid to the box LID.

Step 6. Identify the LID boxing strips (narrower) 
and BOTTOM boxing strips.

Step 7. Fold strips on perforations at sides and all tabs.
Attach first strip by matching and gluing side tabs to underside
of LID. Take care that fold edges and lid edges line up exactly.

Step 8. Attach second strip at end tab, attach in similar manner,
then overlap final end and tab.

Step 9. This is how the LID should appear.

Step 10. Repeat the process to attach BOTTOM boxing strips.
This is how the bottom box should look.

Step 11. Prepare the card platform by folding back attached
"boxing". Overlap edges over tab perforations and glue each.
Insert the card into the corner cuts, now or later.

This is how the completed platform should look.

Step 12. Slide platform into box bottom.

Step 13. Place lid over the card inside the box bottom.

This is how your completed gift box should look.

3D Penguin Assembly Tutorial

This perky little fellow will take the chill off any winter day!

Follow the tutorial steps here and see how easily

and quickly he goes together.

Before you know it, you'll have a platoon of penguins

greeting you from a mantle or shelf.

Step 1. Identify the cut pieces that you will need.

A. right side front body, and left side front body

B. center right front body and center left front body

C. center front right and left tummy accent pieces

D. eye pupils piece

E. eye whites piece

F. beak piece

G. back body pieces (interchangeable positions)

Step 2. Complete the face assembly.

Bend each side half downward slightly at perforation.

Bend the tabs as shown:

center two upward,

side two downward.

Attach the pupils, centered, on the eye whites.

Align the base edge of the eye whites assembly

with the back edge of the beak. Make sure it is centered,

then apply glue and attach the tabs to the eye whites back side.

Step 3. Identify the tummy accent pieces with their 

corresponding center front right or left body piece.

(These instructions will indicate the PENGUIN's left or right). 

NOTE that the  wide half of the tummy piece should align 

under the tab. 

Fold each of the pieces as "valley" folds (right sides together), 

Step 4. Prepare to fold and assemble the body pieces. 

This diagram shows an overhead view of how 

the identified body pieces will be placed. 

Fold edges will meet at the center.

As you look at this graphic, the 'A' body piece 

that is on the left half of the circle will be 

the RIGHT A side front body piece, 

and the 'A' body piece that is on the right half of the circle 

will be the LEFT A side front body piece. 

This reversal holds true for the B center front body pieces.

Step 5. Fold each of the front (A & B) body pieces as "valley" folds,

then organize them according to the graphic in Step 4.

Apply glue to the back side surfaces 

that will come together, as shown here.

NOTE that the two tab edges are between the "plain" center layers, 

and the arms are each un-layered at each side.

Step 6. Position and glue the tummy accent pieces in place 

as they were arranged in Step 3. 

Step 7. Fold, arrange and glue the aligning surfaces 

of the 4 G back body pieces.

Step 8. Position the face assembly at the center of

the front head area. NOTE how the side tabs of the beak

will rest on the side tabs of the B body pieces.

Fold the beak side tabs into place and glue to body tabs.

This is how your finished assembly should look.

The final touch is to dress him in his neck scarf.

We used a bit of red ribbon. 

If you have yarn, a few strand

of that will work. Or braid three strands, 

knot off, and wrap around his neck.

(Surprised at how easy that was?)

Here is our miniature holiday world of 

3D paper craft figuresand objects. 

Makes us all feel like kids just looking at them!

Check out the other SnapDragon Snippets 3D design

tutorials on this blog.

Make sure you regularly "BROWSE ARTISTS" to follow the

SnapDragon Snippets offering in the online store.

(Don't want you to miss out on any of the fun!)

3D Santa Assembly Tutorial

Let the fun begin!

Here is a perky holiday decoration using 

one of the easiest 3D styles: slice form.

Step 1. Identify the cut shapes.

A-D are body front pieces

E (4) are body back pieces

F (8) belt accents

G (8) hat tassel ball accents

H (4) mitten fur trim accents

I hat front fur accent

J head     K beard with eye whites    L eye pupils

M nose     N mouth

Step 2. Assemble Santa's face as shown.

Beard overlaps head shape, with hat fur attached near the top of head.

Position and glue eyes, then nose below, then offset, angled mouth.

This image shows head assembly from the backside 

(reversed with top in the downward position here).

You can see how the beard is overlapping the head shape.

Step 3. Glue a belt accent piece onto the

front of each body piece (A-E). 

Take care that the belts are all at the same height

so they will align from one slice to the next.

Here are all the body pieces with the belts in place.

Step 4. Fold all body pieces at center perforations. 

Complete body back half by gluing 4 body sections together, 

aligning and attaching half of one body shape 

with the adjacent halt of the next body shape.

Complete body front half by arranging A-D shapes in sequence, 

then joining in order (left to right) as for back body half.

Join front and back halves to complete body.

Here you can see the assembled body from the front.

The tiny tabs on B & C extend outward so that

the assembled head can be attached there (see Step 7).

Step 6. Fold, then glue each of the tassel "circles" in place 

at the top of each body piece. 

Step 7. Center and attach face onto figure front,

using tiny tabs as a glue-attaching surface.

You can see in this backshot where the tab

is glued behind the top scallop edge of the beard. 

(Both sides will be the same.)

Step 8. Glue mitten fur accents in place.

Now, how will you include this fun dimensional design in

your Christmas decorating or festivities.

We would love to see your pictures on Facebook, Flickr or Pinterest!

3D NoeL phrase by Jodi Warner

And another darling 3D phrase for the holiday from Jodi Warner. Head over to 

Needles 'n' Knowledge 

for the tutorial of how she created this:

She used these shapes from Snapdragon Snippets (just click on the photo to visit the link):

This is a preview of the 3D Manger that will be out sometime the week of Dec. 3rd. 

She also used the 3D Bell Ornament by Samantha Walker (Design #35624) 

I can't remember who did the holly leaves, but there are many to choose from if you wanted to create this same holiday decoration.