12 Days of Ornaments - Day 1!

Hi all! Happy December! A few days ago I was out shopping and came across a bunch of very cool Christmas ornaments. Of course (as is my habit) I said, 'I could make that with a die!' I had so many ideas that I decided I would do twelve of them, for the 12 Days of Christmas. Fun, right?!

My first ornament was inspired by the vintage red camp lanterns that are so perfect for rustic Christmas decor.  The Rusty Lantern die from Tim Holtz is one of my favorite dies from last year. It's one that I didn't have a chance to use when it came out, so I decided to dust it off and try a new technique. I wanted the finish to look like paint that was worn and rusted in some places. Here's how I made it:

Begin by die cutting the lantern from medium weight chipboard that has been covered with foil tape. Cut the knob from the same chipboard, and cut the lantern glass from clear plastic.

Lightly sand the metal and then paint with Walnut Stain Distress Paint. When it's dry, brush over the lantern with embossing ink. Make sure your inking is random.

Sprinkle inked areas with Walnut Stain Distress embossing powder (Update: Walnut Stain is no longer available, you can substitute Vintage Photo, which I've linked to below). Brush it off if it looks too thick. Heat it to emboss. That's our rust!

Next, paint over the whole die cut with Fired Brick Distress Paint. Use a heat tool to dry it to get some bubbling for texture. When it's dry and cool, rub over the embossed areas with a baby wipe to expose the texture. Don't worry if you expose the metal in some places - it just makes it look more worn.

To bring out the texture and add more of a rusty look, ink over the die cut with Potting Soil Archival ink.

If the red paint isn't quite bright enough, sponge over the lantern with a bit of Red Geranium Archival ink. I also went back and added a few more patches of Walnut Stain Distress ep to give it the look of layers of rust. To make sure your ink stays in place, lightly coat the ornament with gloss medium. Finally, ink the glass piece with alcohol ink, add a wire hanger, and tie with a bit of twine and a Tidings Token.

How cool is that rusty texture? I love that it looks decades old, but takes just minutes to create. I hope you'll give this one a try - you will be hooked I'm sure!

All of the supplies I used to create my vintage-inspired lantern ornament can be found at Simon Says Stamp and Amazon via the links below.

Sizzix Rustic Lantern	Walnut Stain Distress Paint	Fired Brick Distress Paint	Distress Embossing Powder - Walnut Stain	Inkssentials Metal Foil Tape
Butterscotch Alcohol Ink	Adirondack Hazelnut Alcohol Ink	VersaMark Ink Pad	Archival Ink - Red Geranium	Archival Ink - Potting Soil
idea-ology Jute String	idea-ology Tidings Tokens	Inkssentials Blending Tool	Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool	Idea-ology Sanding Grip
Vagabond

InLinkz.com

Thanks SO much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed the rusty paint tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it. Tomorrow I'll have another fun ornament and technique...I'll see you then!