Cosmo Cricket

How to Fold Christmas Trees from Half Circles

I have been seeing these cute trees hung as ornaments, strung together on garlands and decorating handmade tags and cards. But, how does one fold them? I'm sure there are tutorials out there, but I couldn't find one. So, after a bit of trial and error I have it figured out for us all!

You can see the wrong fold lines in my first attempt, but I think it just adds character!

Use this pattern to make yours quick and easy.... or if you're like me, just wing it, refold if necessary and trim off any overhanging paper!

  Download Folded Christmas Tree Pattern | Cosmo Cricket

There are a few tricks that may help you out too.

1. I used our 8" mini deck and cut my circles 8". This makes the perfectly sized tree to fill a standard card base.

2. Our mini deck papers are single sided so I cut two half circles for each tree. This was nice because I could pick the patterns I wanted to go together. If you use our 12" papers, they are all double-sided so if you cut your tree slightly smaller at 6" you would get 8 trees from one sheet.

3.  If you like dimension, put a couple pop dots under each layer and don't crease the folds as tightly. I like this look when they are used as ornaments!
 
4. Have fun! 

We love Sketches with Hexas

I posted this sketch a while back on our facebook page, but I don't think it ever made it to the blog. It's a great one though... especially if you love hexagons, multiple photos and double page  layouts!

Please enjoy!

And, congratulations go to Nicole Doiron who said, "Aww... these are great! I would so love to win! I would use them as middle of flowers! Really, the possibilities are endless. Thanks for the chance to win! :)" Nicole, please send your info to me, julie at cosmocricket dot com and I'll make sure you get your prize. Please put Button and Brad Winner in the title of your email. Thanks!

Here's one more project idea for Nicole's prize. I've shown it before, with instructions, but it's still one of my favorites.



Now go, create, make something beautiful... it's almost friday! :)

 

19 Signs You've Been Married Too Long

September 2, 1993 Julie met Eric in Logan, Utah to tie the knot. 19 years later, they are forgetting their own anniversary.

I guess that's the first sign you've been married too long. Here are 18 more!

18. You finish each other's sentences... or just pretend you did and quit listening early.
17. You know how the other takes his coffee, tops his burger and prefers his eggs.
16. You can recite the exact order and idiosyncracies of the other's bedtime routine.
15. You can't sleep without him in your bed. In fact, even if he is in bed, if he can't sleep you somehow know and can't sleep either.
14. You now look like each other... and he's even starting to look like other member's of your family.

13. You have finally won the battle of getting a family pet. I was an early achiever... it only took me 16 years!
12. You have lost the battle between cottage charm and mid-century modern. George Nelson lamp anyone?
11. You can admit that you never did like Elvis Costello and that mixed tape that he made you was sweet, but never played.
10. He can admit that he doesn't like board games... even if it's playing them with you.
9. You don't have to ask him if something makes you look fat because you can just see it on his face. You can still get mad at him for it though! (Yes, I realize logically it isn't his fault that something makes me look fat, but it is his fault for thinking it!)
8. He no longer freaks out at buying feminine products. He may even call from the store to ask if he should pick up any.
7. When he uses your tweezers to pluck his nose hairs you don't get grossed out.
6. He expects you to use his razor and has started shaving in the shower since that's where you leave it.
5. You tell him when he has something stuck in his teeth and if he can't get it out, you remove it for him without even a second thought.
4. When he hears your spider scream, he comes running with shoe in hand yelling, "Where is it?Where is it?"
3. Using the same tooth brush no longer grosses you out.
2. You can pee in front of each other. I can't even pee in public bathrooms easily, so that is really saying something!
1. When you fart in front of each other, unless it's really comment worthy, nobody even bothers to notice.

PS: Here is the sketch for the above layout. Enjoy if you'd like.



 

DIY Doll House: Free Pattern Download

Making a doll house is a really fun thing to do! Ours is perfectly sized to fit on a bookshelf or in a small tote bag and work with our Lucille Doll or other small dolls like Strawberry Shortcake and Polly Pocket.

For our version, you will need an old game board. If you don't have one, you can get one for about $2 at a thrift store, at least in my area.

First, cut your gameboard in half, perpendicular to the fold that goes through the middle.

Fold the two sections in half like a book, then glue one on top of the other. You will have a single layer of gameboard on both covers, and a double layer of gameboard as the middle "page."

Paint any edges of the gameboard you don't want to show. These include the outside spine of the "book", the folding seams between pages and the raw cut edge if it bothers you. (You won't be able to cover the folding parts of the book with paper and still have it open and close properly.)

Can you see the black paint I used? I should have got a better pic to demonstrate this. Sorry!



All the pages will still open completely flat for cutting doors and windows so you can add those to any rooms you like. You would have to cut through two layers of gameboard on the center room though. (Too much work for myself!)

Now that your base is assembled, it's time to decorate! 

You can use my pattern:  Download Doll House_Julie Comstock_free pattern






Or get creative and come up with your own!

PS: Feel free to share this pattern with your friends, kid's groups, Pinterest followers, your second-cousin-once-removed's girlfriend, etc. We just ask that you not use it for any commerical purpose. If you notice anyone selling our freebies or using them commercially, please let us know. Thanks!!! 

Element Inspiration: Free Sketch

We have had some great entries for our element challenge so far that I'm excited to show on Monday. If you haven't played along with us yet, I'm here to inspire you.

I personally love our elements. I use them on almost every project I do. In fact, I love them so much that sometimes I get a bit carried away. Ok, maybe more than a bit.

One of my favorite element layouts is this one I did for my Grandma.

Since I used almost an entire sheet of elements, I thought it may spark some ideas for your element projects. So, I made a sketch from it (yes, my sketches come after my layouts are made). Please enjoy!

 Have a great weekend everyone. I hope you all have fun plans!

Tea Card Template

I had a couple friends ask for instructions on Donna's tea card from yesterday's post.

It is so cute and since I'm making several myself, I decided to create this template for all of you. Use it to give away tea bags, gift cards, tattoos or any other little gifts you can think of.

If you do, send us a pic (julie at cosmocricket dot com) or post a pic on our facebook page. I know I speak for all our followers, along with myself, when I say that we LOVE seeing what you come up with! 


To construct your card, begin with a 6.5"x5.5" rectangle of patterned paper. I really love the heavier stock Advantus is using to print our designs. It is perfect for this project.

Score your cardstock on the dotted lines at the measurements given. 

Use a 1" circle punch to cut your tabs by placing the paper into it halfway only.

Fold on score lines.

Glue or stitch where the paper overlaps on the center binding and on the edges of the pockets.

Decorate the front. If adding a ribbon to tie it closed, run it underneath another layer of paper for a secure hold.

Give to a lucky friend and wait for the good karma to come back your way!