Smooshy Stack Trees!

I think you guys have been rubbing off on me (which totally explains my new multiple personality disorder).  I got bit by the Christmas bug a tad early this year.  I know some of you crazies ladies have been counting down the days till Christmas since Dec 26, 2008 (you know you have...  you can't fool me) but that's not normally me!  My Christmas frenzy doesn't usually start until it's MUCH closer to November!

So when I was making smooshy stack butterflies last week I busted out a smooshy stack tree too and had another *POOF* moment (only this time I managed to knock over a giant jar of green buttons during this *POOF* moment...  me thinks I am going to be finding green buttons in my craft room for the rest of my life).  I can think of about a trillion uses for these trees - this just happens to be my take on them. 

Oh and guess what!!!!!!

YOU DON'T NEED A SIZZIX!!!!!! (see...  I do have a heart)

The Back Story (I should just stop typing and start making videos of all this nonsense - honestly)
I bought a 3 holed picture frame at Malwart a few months ago with the intention of using it for another butterfly project (like this one HERE).  In case you didn't know...  I hoard picture frames with 3D mat-boards...  I use them for EVERYTHING).  This might explain the world wide 3D mat-board picture frame shortage (totally not even kidding). 

So anyway... I have this minuscule attention span thing going on (it's not obvious is it???)... Once I do one or two or three of a project I usually never do it again (3 is enough right...?). 

So that frame got put into the craft closet with all of it's siblings and cousins and second cousins and third cousins twice removed, etc... (it's like Arkansas in there...honest).  I kept bringing that little fella out time after time thinking that I had the perfect project for it and it just never set right.

UNTIL NOW...
Once I saw those smooshy stack trees I knew I wanted to make a set to go in that frame!  I was over-the-top excited when I saw that they fit in there rather nicely.

On to the project!
Below is a list of some of what I used and a few links to where you can find stuff like it:

Materials:
- 3D mat-board photo frame (you can get these almost anywhere...  Lolly's Craft Closet Emporium of Frames with 3D Mat-boards will open for business in 2012 - with the largest selection ON THE PLANET)
- Moda Fabric Charm Pack - Tula Pink - Flutterby (this pack has 40 squares that are 5x5 each).  I used 8 of them for this project.  You can get one of these hard to find charm packs HERE.
- Patterned paper (I used a Bo Bunny paper with a nice soft tealish wash)
- Snowflake stamps (available HERE)
- Ink (I used a teal color box ink)
- Pearl gems (like these HERE and HERE)
- Glitter chipboard letters (available HERE)

Let's get started (and sorry about the picture quality...  I made this at night and this was the best I could do)!

The charm packs of moda fabrics are 5x5 inches and come with a chipboard back...
I used the chipboard back of the pack to make two triangles to use as templates.
I have a download and print pattern at the end of this post that you can use to make your own tree triangles (but really it's pretty easy).

From a single 5x5 inch piece of fabric you can make 4 trees.  2 larger ones and 2 smaller ones.

If you cut your material carefully (assuming you are using a charm pack)...
you will use almost every single piece of fabric for this project...
which is fine by me since charm fabric is usually completely fabulous).

Instead of alternating a single pattern with another pattern I just grabbed 8 different fabrics and stacked them one on top of the other.
I did try to alternate darker patterns with lighter ones just to give some dimension to the finished tree.

Once you have them all stacked up sew a line down the middle of the triangle fabric stack.
The one of the right is just after I have sewn it up (the pinking edge is how the fabric comes in the charm pack...  I left it as is cause I thought it was cute).
The one on the left has been roughed up in my hands.  I simply smoosh it into a ball and roll it around like I am trying to keep my hands warm (you know what I mean right????).
You want the edges frayed a little (if they get too frayed you can trim them up) and you want the fabric wrinkly too.

This is one place where wrinkly is GOOD in material!

I left this one un-smooshed so I could show you how I did the cuts.
But just to let you know, you can either make the cuts before or after the smooshing.
It's a personal preference.

So to make the cuts...  take really really sharp scissors (they are going through 8 layers of fabric)...  and start making little triangle cuts into the sides (I like to start at the bottom).
Work your way up making the triangles smaller and smaller as you get toward the top.

This is what the finished tree should look like (again this one is un-smooshed).


Here are two of the smaller trees side by side (the one on the right is smooshed and un-cut and the one on the left is smooshed and cut).
I like the smaller trees because they came out kinda slanted.
Sew sew cuties!

I laid one of the larger trees on a piece of patterned paper
...and placed my mat-board over it to see how it looked...
...and nearly fell asleep cause it was so boring.
Sew...

I busted out my snowflake stamps and teal ink and stamped the peanuts out of the patterned paper
(you'll be happy to know that the peanuts came out of the paper just fine)
(honest to peanuts)

Once I had the background all stamped up I got some super sticky 3D glue squares and stuck them to the back of the fabric trees.
I simply glued them to the patterned paper in each hole of the picture frame.
I used glitter chipboard exclamations points and cut them down to tree trunk shapes and stuck them under the trees to make little glitter trunks
(does the phrase "glitter trunks" make you laugh too or is that just me??)

GLITTER TRUNKS!!!!
(hahahahah... ok moving on)

 

Any-hoot...  here everything is in the process of being laid out.
I used some of the same glitter chipboard to write "Joy" into the middle hole of the picture frame.
Completely original I know.
Snort.


Closer shot of the almost finished project.

Ta da!
I love the little leaney tree in the middle.
He looks like he may have had just a little too much egg nog!

I had some tiny pearl gems in teals and reds and I used them in the center of each snowflake.
I am seriously in love with those silly pearl gems
(but not enough to make them my new boyfriend... he's below).
Swoooooon.

You can see the lovely stacks of the fabric in the trees!
I love how they are all rough and tumble-y looking


This is a super easy project that you can knock out in just a few hours!
You can change out the "scenes" by season.  Sooo....

I am also working on a spring scene and a fall scene (I had better get moving on the fall once since it's getting so late in the season) and some other themes which I'll be sharing SOON!  I am making this project for MomChops for her birthday in November (it's ok to spoil the surprise cause I showed it to her yesterday)!  I'll share each scene with you guys as well as the steps I took to create them as I get them done!

On other craft fronts...
A new store opened in my area last weekend called Anthologies!  I am way over-the-top excited about this place!  They have tons of classes and studio sessions on an almost daily basis.  Everyone in there is super friendly and helpful and the array of crafty goodness is enough to make you fall over (I think they have a craft resuscitation cart near the door...  it's that fabulous!!!).  I went in on opening day and drug MomChops back the very next afternoon!  As I was walking around on that second day a few employees said...  "oh! you're back..."  Let me tell you.  That's NOT a good sign.

I went to a studio session there past Friday (up above is a little picture of my workspace from that night)!  I basically got to hang out with a ton of scrapbook chicks who use the same materials I use in all my craft projects for 6 solid hours!  I was kinda worried that I would get bored and have to leave early but before I knew it the 6 hours was up and it was time to pack up!  I didn't know a soul there but everyone was wonderful and I made loads of new friends!  I am going back in two weeks for another session!  YAY!

And lastly...  that little teal fella over there is hoot I'll be showing you how to make next Monday!  He's my new boyfriend (the pie could only last so long).  He's super easy and again...  NO SIZZIX!  It's just cutting and sewing.  I can hardly wait to show you!  I am also going to share ways you can easily add and remove these smooshy stack creations to/from your clothing (since the edges are not sealed you cannot leave them hanging out like that or they will get pulverized in the wash).  Keep your eyeballs peeled for that next Monday too!

Life Made Creations!
I have been making just about every shape I can think of using that stack-n-sew method all week long (I am a TAD obsessed with this new smooshy stack thing)!  I'll share all of my ideas next Monday as well BUT in the meantime I just had to share this... I got a HUGE laugh from Michelle of Life Made Creations!  She got so excited about the butterflies from last week that she literally stopped what she was doing and ran and made some right away!  AND...  then she made more and then again even more!  You can see her posts and MULTITUDE of projects on them HERE, HERE AND HERE!  I am just cracking up that someone else got as excited about this as I did!  If you have projects you have made this past week using this same method send me the links and I'll post them all!

You can get the Smooshy Stack Tree pattern in PDF format below!

Have a souper week you guys!!!

 

P.S.  The winner from the giveaway is Amyks (no blog listed so I'll just send you a little notification email Amy)!  I'll have another giveaway SOON!

P.S.S.T. One more time (real loud)!!!    GLITTER TRUNKS!!!!!! (it's almost as funny as good pie hugs...  almost).