Dingbat fonts can be used for lots of creative play! They are great to use in cuttable files you design and create, and a wreath is just one unique way to use elements found in one dingbat font. In this project, we will be utilizing the font Floral Dingbat.
Materials:
- Floral Dingbat font
- Electronic cutting machine and software (Skycut C24 and SCAL5 Pro)
- AC cardstock (white – smooth)
- Bazill cardstock (dock)
- Watercolor markers (Poetique Refillable brush markers; 3, 20, 83, 84, 93)
- Distress ink pad (Weathered Wood)
- Mister
- Small sentiment stamp
- Embossing ink pad
- White embossing powder
- Heat gun
- Glue
- Foam pop dots
- Score-tape
- Tweezers
- Embossing folder (optional)
Let’s get started. Creating a wreath using a dingbat font is pretty easy and just requires a bit of time to make a few adjustments once you have the “text” arranged as desired.
Watch the whole process in the video:
First, open the cutting software; SCAL5 Pro was used for this project. Open the library and select the circle. Resize the circle to 3 inches. It will remain as the bottom layer and will be deleted once all the elements for the wreath are in place.
For this wreath, using the floral dingbat font, select the image you want to use as the base for the wreath. Here, the fern created with lower case “c” was used. Type the fern. Highlight that fern and then copy and paste a few on the mat.
Manipulate the images around the circle. The dimension of the fern images used is .477 w x .427 h. In total, 7 ferns were placed around the circle. Once they are in place, open the library and select heart 2. Resize to .821 w x .889 h. Copy and paste additional hearts and place them on the circle of ferns where they meet, or there is a space.
Highlight the circle only from the layer palette and delete it. Highlight the remaining visible components. Go to PATH > Union. Check the preview to make sure that there is a connection all the way around the image you’ve just created.
Go to Effects > Shadow Layer. In the window, create a shadow that is 0.125 > Enter (Return). If you feel a slightly larger shadow just change the numbers. The default in SCAL is .050. This was too big and some of the details were lost.
When you’re satisfied with the size of the shadow, click okay. On the layer palette, hide the original wreath. DO NOT DELETE IT. You may decide after a preliminary cut that you want to make a few changes.
Make the cut using white cardstock.
Before adding any color, you’ll also want to cut the heart shapes. Using heart 2 in the library, create one heart at 1” x .0991 and one more at .7 x .694. The smaller heart has optional detail stitching on it. It is created by using the Shadow Layer > Inset shadow. The default setting was used to create the shadow. Once you’re back on the mat, choose the Color Palette > Line style> change to a dashed line. Copy and paste 2 additional small hearts for a total of 3 small and one large for each card you wish to make. These are also cut from white paper.
Now, it’s time to add some color to the flowers!
Using the green, color in the stems and most of the leaves. Leave some white for blossoms and flowers.
Using the lightest of the pinks, Dog Rose (20) color in the blossoms. Add additional detail with the color Rose Red (84). The hearts are filled in using Argile (83). A small amount of Yellow Cream (3) was also added as a highlight on the blooms.
Let’s begin to color the individual hearts!
To color the pink/red hearts, apply a bit of color and spritz with the mister to move the color around. For the gray hearts, rub the ink pad on a glass plate and spritz with the water. Place the heart face down in the watery ink and let the color absorb into the paper. The larger hearts are colored using the Dog Rose and Rose Red markers. Spritz with the water and blend the colors with a water brush or combine and use the colors on a glass mat.
When the large hearts are dry, stamp the heart using the embossing ink with the desired sentiment. Sprinkle the embossing powder on the heart, making sure the powder comes in contact with the ink you’ve just stamped. Shake off any excess. Since the hearts are very small, use a pair of tweezers to hold the heart and heat the embossing powder using the heat gun. The embossing powder will turn glossy.
Cut the dock-colored cardstock 4.25 x 11. Fold one of the cuts at the 5.50 mark to make the card base. Using the other piece, cut a 4 x 5.25 piece for the card front. If you choose, you can emboss this piece. For this sample, the card was embossed using a folder from Spellbinders (retired). You can achieve a wrinkled look without a folder by spritzing the paper with a mister. Wrinkle up the card stock with your hands and then unfold it and lay it flat to dry. If needed, you can place the paper under a heavy book for a few minutes.
To assemble:
Center and adhere the card front to the card base. Center the wreath and glue in place on the front of the card.
Add the small hearts to the wreath using glue or double-sided tape. For extra dimension, you can use foam tape to pop up the large heart.
Now you are finished – feel free to personalize as you see fit and gift it to a special someone in your life!
For more inspiration, please visit Jan’s page here or her blog!
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