Sunday, April 17, 2011
Little Red Wagon Floral Arrangement Part 1
This month I want to make some flowers. This is an arrangement that my husband sent to me for Valentines Day. I thought it was so cute that I wanted to make a miniature of it.
This a picture of some of the arrangements I've made. They are done from directions from the miniature magazines except the gingerbread house on top. That is another copy of a full size arrangement.
The cabinet is one that I made a while ago. I would like to show you how to make it, too. I made mine from wood but I think we can make it from mat board since it's a painted piece. Then you won't have to have saws to cut the wood.
We are going to make the wagon first, although if you want you can use something else for the container.
A note on my conversions from inches to centimeters, they are close, not exact.
Make a form for the wagon bed, 5/8" x 3/8" (16mm x 10mm), from foam core or something like it. Make a hole in the top and glue a toothpick in the hole for a handle.
Cut a strip of card stock 7/16" wide and at least 2 1/8" long (11mm x 54mm).
Starting at the middle of one of the long sides, bend the 7/16" (11mm) wide piece of card stock around the form. Glue the overlapped card stock together with Elmer's glue.
Cut a rectangle 3/4" x 1/2" (19mm x 13mm) from card stock. Glue to the bottom of the sides. The sides are still on the form. Be careful not to glue to the form, don't laugh!
Trim the bottom to the sides. Sand the seam on the side with fine sand paper. Leave the form in while you sand, for support.
Glue 2 layers of card stock together and let dry.
When the card stock is dry punch 8 circles using a 1/4" hole punch.
Glue 2 circles together to make one wheel. Glue the rest of the circles the same way, making 4 wheels in all.
Pierce a hole in the center of each wheel with a thick needle or "T" pin.
For the tire on the wheel we need to cut the card stock about 1/16" (2mm) wide, I just eye this. Glue the tip of this narrow strip to the wheel and let dry. It's easier to wrap the strip around the wheel if it's glued on first.
After the strip is dry, wrap it twice around the wheel and trim the extra off and glue the ends.
Paint a small amount of card stock black, paint the body of the wagon red, (inside and outside), and paint the wheels white, (both sides), and when the wheels are dry, paint the tires black.
Give everything a couple of coats of paint. I like to use Delta's PermEnamel, although any craft acrylic will do.
We will give everything a coat of acrylic varnish when we are done. Let all of the paint dry.
The wagon has a rim. I used crochet thread, (Coats & Clark Knit-Cro-Sheen) to make this rim. Paint the crochet thread red, when dry glue to the outside top edge of the body of the wagon.
It might be easier to put the body back onto the form for this.
Cut a strip of the black painted card stock 1/8" (4mm) wide. Fold this strip over the form.
Cut the ends 1/8" ( 4mm) long and pierce a hole in the middle of the 1/8" section.
I used green paddle wire, 24 gauge for an axle.
I bent a small piece over to stop the wire from going through the wheel.
Thread the wheel, the bent card stock and the other wheel onto the wire.
Bend the tip of the wire over to stop the wheel from coming off.
Glue this assembly onto the back underside of the wagon.
You can paint the wire black.
The next piece holds the front wheels and the handle. This photo shows the diagram and measurements.
1/8" = 4mm
1/2" = 13mm
5/8" = 16mm
Draw and cut out the front piece according to the photo.
Pierce holes at the dots.
Score with the back of your craft knife the solid lines by the dots.
Fold down the receive the wire and wheels.
Score the dotted lines on the "T" part.
Snip in at the solid lines at the base of the "T".
Bend at the scored lines.
Paint this black.
The stick part of the handle is made from a toothpick that's been sanded thinner.
Cut a strip of the black painted card stock about a 1/16" (2mm) wide. This is for the handle. I bent this over a piece of wood 1/8" x 1/16" (4mm x 2mm). If you don't have wood, glue up card stock or mat board to equal this measurement. Set this aside after it's bent.
If the front assembly is dry, thread the wire and wheels through like you did in step 16. Glue this onto the underside of wagon. Paint the wire black.
Glue the card stock handle to the sanded toothpick.
Glue the handle into the front assembly at the little"U" shaped cut out.
Paint this black.
When everything is dry give it a good coat of acrylic varnish.
I made the front assembly long so the handle would show through the flowers.
We will make the flowers next. . . . . . . . .