Dragonflies Kaleidoscope

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2015

As you may know I love dragonflies! I use dragonfly images in a lot of my creative endeavors.

I also love kaleidoscopes and wanted to combine the two things to create this project. It will have a special place in my art room, and will serve as a reminder to me to slow down, savor and enjoy a few peaceful minutes. 

Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• A sunny window
• Blender, cello sponges and soft towels
• Scraps of white (think junk mail, etc.)
• Iridescent paper scrap
• Westcott™ personal paper cutter, scissors
• Scor-Tape™, foam tape or foam dots, Beacon QuickGrip™ adhesive
• 12”  each of narrow picot & ½” sheer white ribbon
• Several dragonfly stamps
• Beige ink pad
• Clear embossing powder
• Heat gun
• Iron
• Purchased (child’s) paper kaleidoscope
• 6” of gold colored thin wire, round tooth pick
• BowEasy™

Instructions:

1. Follow the directions found in any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits to make white slurry.
2. Create a sheet of handmade paper.
3. Iron the paper to make it smooth.
4. Randomly stamp the dragonfly images onto the paper.
5. Emboss the images with clear embossing powder and the heat gun.
6. Stamp at least one dragonfly onto scrap paper.
7. Layer it with the iridescent paper on the wings and hand cut both.
8. Wrap the wire around the tooth pick.
9. Remove the wire from the pick and stretch it out.
10. Fold the wire in half and attach the antenna to the head of the cut out dragonfly with QuickGrip™ adhesive.
11. Measure and cut the stamped paper. You will want a bit of overlap.
12. Wrap the stamped and cut paper around the kaleidoscope and attach it with Scor-Tape™.
13. Use the Bow-Easy™ to tie both ribbons into a small bow.
14. Attach the bow and the cut out dragonfly to the turn area of the kaleidoscope with QuickGrip™ adhesive.