3 D Gazebo /Lantern tutorial

Gazebo tutorial 

         Dear friends ,Dr Sonia here sharing yet another 3 D project made with dies[but doable in principle even if you don't have a die cutting machine!].I used the same Marianne Petra Corner Die set I used to make the 3 D chariot .  And I must thank everyone who showered me with wonderful encouraging comments about the 3D Chariot both on the blog and on Facebook....I never expected it would be so loved! Thank you so much !

I made a 3 D Gazebo which is big enough to house a  little doll .You could even call it a Bird house or a Lantern as it houses a battery operated tea-light.

Paper Gazebo

The picture below shows the dome of the lantern with a large red diamond and a tiny hook to help hang the lantern. I dressed up my lantern with delicate lacey bows made with the new Sue Wilson Filigree bow die! These are so delicate and beautiful!

Gazebo

I actually wanted to make a "Diwali Lantern"  but I must have been thinking of Valentines day and Christmas combined as I added a dangling heart and made a Christmas theme colored lantern!

3 D lantern

The cute and dainty pollen bunches winding around my Gazebo pillars are crystal beaded pollen which are part of the latest embellishment collection Shalini has brought into the store!

Crystal Beaded Pollen

How to make a 3 D Gazebo/Lantern

You dont really need to use the same dies I have used in this tutorial ---just sharing the pictures so that the same principles can be adapted to a shaped die cut / punch you may be already having and you can even apply the same principles to hand cut pieces.

Gazebo tutorial 

These are the 2 dies from the Marianne Petra Corner Die set I used to make the dome of the Gazebo.

Die cut 

Here is the die cut "unadorned" and using the techniques I shared in the Fun with Dies post here is how it was transformed after inking and heat embossing!

Inked and Embossed

I cut and heat embossed 6 of the above die cuts and folded them in half as shown below. As I said don't despair if you don't have the exact die I have shown-- you can make a gazebo dome using a humble circle shape too and use it as a base to make the rest of your Gazebo! [See tutorial to make a 3 D structure using Circles : Easy Paper decoration tutorial ]

Folded die cuts

Apply glue to half of one folded die cut shape and stick to half of another one as shown below

Stick Die cuts

Stick  all 6 pieces and your dome is nearly done.You get a fairly lovely shape even if you use only 5 die cuts but I found working with 6  made the rest of the 3 D construction easier [ like placing the pillars] !

Gazebo Roof

Before you stick the last 2 pieces, add a hook if you plan to hang your lantern. I used a long jewelry finding and threaded a large bead on one end and made a hook on the other end.Later on I added a dangling heart to the hook on the inside and a pearl- ruby to the hook on the top.

Gazebo dome

To complete the Gazebo roof, I used the Marianne die cut shown below.It looks rather plain doesn't it..well instead of inking and embossing , I took a shortcut!

Marianne Petra Corner

I know many of you will already be embossing your die cuts with the Bigshot/Cuttlebug...well this was the first time I did it ! So sharing yet another way to explore  the maximum potential of your dies!

Die cut embossing

Place the die cut within the die itself [on your acrylic cutting plate]and place a Spellbinders Embossing pad atop it and then your other cutting plate.

Die cut embossing

Just one run through your big shot and you will get beautiful embossed impressions on your die cut as shown below.

Die cut embossing

Before I got the embossing pad, I tried  to emboss die cuts with thick felt and even foam-- I did manage to get some amount of embossing but my foam/ felt spoilt and disintegrated real fast and on comparison the embossing was not as deep and beautiful as what I got using the proper Spellbinders Embossing pad.

Embossed Die cut

To give sturdiness and complete the Gazebo roof ,attached 6 of the above die-cuts between the arms of the basic frame made earlier.

Gazebo

Here is the aerial view of the Gazebo roof showing the pretty dies and bows.

Sue Wilson bows

Here you can see the dangling heart and pearly beaded sprays [See Easy Beaded Spray tutorial ]

Hanging Heart

Embossed 6 of the 3rd design in the Marianne Petra die set and folded them into little "crowns" as shown.

Marianne Petra Die

Glued the "legs" of the die cuts together so that they literally stood up to embrace my tea light!

Lantern tutorial 

Stuck the Marianne design arrangement atop a circle ,leaving enough space in the center to fit in a battery operated tea-light.

Tattered Lace die

I used a  Big Bite to punch a hole in the center of a Tattered Lace rose [ I love this die--- even though it is so delicate and detailed it cuts like butter!] and fit it atop a battery operated tea light.

Tea light

Here is the lighted up tea light!

Lantern tutorial 

Made pillars using corrugated paper and stuck it to the base circle.

Lantern tutorial 

Stick the top of the pillars to the Gazebo roof. You can wind a piece of card/ corrugated paper around the base circle and pillars to make your base sturdy and strong.

Gazebo tutorial 

Tip : Obsessing a bit about symmetry, gluing and re-gluing is the key to building a good looking and sturdy Lantern/Gazebo! Working with 6 eg :6 spokes on the roof, 6 pillars, 6 sides  etc makes it easier to build a symmetrical 3 D structure than working with 5 !

Gazebo tutorial 

Phew that was a super long post but I do hope you enjoyed my first DIY Lantern ,and hoping some of the principles shared will come in useful to help you make your own Diwali /Christmas Lantern for the upcoming festive season.

Do tell me how you like it.

My Blog : Cards Crafts Kids Projects

Supplies
Heat Embossing : Versamark Watermark , Embossing Powders & Ranger Heat Gun
Inking :Distress Inks, Ink Blending tool & Foam
Die Cutting Tools: Big Shot,Metal plate adapter,Spellbinders Embossing Pads
Dies : Marianne creatable Petra Corners ,Tattered Lace Lacy Rose, Sue Wilson Filigree Bow, Lifestyle crafts Circle Die, Spellbinders Lace hearts
Embellishments : Crystal beaded Pollen
Misc tools : Crop A Dile Big Bite, Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors , Reverse Tweezers