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Creating spun cotton plum and apricot ornaments is a breeze and you'll be delighted by the result! Just paint pre-formed spun cotton shapes, add an embellishment like deco beads or glass glitter, finish off with a pretty leaf and hanging loop, and voila! Even the sugar plum fairy will want to know how you achieved such beauty. Plums and apricots can be customized in countless ways to suit a range of decor styles -- try something classic like a purple plum with a green velvet leaf or push the boundaries and try an orange apricot with a teal lacquered leaf. Whether you make just a handful or a whole medley, we're sure you'll agree: These ornaments are plum gorgeous!
Finished fruits range in size from 1-1/8" to 1-3/4" to 2" tall.
Supplies: Spun Cotton Plums/Apricots, Spun Cotton Eggs (SC303 or SC306), Apricot Blossoms, Velvet Leaves, Foil Leaves, Lacquered Leaves, Glass Glitter, Deco Beads, Mica Flakes, Wire Stems, Paints, Paint Brushes, Clear Drying Craft Glue like Alleene's, Scissors, Skewers or Pipe Cleaners, Glove for Sprinkling Glass Glitter, Paper Plate to Work Over When Glittering
Step 1: Using a pipe cleaner or skewer as a "handle," paint your spun cotton pieces. Let dry.
Apply paint straight from the bottle in a rich hue; metallic colors add extra shimmer and dimension while flat colors cover evenly as a great base for embellishing.
Mix paints together to achieve a custom color. Metallic paint mixed with flat or glossy paint yields a beautiful subtle shimmer.
To create a dappled fade, paint your piece with two colors. Try pairing lighter + darker of the same hue like the light purple plum below; or try something analogous like red + orange for a realistic look. This painting style is particularly striking when further embellished with deco beads, as we'll see below.
Paint Note: The colors we used are shown below right. For these fruits we went with realistic colors found in nature (i.e. purple, burgundy and orange). Top row L-R: Cool Bisque, Mandarin, Pink Melon, Festive Fuchsia, Apple Red, Rose Gold, Halo Pink Gold.. Bottom row: L-R: Halo Violet Gold, Burgundy, Juneberry, Lavender, Grape Taffy, Wine.
Step 2: Embellish with deco beads, glass glitter, mica flakes, or metallic paint
2a.) Apply clear deco beads. Clear deco beads provide the most beautiful jeweled effect and look gorgeous over all paint styles. They look especially elegant paired with velvet and foil leaves for luminous shine and texture all around.
-- Paint an even coat of glue in the areas you wish to apply deco beads.
-- Pour deco beads over glue and tap off excess. Let dry, then brush off any excess with a dry paint brush.
2b.) Apply glass glitter. Clear glass glitter provides a classic sugared look. like the apricot with flower below, right. Colored glass glitter applied in a graduated sprinkle adds vintage charm and interest to fruits. Choose a color similar to the fruit's paint color: gold glitter on orange paint, like the apricot below, center right. Or try silver glitter over any color, like the plum, upper left. Colored glass glitter applied in a graduated sprinkle and finished with clear glass glitter looks elegant and specialty like the larger plums below.
To apply one glitter all over:
-- Paint an even coat of glue on the whole fruit.
-- Spoon glitter over glue and tap off excess. Let dry, then brush off any excess with a dry paint brush.
To create a graduated sprinkle:
-- Wearing a glove, sprinkle colored glitter over the fruit in a selected area and allow some to fall organically onto the nearby areas. Let dry, then brush off any excess with a dry paint brush.
To apply colored and clear glitters:
-- Wearing a glove, sprinkle colored glitter over the fruit in a selected area and allow some to fall organically onto the nearby areas. Spoon clear glitter all over and tap off excess. Let dry, then brush off any excess with a dry paint brush.
2c.) Apply mica flakes. Mica flakes provide a sparkly vintage texture. Each flake is unique in shape and size and, as a natural mineral, has a few dark flecks and flakes mixed in that yield a natural look. These darker pieces can be pulled out prior to application, or pulled off of a mica dusted fruit before the glue dries, if you prefer more consistent flake coverage. We used the flakes as-is but they can also be ground with a mortar and pestle to create a finer texture.
-- Paint an even coat of glue on the areas you wish to mica.
-- Spoon mica over glue and tap off excess. Let dry, then brush off any excess with a dry paint brush. Any flakes that stick out too much can be gently pulled off.
2d.) Let your metallic paint stand out. There are so many beautiful paint colors available ready to use straight out of the bottle. Colors with a "halo" effect are particularly striking like the larger plum and apricot below. Alternatively, mix your own metallics for a custom blend like the smaller plum below.
-- Simply brush on 1-2 coats and let dry.
3. Add leaves and flowers.
The addition of leaves and flowers provides countless ways to customize your creations and add character. Alternatively, going leafless provides a clean and timeless look and keeps the focus on embellishment and color. Velvet or foil leaves pair wonderfully with all embellishment techniques detailed above. Lacquered leaves add an especially lovely vintage look, but keep in mind that while the wire stems bend, the leaves themselves are stiff and not able to be shaped.
Two easy leaf configurations are shown below left: hanger with leaf and 2 leaves with elevated stem. These examples are the jumping off point for all leaf looks we employed in this tutorial. We used exclusively brown paper-wrapped wires to emulate twigs when making hangers.
To add leaves and flowers individually or in groups: fashion a wire hanger by twisting a paper-covered wire around a paint brush handle, trim ends, trim stems from desired leaves leaving enough to glue into the fruit (3/4" to 1").
To fashion "2 leaves with elevated stem" follow these steps as illustrated below right.
-- Twist a paper-covered wire at center around a paint brush handle. Twist 2-3 times to make a hanger, leaving tails free.
-- Stack two leaves under hanger, lining up base of leaves with bottom of the hanger twist.
-- Twist all wires tightly together. Twist portion should be 2-3" long.
-- Bend leaves downward into desired position.
-- Determine desired stem length and cut off excess. Remember that part will go into the hole on top of the fruit, so a longer stem is better (you can trim more off but you can't add any back on).
To fashion "1 leaf with elevated stem" do as above, but with 1 leaf instead of 2.
To add any hanger and leaf configuration to the fruit, apply glue into the top hole then place desired pieces in to hole, adjust placement and let dry.
A word about the apricot blossoms: Their stems are thicker and less bendable up near the base of the flower so the top hole on the fruit may seem a bit crowded depending on the chosen leaf/hanger/flower combo. It may be preferable to clip the stem off close to the base of the flower and simply glue it in place without putting any stem into the top hole.
Item No. WR04
Pack of approximately 150 craft wires with 0.6mm thickness wire wrapped in brown paper. Each wire is 8" long and ideal for use in adding stems to small leaves and spun cotton shapes, crafting and floristic projects. Can be cut with wire cutters to create custom lengths.
Item No. WR03
Pack of approximately 150 craft wires with 0.6mm thickness wire wrapped in white paper. Each wire is 8" long and ideal for use in adding stems to small leaves and spun cotton shapes, crafting and floristic projects. Can be cut with wire cutters to create custom lengths.
Item No. WR02
Pack of approximately 150 craft wires with 0.6mm thickness wire wrapped in green paper. Each wire is 8" long and ideal for use in adding stems to small leaves and spun cotton shapes, crafting and floristic projects. Can be cut with wire cutters to create custom lengths.
Item No. SC306
Group of 6 spun cotton eggs, measuring 1-3/4" high x 1-3/8" at the widest point (52 x 43mm). Each has a hole in the bottom to accommodate a wire. Made in the Czech Republic.
Item No. SC303W
Group of 5 spun cotton eggs, measuring 1-1/8" high and just over 7/8" at the widest point. Each has a hole in the bottom to accommodate a wire. Made in the Czech Republic.
Item No. SC033
Group of 4 large spun cotton plum or apricot ornaments, each measuring 2" tall and 1-1/2" across at the widest part. These are life-size and already have a subtle split pressed into the side for realism. Each has a hole in the top to accommodate a wire or hanger. Made in the Czech Republic.
Item No. SC-MX-04
Group of 18 blank spun cotton fruit ornaments -- 6 pieces each of 3 different shapes: pear, lemon, and plum. Pear measures 2-1/2" tall x 1-3/4" wide; lemon measures 2-1/2 tall x 1-3/8" wide; plum measures 2" tall x 1-1/2" wide and has a realistic seam pressed into the side. Each has a hole in the top to accommodate a wire or hanger. Decorate with paints, glitter, deco beads and more to make your own ornaments. Decoratio...(click for more)
Item No. NLC126-SF
Set of 12 embossed paper birch leaves in metallic silver foil paper. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 1-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Leaf backs are white paper. Handmade in the Czech Republic. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC126-OGR
Set of 12 velvet birch leaves in autumn ombre -- orange to burgundy/brown green fade. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 3" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC126-GF
Set of 12 embossed paper birch leaves in metallic gold foil paper. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 1-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Leaf backs are white paper. Handmade in the Czech Republic. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC126-DGR
Set of 12 velvet birch leaves in dark green ombre -- dark green to brown green fade. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 3" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-STG
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in sage green. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-SF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic silver foil. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC123-RF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic red foil. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC123-PY
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in pale yellow. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-PK
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in mixed pink. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-ORG
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in autumn ombre -- orange to brown fade. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-MX
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in hand painted ombre colors of peach, light green, violet and purple that fade to brown by the stem.. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 3-1/4" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-MG
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in medium green. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-LG
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in pale green. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC123-LAC-TL
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of teal blue. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC123-LAC-R
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of red. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC123-LAC-PU
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of eggplant purple. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC123-LAC-MX
Bundle of 15 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered in pretty jewel tones. Bundle contains 3 leaves each of red, brown, golden yellow. teal blue and purple for a total of 15 leaves.The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has ...(click for more)
Item No. NLC123-LAC-GY
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of golden yellow. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC123-LAC-BR
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of brown. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC123-GRF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic green foil. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC123-GF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic pale gold foil. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC123-DG
Set of 12 petite velvet rose leaves in dark green. Each leaf measures 1-1/4" long by 3/4" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC122-STG
Set of 12 velvet rose leaves in sage green. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC122-SF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic silver foil. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC122-RF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic red foil. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC122-ORG
Set of 12 velvet rose leaves in autumn ombre -- orange to brown fade. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC122-MOSS
Set of 12 velvet rose leaves in moss green. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC122-LG
Set of 12 velvet rose leaves in pale green. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC122-LAC-TL
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of teal blue. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC122-LAC-R
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of red. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC122-LAC-PU
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of eggplant purple. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC122-LAC-MX
Bundle of 15 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered in pretty jewel tones. Bundle contains 3 leaves each of red, brown, golden yellow. teal blue and purple for a total of 15 leaves.The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has be...(click for more)
Item No. NLC122-LAC-GY
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of golden yellow. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC122-LAC-BR
Bundle of 12 embossed paper rose leaves that have been lacquered a pretty shade of brown. The lacquer pools and collects in the embossed veins for a pretty vintage look. Leaf is stiff and not bendable.Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 4" brown paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic: each leaf has been cut and embossed with vintage dies, then hand dipped in lacquer.
Item No. NLC122-GRF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic green foil. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC122-GF
Set of 12 embossed paper rose leaves in metallic pale gold foil. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us. Please note that there may be some creasing or very light color loss from the manufacturing process.
Item No. NLC122-G
Set of 12 velvet rose leaves in dark green. Each leaf measures 1-3/4" long by 1" wide with 2-1/2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC121-STG
Set of 12 velvet leaves in sage green. Each leaf measures 2" long by 7/8" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC121-ORG
Set of 12 velvet leaves in autumn ombre -- orange to brown fade. Each leaf measures 2" long by 7/8" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC121-MOSS
Set of 12 velvet leaves in moss green. Each leaf measures 2" long by 7/8" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC121-LG
Set of 12 velvet leaves in pale green. Each leaf measures 2" long by 7/8" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NLC121-DG
Set of 12 velvet leaves in dark green. Each leaf measures 2" long by 7/8" wide with 2" paper wrapped wire stems. Handmade in the Czech Republic exclusively for us.
Item No. NAT-90
Bundle of 12 off white fabric apricot blossoms. Each flower measures 5/8" across x 1/2" tall with green wired stems measuring 5" long. Imported from Austria. These blooms are exquisitely made using antique dies and flower crafting techniques.