Thursday's Tip: Pumpkin Specimen Art

I love all the specimen art ideas I'm seeing. It's a cute, fun way to represent any season or holiday. So what better to represent Thanksgiving than with a pumpkin specimen!

Supplies:

Scrapbook Paper (Check out these great fallish paper packs from LD.)
Halloween Cut It Simple Shapes
LD Petticoat Black
Cork (either the Cork tiles or rolled cork)
glue gun
glue
pins
frame
opptional: gold paint, brown stain


Directions:

Begin by cutting out multiple pumpkins from the Halloween Cut It Simple Shapes set on to various pieces of cardstock. I choose to keep my pumpkins all warm colored papers. If you are using digital papers you can easily adjust the color of the paper in photoshop or another like program. I also cut out the words 'Count your Blessings' from the font LD Petticoat Black. I manipulated them in Make-the-Cut, by turning each letter and then merged them together.

1. Using the text menu on the left, choose the font you want to use in the drop down menu. Then right below that to the right, choose the add a group of characters button. Type in the text you would like to use, then click accept. After your text is created, then you can go ahead and size to whatever size you need.

2. Right click and select Shape Magic and split.

3. Begin rotating each letter. Just select each one and drag on one corner to rotate. Make it easier on yourself in the end by making sure each letter also touches.

4. Weld the letters together by selecting them all. Right click>shape magic>weld. This is now ready for cutting.

5. Then if you want an additional shadow layer. Right click>shape magic>shadow layer and adjust the amount you want. Hit accept when your done. Cut out layer.

Once my pumpkins and lettering were cut, I wanted them to better match the awesome gold frame I found at my Grandma's house, so I painted a light wash of gold glitter acrylic paint on all of them. The photos don't do this part justice, but it helped make the pumpkins feel a little bit more fancy. I then edged all the pumpkins with a brown stain. If you get any on the front just hurry and wet your brush and brush it off or thin it out. Let your pumpkins dry, while you prep the back.

I cut a thin piece of cardboard from the back of a paper tablet to fit inside the frame. A new frame probably already has some nice cardboard in it. Then I cut out a piece of rolled adhesive backed cord to lay over it. The cork also comes in various sized tiles if you have a square frame.

I also decided to cut down my pins since my framed area was pretty small and I wanted it all to be in perspective. I just used wire cutters to do this. You could also use those map pins if you want small pins as well. Using a non-cut pin, I then poked holes into each of my pumpkins. Then I went ahead and inserted my cut pins. I went ahead and glued the pins in place with my glue gun only because I'm anal and wanted to make sure my pumpkins stay stuck out from the cork.

Last I lined everything up and begin securing all my pumpkins in place. I have to admit, that rolled cork isn't the best at doing its job, so I stuck a bit of glue gun glue on the end of each pin. I also just glued on my wording.

Have fun and enjoy your specimen art!