Corrugated Paper Leaf Wall Art

Hello, Janet from the Crafting Quine Blog here again. Today I have an autumnal home decor project using the Silhouette Corrugated Paper which gives this project lots of additional texture. I've used the Fall Leaf Hexagon Shadowbox file by Carta Bella from the Silhouette Design Store. My choice of file this week was influenced by the gorgeous Autumn Leaf Card posted earlier in the week by our new design team member, Helen. Do check out her post to find out how to make your own fab version.

Silhouette Corrugated Paper
This is a new product to me, and I'm thrilled by how beautifully it cuts. There are 6 sheets in a pack, each sheet being 8.5in. x 11in., or 215 mm x 280 mm, (3 white and 3 kraft). The sheets have a corrugated finish and an adhesive backing, protected by a white peel off layer. A 'kiss cut' is the ideal cut, cutting through the corrugated layer, but not the backing paper. This means you can cut your shapes out in advance and just peel them from the backing and use them just like textured stickers.

The Silhouette® Studio software recommends a setting for the adhesive cardstock sheets under "Corrugated Paper" (Blade 8, Speed 3, Force 33 and a single pass). I found that this setting cut a little too deep, so I reduced the Blade to 7, and force to 28 to achieve a 'kiss cut', allowing the cut pieces to be peeled away from the backing. Of course, your ideal setting may differ, so I'd advise that you carry out a test cut first.

What You'll Need
Silhouette Corrugated Paper (pack contains White and Kraft)
Medium-weight Kraft Cardstock
Medium-weight White Cardstock
Silhouette Washi Sheet (or Patterned Paper)
Liquid Craft Adhesive
Dimensional Foam Pads
Silhouette CAMEO® 3
Silhouette 12" x 24" Cutting Mat


Making the Three Shadow Boxes

STEP 1: Adjusting the File. I made two additional copies of the file, cutting one at the original size and two larger ones. The length of the long piece which forms the frame was just under 11.5-inches for the original and I increased the size (along with the other parts) to 13.75-inches for the middle one, and 16-inches for the largest one. The bigger sizes extend beyond the regular 12" x 12" mat, so require the use of the Silhouette 12" x 24" Cutting Mat.

STEP 2: Cutting the Pieces. I cut the frame piece for all three boxes from regular kraft cardstock so that all the frames would match. The medium hexagonal piece was also cut in kraft, and the other two in white cardstock. The smallest one was from white cardstock covered with a piece of Silhouette Washi Sheet. This could also be cut from patterned paper, but the washi gives an additional semi-translucent effect. I also cut the hexagonal piece from the white and kraft corrugated papers, trimming off the fold pieces, and adhering the corrugated panels to the centres of the hexagons.

STEP 3: Additional Pieces. To make assembly really easy, I cut duplicate hexagonal pieces for all three boxes from kraft cardstock, turned them over, and adhered the sides level with the lower edge of the long frame piece. Then I was able to adhere the decorative hexagons on top, knowing that they were mounted level within the frame yet still set back from the front frame edge. The additional hexagon also provides a void at the back where a hanging hook can be attached, that will be invisible from the front.

STEP 4: Decorative Leaves. I cut three different sized leaves; one from each colour of corrugated card, and one from washi-covered card.

Duplicates were cut from regular cardstock and adhered behind to give extra dimension. Further dimension was achieved by adhering the leaves to the shadow box with dimensional adhesive pads.

STEP 5: Displaying. Once the hanging hooks were adhered on the reverse, the boxes were ready to hang on the wall. NOTE: If the leaves had been aligned so that the flat edge of the frame formed the base, the boxes could be placed along a shelf, or even stacked on top of one another with the leaf upright. I wish I'd thought of that before I'd assembled them!

Do let us know if you have made any projects with corrugated card or paper with your Silhouette. It's easy to add a photo to the Silhouette UK Facebook page.


Bye for now,

  Crafting Quine Blog | @CraftingQuine

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