Thursday 23 July 2015

Rocket Ship

© Melissa Gaggiano


Materials
  • Empty toilet paper cylinder
  • Foil
  • Red paper/card
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • String or yarn


Steps

1. Wrinkle up the foil to create texture, then carefully unwrap and smooth out.
2. Wrap the foil around the T.P. cylinder. Tuck the foil up into one end of the cylinder.
3. Close the other end of the cylinder by twisting the foil into a point. This will be the top end of your rocket.
Steps 1-3

4. Cut four small incisions into the bottom of the cylinder, making four equal quadrants. Each incision need only be about 1cm.
Step 4

5. Draw an outline of a rocket blast onto a scrap piece of red card. Place a second piece of card to the first piece and cut out the flame outline. Make sure the width of the flame is a bit wider than the rocket cylinder.
6. Separate the two flame shapes. Cut an incision up to the middle on one flame. Cut an incision down to the middle on the second flame.
Steps 5-6

7. Bring the two flame pieces together via the intersecting incisions just made. From a birds-eye-view the flame will look like an X.
Step 7

8. Push each section of the flame up into the four rocket incisions. 
Step 8

9. Tie the end of string to the nose of the rocket ship, and now she is ready to fly.

* Bonus steps: 
  • You could paint the finished, foiled rocket. 
  • Have the rocket as part of a mobile installation.
  • Cut out stars, glue to string and have the string dangling to the rocket.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Fairy Cat with Heart

© Melissa Gaggiano
    Another doll in the bag… a birthday present for a soon to be two year old.

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Make Your Own Mark

© Melissa Gaggiano
    Instead of a Hallmark how about making your own mark when giving someone a card. Today I whipped together this little birthday card for a niece soon to be turning two. I made my own heart stencil, used scrapbooking paper, art knife, pen and a sewing machine.

Monday 20 July 2015

Surprised, For Sure

Paper cutting by Melissa Gaggiano
"Street Fighter: Ken VS Ryu"

    After spending a week working on a new paper cutting project, and having to do it in lots of short bursts, I was mighty surprised to find myself ploughing through it this morning. Granted my back is a tad sore now. But just look at what I accomplished. Totally worth it. All you Street Fighter fans will recognise who I've cut out here.

    This art work was intended as a birthday surprise for my husband. But I don't think I can wait four months to give this to him. I'm going to present it to him tonight when he gets home. Excited much!!! I'm practically clapping my hands with delight.

Slow and Steady


    Things have been quiet and busy. The past week I have been developing a new paper cutting project. Compared to my other recent paper cuttings this is kind of epic for me, and I still have not completed it. A lot of care is required. If I make a mistake there is no undoing the work I've done, so it is slow and steady for me.

Monday 13 July 2015

Bookmark

© Melissa Gaggiano
    Out of all the requests I got from my youngest, I thought that making a bookmark would be a heck of a lot easier than a Book of Life doll.

Thursday 2 July 2015

36

© Melissa Gaggiano

This week I…

  • turned 6x6
  • ate Jamaican chocolate cheesecake
  • baked cinnamon scrolls
  • started watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
  • began reading Beautiful Redemption
  • got excited about the games promoted at E3