Falling Leaves Candle Holders

Good morning everyone, Steph Ackerman here with my first post as a member of the Proxxon Tiny Tool Design Team.  I am thrilled to be working with Proxxon's tools and decided to create some Fall candle holders.

Supplies:
Proxxon Tools:  Hotwire Cutter Thermocut 115/E
Foam:  Smoothfoam
Inks:  ColorBox
Tea Light Candles

I must say that I have never used a styrofoam cutter before so I was intrigued to see the Proxxon Hotwire Cutter in action.  The Hotwire Cutter has a base of approximately 15"x11", was compactly packaged and fairly easy to assemble.  The wire heats up quickly and there is a learning curve for determining the correct temperature setting which is easily controlled by the dials on the base.

I began by outlining maple leaf images directly onto a sheet of Smoothfoam, drawing around them with a black marker (so I could see where I was cutting).

Using the Hotwire Cutter, I cut the Smoothfoam sheet in half so I could work on one leaf at a time.  Then I carefully cut around the leaves.  As the Hotwire Cutter is new to me, I worked small areas at a time, testing the heat settings as I went to find the setting that was appropriate for my project.

 

 

 And this is the result.  While the cuts may not be perfect, I believe they reflect how fall leaves look.  And since I intended to ink over the Smoothfoam, I didn't care that the black marker showed in some spots.

 

 

Using an assortment of ColorBox inks, I inked the leaves, overlapping the colors to get the desired effect.

 

 

These leaves are the perfect base for holding candles.  And they look lovely for this time of  year.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Steph