Christmas Carousel

This gorgeous project was featured on Splitcoaststampers' blog (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/carouselbook/?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=) on 18 December and all I could say was "Wow!  I have to make one of those!"  I still had some other things to finish first but just HAD to give this one a try.

Well, here it is, slightly altered in that I had to do something to glue the Frostyville frame in place, and I had to really search through my collection of dies to come up with 14 decorated panels.

This is not a card you make in one day, maybe in two if you stay with it for 8 hours each day.  It took me about 15 hours to finish this carousel, so keep that in mind if you want to make this and have a deadline.

Here is the front of my closed carousel.  I had to make the spine larger and scored it lengthwise several times so it flexes better when the carousel unfolds.

I am actually quite pleased with how well the sections line up.  In order to tie the book shut I have to clip it between my knees to hold it in place as I tie the bow :)

 The open carousel, bow side.  It measures about 9" in diameter and stands 8" high.

Because the decorated panels are created with mirror silver card stock the camera has a hard time picking out the details.  You are looking through a clear acetate "window" and an inner oval window onto the actual panel.  Each section consists of five pieces:  The front panel with the Frostyville frame, a double red panel with two oval cutouts, a silver mirror double panel with decorations on each half, a large wall panel that slants up and supports the roof, and a roof panel that is folded accordion style.

 These two sections have actually four decorated panels, two for each section.  On the right I chose deer in the woods, on the left an angel and Christmas tree on the opposite panel.

Here you see a pine branch with pointsetta underneath in the left panel, next to it are two penguins in front of an igloo.  The right section features a park bench (not visible) looking at birch trees with cardinals sitting on the branches.

Left is a village section, the right section has candles burning.













Since the Frostyville background die cuts out exactly the same as the Frostyville die, I had no place to adhere the border.  To fix this I glued clear acetate into the panel which actually not only lets the border adhere nicely but also gives it stability.  Bibiana's carousel used the smaller background die which left plenty of card stock to glue the Frostyville frame onto.

The acetate added bulk, which is why I had to build a thicker spine.

I had fun recreating this beautiful project and thank Bibiana for her fantastic tutorial which you find in the above link.  Her measurements are accurate, and her directions are easy to follow.

I made this carousel for my husband for Christmas and he loves it so much that he'll take it with him to the office tomorrow and will display it on his desk for all to see.

Merry Christmas to all of you!