Iron Craft Challenge #15--Twinkle Twinkle Cutout

Twinkle Twinkle Art Piece

The topic for the latest Iron Craft Challenge was "Night time." I have to admit that I was a little stumped for inspiration. I was going to work on a "Star" Book but didn't have a whole lot of time with commissions that I had for a greeting card, Opening Night cards for the theater and adjusting to my new schedule.

As I mentioned yesterday, I had to make a "You are a Star" card for a mother and her daughter's dance troupe. I decided--stars equal night, right? I was falling asleep after a tiring day when the lullaby "Twinkle Twinkle" filled my head as an earworm. I could not get to sleep and kept hearing this tune over and over again and I thought "Stars equal night equals lullaby" and the project developed from there.

I knew that I wanted something other than a flat cutout and decided to make a night light/illuminated art piece. The image is cut from a 8 by 10 piece of black paper. I chose this size because I thought that I had an acrylic box frame in this size. When I went to my stash, I found that I only had an 11 by 14 box frame.

I was planning on lining the back with vellum (using the smaller size) but I could not find my larger sheets of vellum so I used a white mulberry paper as the mat. The mulberry paper was cut to 11 by 14 to fit the frame and the cutout was mounted to the paper with double sided tape.

The next issue had to deal with the process of illumination. I though about using rope lights but unfortunately they get extremely hot and I didn't want to burn the apartment down. I decided to use some of the battery operated tea lights that I have (and they give a nice yellow glow that flickers).

I then had to decide how to mount the lights. I though about cutting holes the size of the tea lights and mounting them accordingly. Instead, I decided to cut a "X" for each light and inserted the tips of the tea lights only. The added benefit of mounting the lights this way was that they are easily accessible in order to turn them off and on and it makes them easier to replace when they die out. Additionally, they provide a nice flat surface to rest against the wall. The only downside is that you need a longer nail to be able to hang the frame.

Mounted Tea Lights

I am extremely happy with the way that this project worked out. I plan on making an additional piece and giving it away as a christening present to a friend whose family just had a new baby girl. I think that it would be a great addition to any nursery.

Illuminated art piece