We're all looking for a happy ending: Janelle's Star

For Christmas, I made Janelle a Photo-Covered Star. I saw it in an issue of Better Homes and Gardens and I just had to try it! I also saw it on bhg.com in their crafts and gifts section. It wasn't too difficult, I just had to practice a little patience when it came to cutting the pictures and paper.

I've had several people ask me how I made it, so here are the simple directions on how to make it!

Materials you'll need:
1. Tin Star
2. Pictures - Black and White looks best (You'll need 10)
3. Vellum
4. 5 different pieces of Scrap booking paper
5. ModPodge or another decoupage glue. (I bought the Matte finish, but I think the glossy would have looked better)
6. A paint brush of some kind. I would suggest a small sponge brush

1.) Purchase a Tin star. I bought mine at Pat Catan's (discount craft store in Murrysville, PA). Each point was about 9 inches from the center. You can probably find them at a Michael's, JoAnn Fabrics, AC Moore, through LTDcommodities, and I know that the Trader Horn in Indiana sells them in many different sizes. I also found them here, in many different colors.

1.5.) (this is a suggestion, and not really a direction, so that's why it's 1.5) BHG.com suggests painting the star black, but I was smart and bought a black one!

2.) Print pictures! I actually printed about 20 pictures so that I could select the right picture to fit on each section. For my star, I used 4x6 pictures. But you may need to use 5x7, or another size depending on the size of your star! It's better to use pictures that aren't too close up on your subject...especially their face! Having a smaller image will make it fit in the section better. That way, you aren't cutting off someone's face. I took almost all of the pictures of Taryne that I used.

A few examples of pictures that worked:

A picture that didn't work:

3.) Trace one point of the star using vellum or tracing paper. I found vellum to be the easiest to use, because it would hold the shape of the point. I used an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of vellum that I bought at Michael's, and I put it over one of the points. I folded it along the center of the point of the star, then I folded it around the rest of the edges. Once I had the shape, I cut it out so that I had my template.

4.) Go through your pictures and see which ones will fit best on each point. Using your template, trace your pictures and cut them out.

5.) As I cut my pictures, I taped each one down to the place on the star that I wanted it to go. That way, I could keep track of each picture (especially because I would have probably lost them!)

6.) After all pictures are cut out, cut your paper pieces to fit onto the point where you've placed your pictures, and tape those on to make sure they fit. This was the worst part for me...because after I used the template to get the shape, I then had to match the angles of the pictures.

7.) Remove pieces from the star, and lay them out on your table just like they were on the star, for easy gluing.

8.) Going from the top point (mine had a hanging wire on the top, so I knew it was the top), put a thin layer of ModPodge down all over the point, and lay your photos and scrapbook paper down, one piece at a time. As you lay each picture down, put a thin layer of ModPodge on top of it. Continue doing this with the paper and the pictures, until you've covered the star.

9.) After all pictures and paper are glued down, allow the whole star to dry.

10.) After the star has dried, put on another thin layer of ModPodge over the entire star. This will help hold everything together and put a nice finishing coat over everything.

11.) Allow it to dry one final time. Once dry, either wrap it up for your friend or family member, or...hang it on the wall!