I had the opportunity to meet Rich Jutkins Marketing Manager for Stampin' Up and one of the things I requested is that the brochures show everything- and I mean EVERYTHING- that the kit has in it - so people can see what a great value these kits are. Some companies put every dinkie piece the kit has in one layer but SU shows only representative pieces only so it's hard to see everything that it contains. There are usually so much SU kits contain, it would be hard to show each piece but maybe they can show that there are multiple sheets by layering even.... The Many Merry Stars kit was a good example of that- I could not tell from the cover of the holiday supplement or the picture of the kit all that it contains.
It makes 26 - 3D stars in all different sizes with one gigantic one that stands tall on its own. The idea of the wreath is from Elizabeth Price, one of Stampin' Up's past Artisans and I think it came out spectacularly.
It took a few hours of TV watching to put together the stars- How to put it together
instructions.
My only recommendation is that you burnish the boxes where it seals well so it stays secure. I did use glue gun on some of them to really make a tight box. I bought an 18" round chipboard wreath from a local craft store with a coupon for a few bucks. I used liquid multi-mono adhesive, glue dots and lots of hot glue for this. This is how it looks from the side to show you the 3D aspect of it.
These are some details of the wreath- and it comes with EVERYTHING you see- the bows, the newsprint stars all diecut, a whole pack of wooden stars, silver sequins, the banner, the words- there was another sheet of glitter words and stars that I didn't even touch to make this, baker's twine. The only thing on the wreath that did not come with the kit is the stamping I did on two of the craft boxes with the Many Merry Stars stampset using the white ink (You should stamp the boxes before assembly however) and the words stamped in red- Joy, Noel and Shine from the same set.
This is the detail on the right side of the wreath.
I would suggest that you lay the 5 biggest boxes around the wreath and secure that and then work the other boxes around them. Once I figured out where the boxes should go then, I added the decoration on top using the liquid glue and glue dots to adhere the wooden snowflakes and the sequins. It is hanging in my living room mantel and with the light shining on it, it is simply stunning.
More details of how the box is decorated.... now to figure out what to do with all the goodies left over!
Mind you, I am not complaining!
Thank you Stampin' Up for such great products and great value to boot. Since they are not boasting about it, I figured I should!
Enjoy.
Lynda