3D Take-Out Embellishments

When I first started making my Christmas village I only had the Original Tim-Holtz dies. All I could vary were the colors. It wasn’t until I found dies for embellishments like trees, fences and animals that I could let my creativity run wild. The addition of an electronic cutting machine opens up an unlimited number of 2D embellishments. Yet it is the 3D embellishments that really makes your Christmas Village come to life.

Last week I shared the pattern for a Fish & Chips shop that could easily be adapted to be a burger joint, deli or taqueria. This week I am sharing the patterns for all of the 3D embellishments that make the Take-Out restaurant so much fun: picnic table with either an open or partially closed patio umbrella, litter or recycle cans, planters, and the soda or beer sign you can glue onto the front of your take-out restaurant.

How You Make the Take-Out Embellishments

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Take-Out Embellishments Specific Materials

• My free pattern for the Take-Out Embellishments from the A Cottage in the Forest Library. Design #3. Get the password for free by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
• K&S Precision Metals Solid Round Aluminum Rod, 1/16″ OD x 12″ length for umbrella poles. You could also use 16 gauge aluminum wire, but will need to straighten it. The solid round aluminum rods come straight and are easy to cut.
• Wire cutters or Universal Kitchen Scissors to cut the aluminum rods. I own both, but use the Universal Kitchen Scissors every day when cutting aluminum cans, and used them to cut the rods. They are as sharp as the day I got them over 3 years ago.

Favorite Materials Supply List

• Cardstock, Cardboard (Kraft Board), 30 point Chipboard, or Aluminum Can – your choice!
• Translucent Vellum or pictures to go in the windows.
• Glue – If using cardstock, I suggest Bearly Art Glue or Art Glitter Glue. For aluminum cans, I use Aleene’s The Ultimate Glue. For cardboard or chipboard houses, I like Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. I put it in a bottle with a thin metal tip.
• If using chipboard or kraft colored cardboard, start with a base of either Liquitex white gesso or black gesso as primer.
• Decorative papers (optional – for cardboard.)
• Multi-surface satin finish acrylic paints or Ranger Distress Inks or Distress Crayons (for cardboard or cardstock.) Both the FolkArt and the Craftsmart paint brands work equally well. If you use distress inks, make sure they dry thoroughly before handling the pieces or you will have stained fingers. I speak from experience.
• Glitter Gel Pens. I love these for coloring in small details. The company also carries another set with metallic, neon and fluorescent gel pens.
• Tim Holtz Texture Paste or Tim Holtz Distress Grit Paste to make brick or stone chimneys, walls or sidewalks. I actually prefer grit paste as it makes my stonework look rougher or more craggy than texture paste.
• Stencils to use with the texture or grit paste to make stone or brickwork. Be careful to buy or make stencils that fit the scale of your building. For brickwork I often use the Honey Bee Salvaged Bricks stencil or the Stretcher Bricks stencil I cut myself. For stonework I usually use either the Chimney Stone stencil I made myself, or the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Set #28 Stencils. 
• Bone folder (optional, but strongly suggested) A bone folder helps you make sharp folds when you are using cardstock or cardboard. I have found it even helps with aluminum cans. I now use my bone folder to deepen score lines all the time.
• A Cutting Machine like a Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore 
• A hand-held craft blade like an X-Acto knife or Cricut TrueControl Knife. I also have a hand-held knife called the Excel Knife. It is nice in that it uses the cheaper craft blades, but the blade doesn’t work its way loose like the blade in my X-Acto knife often does. You will also need a cutting mat or a glass media mat to cut on.
• Metal Edged Ruler with cork backing
• An Embossing Machine and folders.

Steps to Make the Take-Out Embellishments

• Download the Take-Out Embellishments pattern from A Cottage in the Forest library
• Import the Take-Out Embellishments patterns into your design software and cut – I use my Cricut Maker
• How to make the planter
• How to make the picnic table
• How to make the open umbrella
• How to make the partially closed umbrella
• How to make the litter or recycling can
• How to make the soda sign

How To Make The Take-Out Embellishments

Download the Take-Out Embellishments Pattern

Download the Take-Out Embellishments pattern from A Cottage in the Forest Library. It is Design #3. Don’t forget to unzip it. The pattern is available in multiple formats – as a SVG (scalable vector graphics), DXF (drawing eXchange format), a Studio3 file, or as a PDF file. The PDF has measuring lines as some printers reduce the size of the PDF when you print them. Currently, while I own Silhouette Business Edition, I do not have a Silhouette or Brother Machine to test the files. If you have problems using those files please let me know so I can troubleshoot what might be going wrong.

Import Each of the Take-Out Embellishments Patterns into Design Software and Cut

Each of the Embellishments has a different file so you can import only the ones that you want to use.

If you are using a Cricut machine, remember to change the solid score lines in Cricut Design Space from cut to score and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. Here is a great tutorial from Jennifer Maker’s website on attaching score lines. The score lines are the set of lines included with each of the embellishments except the bench tops and the soda sign.

Each of the pieces are so small I had trouble taking pictures showing what I was doing. So I increased the size and cut them out of cardstock so that you can follow along.

How To Make the Planter

Note that you will not fold on all of the lines. The lines highlighted in black in the picture below are for decoration.

Fold the flap of the planter towards the back.

Apply glue under the flap right next to the edge. Press down, then fold the flap on the other two score lines

Fold on the score lines on each of the corners.

Place glue on both of the remaining tabs and close. Add moss or paper or aluminum can flowers.

How to Make the Picnic Table

Note that you will not fold on all of the lines. The lines highlighted in black in the picture below are for decoration.

Glue the two body pieces of the picnic table together back to back. Let dry. Fold on the score lines of the body piece and the table top. Glue the tabs on the ends of the picnic benches to the legs of the table. Also glue the four tabs of the table top. Spread glue on the table and benches of the body piece.

Attach the table top and the bench tops, being careful to align the holes in the top.

How to Make the Umbrella

Fold on each of the score lines. Glue the tab to the other edge. Cut the aluminum rod to 2 1/4 inches and glue into peak of umbrella.

If you want to make a stand to go under the table cut a small rectangular strip and glue the edges together to make a cylinder.

How to Make the Partially Closed Umbrella

Fold on each of the spoke score lines, making peaks and valleys. This time you will not fold under the score line for the flaps around the edge of the umbrella. Glue the tab to the other edge. Cut the aluminum rod to 2 1/4 inches and glue into peak of umbrella. You can control how open or closed you want the umbrella to be. If you want it to be tightly closed you may want to apply some glue inside to hold it closed.

How to Make the Litter or Recycling Can

In Design Space you can add words to be drawn onto your litter can like “trash” or graphics like the recycling icon. Make sure you attach all of the elements together before making it. As the print ends up very small, I suggest using Cricut Extra-Fine (.03) pens. While the basic pen set is great, I have the 30 Cricut Extra-Fine pen set so that I always have available any color I want to use.

While I found the recycle graphic below in Design Space, I usually add graphics cut from aluminum cans to my aluminum litter cans.

Fold back and then up the two sided that have the holes in them. Then fold inward along all of the other score lines.

Glue together the sides to form a square, leaving the top part open. Next, place glue on the 4 little side tabs and press the sides against them. Let dry.

Lastly, place glue on the top flaps to close.

How to Make the Soda Sign

I usually make the signs that I glue to the front of my buildings by cutting soda or beer logos out of aluminum cans using a round steel die that is just under 3/4″. I then attach the two sides together using a thin strip of can. Even if you are making your building out of cardboard or cardstock adding a little bit of shiny aluminum might be fun.

I did include a file with the correct size circles and a slightly long rectangular strip if you prefer to cut your sign out of cardstock. Due to copyright law Design Space doesn’t have any soda or beer logos, so you will need to download a picture from the internet. Upload the picture into Cricut Design Space as a cut and print file, then change the size so that it is the same as the circles I provided. Duplicate, as you need two sides to the sign.

Drag your logo design over one of the circles, highlight both the logo and the circle, and align to the center. Attach the logo and the circle together and then flatten.

You will then cut and print out the logo. When you send to the printer, leave the “add bleed” button checked. Everyone’s printer is different, but I also click the button to use my printer’s system dialog, and use an option I have called “vivid colors.” After you cut, you may want to use a sharpie to color the edges of the circles before gluing the pieces together. I will often print on glossy sticker paper instead of cardstock as I find the colors are more vivid.

Carefully place a thin line of glue around the edge of one of the circles, then wind the thin strip around it. I like to have the strip begin and end at the area I will glue onto the building so it doesn’t show. Trim off any excess strip. Place a thin line of glue around the edge of the strip, then add the second circle. This is where it gets tricky as you need to align the writing on both sides.

Enjoy adding the embellishments to your Take-Out restaurant! I would love to see your finished design. Please share a photo of it with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com or tagging me (@acottageintheforest) on Instagram

FREE CUT FILES & PATTERN FOR THE TAKE-OUT EMBELLISHMENTS

Download the Take-Out Embellishments Pattern

Get the password for the library with the free Take-Out Embellishments pattern and SVG/DXF/Studio3/PDF files here by filling out this form:

If you have any trouble subscribing please contact me at jackie@acottageintheforest.com

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