Home

Thank you for supporting our shop. We’re glad you’ve chosen to create collaborative art with us!

Instructions

A copy of these instructions is in your downloaded .zip file.

For convenience, each of the artworks were placed in their own file. Each file contains the three to four, ~4in (~100mm) diameter layers comprising that artwork. The layers were designed to be cut out of 2mm thick plywood but could potentially work with other thicknesses.

Red lines in the files mean “cut this” while blue lines mean “engrave.” Black lines are helper cuts for those whose cutters give them trouble when removing the pieces. Depending on your software, you may need to load the blue first, run that, and then load the red while being mindful of relative position.

For convenience, there are cut-only and engrave-only versions named as such.

A note on outside-the-gate.svg: the base star was meant to be engraved and cut and then (unlike the other pieces) flipped over before assembly so the text is on the back of the piece.

Supplies

• Laser cutter: https://amzn.to/3lVGdTs
• 2mm craft plywood: https://amzn.to/3AXXeAE
• Wilton Icing Colors: https://amzn.to/3G45sLC
• Ziplock bags: https://amzn.to/2Z2Ccnx
• Filtered or distilled water for dyeing.
• Gorilla wood glue: https://amzn.to/3nd3Bvl

Optional, if epoxying:

• Epoxy resin (non-VOC): https://amzn.to/30xsgmu
• Nitrile gloves*: https://amzn.to/3aSHWTj
• Fume mask**: https://amzn.to/3AV72vp

* My epoxy kit came with super thin plastic gloves that tore easily so I acquired some nitrile gloves instead.

** The fume mask may not be necessary with non-VOC epoxy but I was working indoors so I got it just in case.

Hints, tips, and ideas

Staining

The pieces photographed for the shop were stained with food coloring rather than woodstain. The results were both pleasing and unexpected. If you want to achieve the same effect, here was what I did.

I used Wilton Icing Colors found here: https://amzn.to/3G45sLC I put about an 1/8 tsp in a small, ziplock bag with 1/4 cup of water and soaked the wood panels for about 15 minutes or until the colors looked right. This is a great place to experiment with wood scraps and find a color scheme you like.

Back panel: Black. This absorbed as a night sky, royal purple and left the remaining water somewhat bluish.

Middle panel: Brown. This gave the appearance of a darker wood.

Middle panel #2 (when present): Golden Yellow.

Front panel: no color / natural wood.

Final touches - Hanging

After the pieces were stained and glued together, I hot-glued some fishing line to the backs of the pieces in order to hang them more easily on the Christmas tree. Of course, there are many ways to accomplish this, but I personally prefer fishing line because it doesn’t intrude on the piece; it’s part of the reason why I left a wooden loop or hanger out of the design.

Description

This is the “Graces of God” collection. Each is based on a story from the Bible and in each one, Jesus can be found (some more obvious than others).

1. sandals-and-gentle-fire.svg Flowers may be the most delicate part of a bush. Yet here they are unburnt by the one who would do no harm. Exodus 3:14-15.

2. bread-and-grain-multiplied.svg 10 + 10 loaves of barley bread and some grain fed 10 * 10 people. The piece depicts the leftovers. 2 Kings 4:42-44.

3. manna-and-quail-from-heaven.svg God fed with honey bread from Heaven by morning and quail by twilight. Exodus 16:11-12.

4. land-of-milk-and-honey.svg What was promised was delivered. Even a whole land. Milk was drawn from sheep and other non-cows. :-) Jeremiah 32:22.

5. outside-the-gate.svg So rarely is Jesus where we expect him to be. Depicted is Jesus sitting on a small hill outside of the Lion’s Gate of Jerusalem. Hebrews 13:12-14

Home