How to/I/you Make Paper Flowers

 

Here is a quick tutorial on one way to make  paper flowers. There are many different techniques, this one is easy and fun. Layla(6ys old) and i made these for our Christmas tree. I wanted to add a paper element to my decorating.

 

The first step is to choose your paper. Keep in mind that the type and size of paper you choose will effect the difficulty of making the flower and the overall outcome.

For this project i chose three different types

Book pages-old wordbook- page was approx8.5x11.-- 2in flower

Old sketch book paper-from a child school pad-it is old and aged on the edges approx. 11x14--approx.2.5inch flower

Pretty printed card stock , med weight, printed on both sides.12x12--approx.4.5inch flower

measuring from side to side

Start by rounding the corners of you page, the general shape can be from oval to round you just don't want any pointed edges.


Next you can either free form cut or draw out a spiral that starts on an outer side and goes into the center of your page- similar to the photo below.

Next cut along this spiral of free form cut until your shape looks like these photos.


 

 You will then start to roll the paper on to itself from the same edge that you started cutting. Basically you are going to roll it up turning the paper into a circular shape.  (photo below on left)


The circle will get more difficult to make the more you roll. I tack it down at the curves with a dot of hot glue so that i keep the shape i want and so that if it falls out of my hand i don't loose my shape. It is important to remember that flowers are not perfect and neither will your paper flower be- so let your creativity take over- go with the flow. A little practice and you will achieve the desired look.
The thinner paper will roll easier while the card stock will resist and be more difficult to shape but it will also have petals that stand open better.
When you get to the end use the last few inches to glue down your center by putting glue on the end and pushing the center down into the glue.
I finished my flowers by gluing on a wire so that i could tie them to my Christmas tree (last photo).  These are great to decorate gifts, etc.






 

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Gosh where do i begin..... I LOVE MAKING JUNK JOURNALS!!!! I have learned so much about paper crafting in the past few months that i cant manage my time well enough to bring all my new ideas to life. I have been remiss in posting to my blogs but i am going to try and remedy that. So if you know of anybody who can stop time tell them to call me because i need some extra hours in my day. I am gonna post a few pics and hopefully be back with a tutorial on how i get my journal ideas.

I love the way this cover came out, it has an old maybe even dusty look to it. i think keeping the distressing random is the key

These pic are from a Ledger Journal i did for my etsy shop. This journal was awesome i was able to incorporate lot of Junque. The side tags really add a lot to its look. I love when the pages don't all hide with in the covers.

Wild colors pulse distressed inks make journal pages POP! Try mixing it up, think outside the box, and remember there is not right or wrong in junk journal.

 

 

Wordless Wendsday

I listed these great notebooks/journals in my shop yesterday so i thought i would give you a little info on them. They were a blast to make and my daughters were begging me to keep them; that's how i know that they are great.

I made the covers with medium weight chip board covered with dictionary pages and card stock. On the front covers i uses stamps and punches to decorate them. Because i used pages from an old dictionary i sprayed them with a sealant, this should help with wear and tare as well as preserve the look of the pages.

On the inside i used all sorts of different size index cards as well as photo sleeves , watercolor paper,patterned card stock and textured solid card stock. I have been collecting the index cards for a while now and was excited to finally put them to use. The card stock is mostly from K&Company, its great quality with a fun palette of color. 

 For the goodies bags, i dug into my stash and put lots of paper, stickers, buttons and other ephemera style items. The bags turned out perfect and i was just as excited about them as the books. When my girls saw them i actually did have to come off some more of my stash for there personal journals.

It is so hard to photograph journals and notebooks, you just cant capture every page. Next time i will try something new, see if i can get better photos. If you have any suggestions leave a comment i will be happy for the advise.

     So, here are a few pics of my newly designated  paper crafting area. I rearranged a few things and gathered up some new and old tools of the trade. So far its working well but as time goes I am sure I will spread out but that requires putting away a few more sewing items; not sure if i am willing to do that or not.

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I am working on a few things and loving the results. Hopefully i will have a complete journal to share with you soon.