Paper Flowers - Primrose and Spider Dahlia?

 Well I have been playing again today - compulsory really as after a brilliant sunny start to the morning, it decided to rain so I couldn't get out and work in the garden this afternoon!

Primroses

These were made with a Woodware punch I bought at Farnborough yesterday - not exactly a primrose punch as it has 6 petals and a primrose has 5.  I cut down between the petals, then balled each petal and scored down the middle of the petals.  The centre was then balled again and the star marking was painted on using a koi water brush and sakura pen. A dot of glue in the centre and sprinkled with pale green flowersoft.

(I don't have any specialist paper flower making tools - I just use some of my rarely used cake decorating tools - one is a set of metal tools, I believe used for dentistry.  I also use a sugarcraft "dogbone" which has one end broken off! a large metal ball tool for cold porcelain work and my glitter girls ball tall as well as some of my parchment ball tools - so my advise is see what you have got in your stash and adapt!)  I will try and remember to take a photo of my miscellany of tools another time.

I cut out an oval nestie and distressed it slightly with cut and dry foam using one of my whispers ink pads (as I don't have any distress ink pads!)  Added a couple of sizzix vine die shapes.  (By the way I know it isn't central on the card - that is because the nestie shape isn't stuck on the card, just placed for purpose of the photo as not sure what card I shall create with this topper eventually.)

Spider Dahlias?

I call this die a spider dahlia die. Don't know whether it has a proper name it is made by Kreaxions.  My eldest granddaughter Ellie persuaded me to by this set of dies at the Show.   I also bought another set a bit like a calyx (haven't used those yet).   They were a special offer for two sets of the shapes (3 sizes in each).  I had visions of making a spider dahlia, as per the flower on the right - but it didn't quite work - shall have to have another think about this one.  The flower on the right uses two of each of the three sizes, and was actually cut from a piece of patterned paper that I knew I wouldn't use as a backing paper!  It also has gold flowersoft in the centre.  Possibly if I make them out of thinner paper instead of 160 gsm I might be able to get more movement in the petals, and a thought has just struck me - perhaps I ought to have used more of the same layer and rolled some of the petals - might try that next!

The one on the left is just two of the largest size of die, cut using my cuttlebug, with a gold candi in the centre.

To shape the flowers, I stroked my dogbone tool down each "petal" from tip to centre to give them some shape and then balled the centre with my glittergirls ball tool, then stuck the layers together, alternating the petals slightly, and then give them another "poke" in the middle with the ball tool to cup the shapes a bit more.  I will add that they are a bit of a nightmare to get out of the die, but I found a poke with a small parchment ball tool did the trick!

Anyway even if I don't get to achieve a dahlia - they will look quite effective on a card!