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!

Beaded Bag Charm Kit

As it was such horrid weather yesterday, I played with some of my purcheses from Farnborough.   This is my first attempt at beadwork. 

OK it was a kit - but got it to practise - but have bought another bag of beads and some findings so that I can make some more, although I need to get some chain (although I am thinking there might be some old broken necklaces etc up on my jewellery box that I could rob until I can get to local shop to buy some- if I order them from the bead shop - I might spend too much on other stuff!).  Not too bad for a first attempt.  You may also notice that the paper I used to photograph it on was my try-out of one of my new punches too! 

50th Birthday Card - Patience Strong

I've used a couple of images from JS Patience Strong CD for this card, which have been double matted and layered on shades of purple card.  Purple ribbon added to the pale blue pearlescent card, amd matching purple sentiment added.  The words on this CD are beautiful as are the images.

Lemon Birthday card

 

Thought I would be good and use up some stash from my recent Goodybag for this card, as the colours were so spring-like.   Backing paper run through cuttlebug (can't remember the make/name of the folder). 

Diamond Wedding Card

A simple card for neighbours of my daughter who celebrate their anniversary today.  Diamond image created in MCS and matted onto white card.  Rose decoupaged and "60th" glittered.  The matching words block was also created in MCS and then printed on vellum, and embossed, again mounted on white card.  All mounted on lavender glittercard (yes it is lavender although it doesn't look like it in the photo) and added to a white hammered card.  

Unfortunately the vellum buckled slightly - I think this is because although it is only attached around the outer edge, the fact that the underneath card was mounted using pinflair glue to make sure it adhered to the glittercard and the dampness from the glue made the vellum layer buckle slightly.   Nothing I could do to rectify it has it happened as it dried!  It's not that bad, but I was just cross that it happened - a lesson learned!

Crepe Paper Flowers - tribute to my Dad

As a tribute to my Dad, who was the inspiration behind my attempting to make some of my recent paper flowers, I thought I would share a sample of some of his life-sized crepe paper flowers that he made in the late 1980s (when he was in his 70s) - with you all.  I scanned these old pre-digital photos of his - so apologies for the quality - but I hope when you click on the pictures you will appreciate the detail that has gone in to making the flowers.

Rose

Camelia

Narcissus & Daffodils

Anemones, Rhodendron blossoms, primulas and primroses and purple pansies,

crocuses and trailing ivy

Daffodils,  roses and possibly a camelia or an open rose, narcissus

pale anemones, water lily, darker anemones

more roses, daffodils narcissus, water lily, anemones and I think possibly a red camelia



Daffs, sweet pease, roses, carnations, pinks narcissus

water lily, primula and red and pink rhodedendron

As mentioned the flowers are made from crepe paper, duplex crepe paper (water lily), tissue paper (sweetpeas), some wire and some glue!  My father was taught by Jeanne Westcott and she wrote a book called Paper Flower Sculpture.  (I had mislaid this book, but whilst looking for these old photos I found it - so am really chuffed with that, as it is one of the orginal 1st edition hardback copies)   I have discovered it is still available from places like Amazon in hardback and softback format.

When I finally found the book hiding in the cupboard, I also found along with it a couple of old books of mine :  1)  Silk Flowers - Making and arranging ribbon flowers by Anne Hamilton and Kathleen White which looks really inspirational; and 2)  Making Pressed Flower Pictures by Margaret Kennedy Scott and Mary Beazley, which I remeber were pressies from my parents.

I have also been googling for paper flowers etc and came across this inspirational blog - http://krithicreation.blogspot.com/%20-%20which - which  also includes stocking flowers - I remember when they were all the rage - appears they are back "In", and small world that it is, whilst I was round at my pal's house today helping her ice the cake, she showed me a pot of anthuriums made from red nylons that she had been given at Christmas!

Definitely a case of flower power rules at the moment it seems!

Today's good deed!

I helped my pal, who can no longer do icing because of her hands, put the finishing touches to a family birthday cake this morning at her house.   She made the sponge, I split it and added buttercream and jam and then I put the sugarpaste icing on it , added the ribbon and piped the shells. She had bought a spray of sugar flowers - so then piped name to match and added the 60.   She has also bought one of the cake "fireworks" for them to put on the top left hand corner on the day.  It matches the card I made for my pal earlier - or rather the card matches the cake as I knew what flower spray she had bought!

 this was the matching card, which I have shown on earlier part of my blog.

Water Lily - first attempt

I have been thinking about trying to make a water lily for a week or so.  It didn't turn out quite as I wanted it.  I had really wanted to make it with coffee filter paper to make it more flexible - but my punch just wouldn't cut a clean shape! grrr!   Anyway I resorted to 80 gsm copy paper again.  the size of the finished flower is about and inch and a half (and about 3" with the leaves.)

Having punched the shapes I balled them with one of my cake decorating tools - known in the trade as a "dogbone" because of its shape.  I ran the tool around the edge to break the fibres a bit and then balled the base of the petal shapes.  I then rolled the top down to give it more curl.  I then "chalked" the petals, using my cake decorating dusts.  I used a pale lemom at the base of the petal and pink on the back and edges of the front of the petal, and then I used a white pearlised lustre dust over it all.

I cut a small circle of paper and with flowersoft glue, proceeded to assemble the flower.   It didn't go quite as I had intended, as I had to dismantle it half way through to curl some of the petals a tad more!  finished off with more glue and lemon flowersoft in the middle.  At least 'im indoors recognised it as a water lily.

I decided it need some leaves, so grabbed the first bit of green card I came to in the box and cut out a leaf shaped free hand.  (It happened to be some of my best hammered green card! ) I then scored the back of the card a few times, with another of my cake decorating flower making scribes! and stuck the leaves on the back of the flower.  The little blobs on the leaf are supposed to be there - they are supposed to be water drops!

I was inspired to make this, as many years ago my Dad made beautiful life size hand-made flowers from special craft crepe papers (sort of double sided crepe is how I can only describe it - he used to go to London to buy it from a shop called PaperChase).  He made both Mum and I a life-size water lily that he made to sit on a glass tile - unfortunately both are long gone!   Somewhere in my house is the book with the instructions on how to make his flowers.  I know I haven't thrown it away as it was signed by the author, who happened to be the person who taught Dad, as she lived locally.  He eventually took over some of her classes and demonstrations at WIs etc.

So Dad this is a tribute to you.  Wish you had taught me how to do them properly though!

Exploding Box

Do you remember the little baby trainers I made?  Well this is what I made to put them in.  It was so easy using my Hougie Board.  I then matted and layered some different papers - one of them being the paper I made the shoes from.  The silver paper was from a lovely pack I bought last year at Ally Pally show.  I then added some different "peel-off"  images I had in my stash.

and here are some more images (don't forget you can click on the pictures to make them larger)

the front of the box, and a couple of the sides



Now all I have got to decide is where to put my message - think it will be a case of wrapping some ribbon around it and adding a tag.

Paper Carnations (and how I made them!)

I made these carnationss as a trial for a forum friend who was asking whether there was  punch to make carnations.  Using my knowledge of sugarcraft I knocked these up quickly using an old white coffee filter paper!

Today I have made another one using 80 gsm white copy paper.

This is what I started with - just what I had to hand: scallopped petal punch (EK), scissors, some freebie frosted chalks and some cut and dry foam, and some flowersoft glue.  (note I just used what I had to hand, but you if you have a small scalloped circle nestie you could use that)

Punch out five flower shapes and using scissors snip into the edge all the way round - tip, lay all the shapes on top of each other and cut them at same time - saving labour!  When you separate them it will also help to separate the fringing!

Once the edges have all been snipped, take the cut and dry foam and the chalk and work into edges - doesn't matter if the "fringing" turns up as you do this, as it helps to separate it.  Turn over and chalk the edge on the reverse - this can be done from centre out on this side.

This is what you should end up with.

For the centre you need three "Z" shapes.  Attach a drop of glue to the centre of one petal and fold in half.

Next fold into a "Z" shape, by folding right-hand side in toward the centre about 2/3rds of the way across, and add a drop of glue to the bottom half.  Turn over and fold the right-hand side in again and add a drop of glue - you should now have a "Z" shape folded fringed triangle. 

Roll the cones between your fingers and splay the "fringing" slightly, by rubbing thumb over the top.   Then cut off a small piece from the bottom of the cone - as in right hand shape in the picture.

The two remaining shapes have segments cut out of them - one with 1 segment missing and the second with two segments missing.  Form the two shapes into cones, by overlapping one scalloped segment over another and glue - you should end up with two shapes like this:

To assemble the flower, place a drop of glue in the base of the larger cone and insert the smaller cone.

Place another drop of glue in the second cone, and add in the 3 "Z" shaped segments.

and you have a nearly finished flower.  You could leave it like this, but I then took a Promarker (you could use a felt pen ) and with the pen at "flat" angle gently brush over the edges in a few places

   

Showing the Promarker edging.

If you would like to add a bit more detail to your flower, you can take a stamen (mine came from my sugarcraft stash.)

cut off the tips of the stamen and with your thumb nail gently run along the stamen to curve both sides.  Add a drop of glue to the folded end and insert in the middle of the "Z" shapes and trim to size.

Finished flower with stamens

Hope this all makes sense, it really is easy.  I am now thinking of trying to make one actually on a wire!

Baby trainers - sugar and paper!

I have a Christening Cake to make for a friend of the family and these are the little trainers I have made for the top of the cake.  Not too bad for a first attempt!

and I also decided to make some out of paper as I am thinking I might make an exploding box card to match, so reduced the pattern for these.  Again not too bad for a first attempt!



Valentine's Day Birthday Card

Valentine's Day means two Birthdays in our family - my eldest granddaughter's (you have seen her cake and card) and my daughter-in-laws - so here is the card I made for her.

Image and backing paper from JS Enchanted Dreams and wording added in Publisher, both matted and layered on sparkly turquoise paper.   I used the Aquarius insert from the CD for the insert.  don't you just love these Josephine Wall images - so detailed.

A use for the narcissus!

I put a florist's bow on my granddaughter's birthday present and attached the narcissus to the end!  Looked quite effective!

Paper Narcissus

I wanted to try and make some paper flowers today.  So using my skills from making sugarcraft flowers, I thought I would attempt a narcissus.

White petals were cut with with my ek punch, scored with end of bonefolder and dusted with pefect pearls.

the cente was cut with a round nestie in the cuttlebug, painted with cosmic shimmer, and then a third of the circle cut away and then overlapped to form a cone and glued.  Then cone was edged with Red promarker.

I cut the bottom of the cone.  I cut a small circle and put some glue in the centre and attached the white petals, and then the cone.  A drop more flowersoft glue was put in the centre of the cone and stamens from my cake decorating stash added.

I also attempted to make a primrose, but that was a bit of a disaster as I hadn't got the right shaped punch, so am not showing that!

Cake & Card for a 9 year old!

The request from my eldest granddaughter was for a cake with a ten-pin with a cowboy hat on it, to match her birthday invites, and to reflect the fact that she and her friends are going ten-pin bowling and then for a meal at the local Smith and Western restaurant!   I confess the ten-pin was harder to model than I first thought it would be - still as my Dad would have said "A blind man would be pleased to see it!"   As she is also a ballet dancer I added an extra element!  It also compliments the Birthday Card I made for her.   (Shame the word "Birthday" is a bit wonky, didn't show up until I took the photo! - obviously the old eyesight isn't what it used to be - mind you it is very difficult piping on a sponge cake, as you can't rest your hand on the edge of the cake to steady it - so everything is piped very much free-hand in the air - and I had to do that twice as the pink colour is over-piped over white to raise it up!)

  another view showing the hearts around the side edge - as her birthday is Valentine's Day

and this is the card I made using backing papers and a bear from Forever Friends.  The Bear and the skittles and the cowboy hat were all decoupaged.  (note:  I too the liberty of putting the cowboy hat on the bear rather than the skittle!)  I have overwritten the wording I created on the skittle in MCS with a little clear sakura glitter pen.  I have also glitted the bands on the skittles and added a little to the bear (I think if you click on the picture you can just about see it!)

A simple Thank You card

The title says it all really.  Just a simple reply to a Christening invitation using an image from JS Baby Love cd and some papermania papers and ribbon from recent Goody Bag

simple Chinese New Year Card

We're celebrating some family birthdays tomorrow at one of our local Chinese restaurants - we are regular customers there - so thought it would be nice to give them a card this year.   Very simple - some lucky plum blossom, Year of the Rabbit symbol and Happy New Year in Chinese.

Male 18th birthday

A card for a pals' grandson who is looking forward to going to the pub for his first beer!  He is also into football, pool and cars.  The car dates from his birth year!  As you can see the pool balls have his age on them.  (somewhere in my stash I am sure I have some similar bought embellishments - but can I find them? - however they would probably have been too small in relation to the rest of the items)  I also added the Forever Friends bear with the 18 Key.

The image was put together in CAP and the wording added with the new squiggly word facility.  A little glitter was added to the key, the wheels of the car, the beer and the pool balls.  Image mounted on to brown card, then gold mirri and brown cardstock.

New Home Card

I love this image from Joanna Sheen's Cardmaker's Year.   I took the image into MCS and faded it out to make the backing paper image, and faux layered the main image .  Backing image then mounted onto gold paper from my stash (Lakeland papers - oh I wish they still sold those! - haven't got much left, so saved for special cards!)  Sentiment also created in MCS and mounted on gold mirri.

The sentiment inside the card reads:  "A House is made of wood and beams, a Home is made of love and dreams" - my favourite sentiment for a new home card.

Stargazer Lily

I chose this image and backing paper from JS Royal Horticultural Society CD to match the stargazer lillies that are going on her cake.  I also attempted to create a paper lily embelishment - not brilliant for a first attempt, but at least you can tell what it is supposed to be.  Petals cut with an ek punch, painted with water-colour pencils and cosmic shimmer, and then a little glitter added.   The stamens were from my cake decorating stash!  (Even when I made sugar lillies on cakes - I hated painting stargazer ones!

I will also confess that the green ribbon was from my cake decorating stash - and actually had Happy Christmas all along it - so I just turned it over and stuck it down - nobody will ever know - and you won't tell will you?

The image and backing paper have also had a little glitter added to "lift" them.

For the insert I used the JS Enchanted Dreams cd and used insert from Pisces in the Zodiac section, but also added the Lily image to it as well.