I had hoped to have a video tutorial up for you with how I made my paper flowers but can't seem to get it to load up here or on You tube. Guess I am going to have to work on that one a bit more.
In the meantime..here is a photo tutorial that should help you out.
You can use various size punch's to cut out your flowers, or do what I have done and use some from a digital kit. In this case Hello Sunshine from Kelley Mickus. I adjusted the sizes up and down to give me a couple in each size. These were then printed and left overnight to dry.
Then put a hole with a paper piercer thought the center of each flower and secure them all together with a brad. Use a small one! Then with a small mister spray the flowers liberally. Don't be afraid to use more than a little. 
Now start to smoosh them up starting with the top layer. Gather it nice and tight and work the petals in towards the middle squishing the water into the paper as you go.
Keep working your way down through the layers until you get every petal smooshed into the center. Something like this.
Then taking your paper piercer, a pen, a pin or something else spiky start to pull the layers down gently. Doing it a little at a time, pulling the petals into a pleasing shape and working them out where you want them.
As you get to the top layers it will be much fuller than it looks when you first get started. Gorgeous hey? Amazing it is just paper.
You can also do it with a lot less petals for a different look.
This one only had five layers.
Beautiful! Just not as full.
You can then let the paper flower dry. Try using a heat gun or hairdryer if you are in a hurry. Then hit it with some glimmery type spray for that extra sparkle.
Use them on projects, layouts and as toppers for gifts.
Have you made any of these paper flowers?
A good friend is leaving to move overseas, or rather back home. She has always admired my handmade cards so I knew just the perfect gift to give her for a going away "I'll miss you" gift.
A beautiful gift boxed set of handmade cards.
Now whenever she has the need of a card she can just select one and post it out.
In a variety of designs, some with sentiments, there is something to cover every occasion.
Of course she also adored the little paper flowers that I have been making. So they were the perfect topper for the gift box.
Box template is altered from one by Kelleigh Ratzlaff and the kit I have used is Hello Sunshine from Kelley Mickus. All the cards are created with my Card Crafters templates.
I will have a photo tutorial up tomorrow sharing how I made the flowers step by step. Right now I am off to Jessica Sprague's Card class…yipppeee!
Tomorrow Jessica Sprague is starting a new class. This one is all about cards and using your computer to make them. Given this is my passion at the moment and how much fun I am having making templates I am so excited to be taking it.
As with all Jessica's classes I am sure we will all learn heaps and have a bunch of fun along the way. You can still get in if you hurry!
Click on Jessica's ad to take you to registration. Best of all – if you do it now…it's free! Isn't Jessica as sweetie!
There is nothing like glimmer mist here! Nor anything like the ingredients cited on a lot of blogs to make your own glimmer mist. Which meant getting creative with what was already in my home.
Enter hairspray and eyeshadow. Yes! Good old fashioned pump style hair spray and glimmery shimmery eyeshadow with a lovely pearly tint.
Using an old mini spray bottle I added about a tablespoon of the hairspray. Then it was time for the eyeshadow. This is a very shimmery loose powder eyeshadow.
I added two very small scoops to the bottle. Then shook it very well.
It ended up a very coppery soft pink with just a hint of gold glimmer. Then it was time to spray the dried flower with a light mist.
Next time I'll try having the sprayer further away and get a lighter mist. It dried in seconds!
Don't you just love it when an experiment works?
Smooshed, dry and glimmery.
Turning paper into real looking three dimensional flowers is all the rage at the moment. From tissue paper to napkins to flower shapes punched or stamped card stock cut out. All are altered in various ways to create pleasing and pretty flowers for various projects or funky and fresh decor.
After seeing various tutorials and a video or two I just had to jump on the paper flower bandwagon. Starting out with the water technique for paper roses was my first attempt.
So this is how I took these gorgeous flowers from Jennifer Labre Designs digital scrapbooking kit After The Rain …… from this
to this.
After waiting a couple of days for the ink to dry on the Red River paper I cut all the shapes out. Then put them on a brad and proceeded to add water and smoosh all the layers up. All good – worked just like in the video.
Let the flower dry outside – making sure to let hubby know it is there before he turns the water on for the garden and soaks the thing enough to wash the dishes with. It was so wet that it would not even smoosh up but was just a soggy wilted mess.
Let the flower dry again. This time inside and overnight. Find in the morning that it is still damp and now smooshes perfectly. Then wait another few hours for it to dry fully – or hit it with a hair dryer or heat gun if you are in a hurry.
You can leave it like that – or check back tomorrow and see what else I did with it to get that shiny glimmery look to it. It's not Glimmer Mist or Pearl Ex either.
Template Thursday today – and it is free. Just because I like giving things away. Just because I like making life a little easier, for myself – and others. My Card Crafters Templates do that which gives me the perfect excuse for a giveaway.
First though a little eye candy..
Not sure I want to give this one away. It is so gorgeous in the real and the layers and textures just add to the whole elegance.
The kit is Daisy Summer Days from Sugarplum Paperie at The Digi Chick. Just gorgeous!
Here is a close up so you can see the layers better.
Here is another view. This time with a "printed" card. The one at the front with the white border is made with this weeks digital print n go template. It looks lovely just simply printed – even without all the layers.
If you are in a hurry just then use the digital template. If you have some time and want to make something handmade then try out the hybrid template.
You will find both templates in this weeks download. Yes, that's right. two templates!
Here they are – your free Card Crafters Template. This link will only be up for 1 week – so grab it while you can. Link Expired – thanks for downloading!
After starting at After Five Designs this month I was quite excited to see some wonderful kit designs that I knew would be prefect for hybrid creations. Those little gift boxes, bags and mini albums that always need good papers.
Kristen Rice has one out called Mojito which is just adorable. It has a slightly Moroccan feel to it, and the colours are so pretty and vibrant.
Firstly I made this cute little gift box out of a graduation cap template by Sunghee. Adding a couple of flowers and that fun coffee cup to the top just tied it all in with the kit.
Then using my Card Crafters template I whipped up this card to go with the gift box. Using a Martha Stewart Punch and inking edges really brought out the patterned papers. I also used a stamp from my stash that has been around since 1997 (yikes) with co-ordinating Versa colour ink and clear embossing powder to make it pop.
If you would like to make one of your own like this you can grab my free templates here. These are blank templates for you to customise yourself.
Happy Fathers day to all the birth dads, adoptive dads, surrogate dads and those who play dad to anyone that needs them. You sure do deserve a day in your honour.
Mind you, it seems weird saying that. Shame it is not an international day rather than a lot of countries celebrating it at different times. I think the Uk has already had theirs, now the USA has it's turn and Australia has Fathers Day coming up in September.
So using today for organization and motivation I got in early!
Using my template freebie from Thursday I made up this digital card ready for hubby in September. He is a no fuss no frills kind of guy so a simple glossy print out without all the embellishing.
To celebrate all fathers, every day, everywhere, I am giving away this completed jpeg card – ready for printing, adding to some matt perhaps and adhering to a cardstock base. So you can use it for any purpose I have left out the words.
Celebrate Dad Card Link will expire in 48 hours (Tuesday Night). Please let me know if you download it.
If you would like to make your own with this design hop over here to pick up the free template. LINK EXPIRED
Hubby's birthday today. He got some new tools to make all the work he has been will be doing for me around the house a little easier. He also received the card I made with Tumbleweed from Kelley Mickus a couple of weeks ago.
I am off to enjoy one of these.
Home Made Chocolate Mousse.
Given that I am on a bit of a card making kick at the moment I decided to streamline my card making by setting up a couple of templates. Wanting to ensure my final print project came out the right size – say for a card to be matted on a card base then fit in an A2 envelope I set up a template with guides and such to make my work easier.
It all snowballed from there with me making a bunch of card templates. All three cards from yesterday were created with my new templates. Given how much time they saved me I thought I might share some of them with you.
Introducing Card Crafters from Altered Life Designs.
These card templates are set up ready for your digital and hybrid card making needs. The page size is 8.5 x 11 and already set up for 1/8th inch print margins.
In the pack you get two templates. One is perfect for clipping your digital papers and elements to, printing out and cutting to size ready to pop into an envelope. A quick and easy card "homemade" card solution this one is called Print'n Go.
The second one is laid out individually on the same size 8.5 x 11. This time however you can cut the pieces out and adhere your layers together along with some extra "traditional" card making or scrapbookingl embellishments making this a truly paper card. There is room on the page for you to add some extra pieces out of a digital kit should you wish to embellish or add extra layers.
These templates will be called Print'n Create. How you finish them off is up to you. Keep to the template or go all out and create something totally individual.
To celebrate all the fun I am having making these, and introducing them to you I have decided to give away my first ever Card Crafters Template Set.
This card was made with it.
So was this one.
So without further ado here is the link for the card templates.
You know the drill – please leave me a comment here if you download them – and link me up when you use them. i would love to see your creations!
I hope you enjoy creating with Card Crafters as much as I have making them!
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