Flower Making Tutorial and Card

I mentioned in a previous post that I would do a flower making tutorial.  I should say right up front that this is not my original idea.  I have seen many other designers making their own flowers and some have tutorials such as StampARTic.  Most of us take what we see others doing and put our own twist on it, and this is what I have done with a Crafting Passions tutorial.  So here goes......

  

The yellow flowers were made using the new Heartfelt Creations/Spellbinders Posy Patch die.  Heartfelt Creations has a number of lovely stamps that coordinate beautifully with new Spellbinders dies that were made specifically for their stamps.

The other flowers were made with the EK Success Retro Flower punches in small, medium and large.  In reality, any flower with individual petals will do (I think the Cricut has a flower that would work).

For the larger flower you will need 3 - 4 large pieces, 3 medium pieces and 2 - 3 smaller pieces.  The finished product will look more full-bodied with more layers.

 After cutting the flower pieces you may choose to color the edges, or you might want to give the pieces your own design by sprtzing with inks.  Just be sure that the ink you choose is waterproof because we will be saturating the paper with water.

 

Stack the layers on top of each other slightly rotated so that each successive layer can be seen.  Now you need to connect the layers to keep them together.  For the purposes of this tutorial I used brads, but you might want to sew on a button as an alternative.  It just depends on whether you want to see the center in the finished product.  I kept the brad hidden for most of my flowers.

 Once the layers are held together, spritz the whole thing with lots of water.  You may need to gently lift the petals to spritz the individual layers, and don't forget the bottom.  You want the paper VERY wet!  The purpose of this step is to make the petals pliable. I usually let it sit for about 5 minutes to really soak in and then spritz again.

When you are ready, start with the center and pull up one round of petals.  Squish them together, push down a bit, twist, and then pull up again.  You're distressing the petals in your own unique way!  Be careful not to pull to hard because the petals may come loose from the flower during this stage.

Continue pulling up rounds and distressing them until all the petals are in their upright position.  Spritz with water again if you feel the paper getting dry.  Now wait a bit - this is the hardest part for me.  Let the paper rest and begin to dry naturally.

The next step is to carefully peel back the layers starting from the outside.  Shape them as you go.  You can use a tooth pick, knitting needle, shop stick or some other round tool to roll the ends of the petals. Sometimes, just your fingers will do.

When you have the flower petals positioned just the way you want them put it down and let it dry all the way before using it on a project. As the flower dries you can work on the shaping a little more, but I have found that less is more in the case of these flowers.

Once the flower is completely dry it will be stiff and hold its shape. At this point you can use it as is or add more embellishment such as crystal lacquer to make it shiny, or Stickles for a special sparkle, or even air brushed to add more dimension.

When I made the smaller flowers I included a couple of layers of green paper to simulate leaves. Cut, layer, water and distress in the same manner.

Now on to the card I made using my new flowers.  The Tilda image is from the new Magnolia collection colored with Copic markers.

I added a little FlowerSoft to the bunny’s tail for some fluffiness. The gems are from the dollar store. Designer paper is the last bit of my Amor left over from a previous project and I think the card stock is from SU - Rose.  Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval set the scene for Tilda.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

Totally Gojuss - Spring
Outlawz - Sketch challenge
Simon Says - for a girl in your life
Aly's Sunday Sketch - Spring
Creative Inspirations - Flowers

Thanks for checking in. I hope this tutorial helps you make your own beautiful flowers!

Have a GREAT day!