Etsy Anyone?

Just a quick update.  I don't have any new tutorial offerings or projects I have been working on.  I haven't been allowed a minute to feel very creative lately.  Life happens too...you know how it goes.  I did take the advice of one of my readers and join the Etsy world to offer some of my paper flower creations to those that might be interested.  If you are, you can follow my link off to the right.  Or, you can make them yourself...which I think it more fun anyway. :) Just as a sneak peek though, here is how I am packaging my flowers for those that decide to buy them from me.

Kind of fun?

I am thinking I may try to offer some of my handmade cards as well.  I really need an outlet for all this creativity.  You can only make so many cards before you run out of people to give them to.  Anyhow, happy Sunday, everyone.  I will try to get in a couple new posts before my trip next week to the coast.  I am long overdue for a vacation though....you have no idea!

Rolled Roses

Are you beginning to get tired of my endless flower tutorials?  I confess I am having a lot of fun finding and creating all these floral ideas with paper.  I decided if I enjoy it, then you might too.  Today I want to demonstrate rolled roses.  This idea, just like the others is not an invention of mine.  I scoured the internet looking for fun ideas and my presentations are just my take on the idea.  I do not mean to copy anyone else and will always try to link back to where I found it originally.  In this case, the next tutorial was found over here and she has a better demo than I am giving, but if you don't feel like blog jumping and want to stick with me today, I will do my best below.

To start your rolled roses, you will need a square of paper.  I used one about 4"x4".  Using your decorative scissors simply cut out a pinwheet sort of design like this:

I decided to add another step to my rose by adding a little bit of texture.  To do this, I used my Texture Boutique and the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder.  I like the Texture Boutique because it serves the purpose of texturing, like a Cuttlebug does, but it doesn't do die cuts.  I have a Cricut.  I don't need a die cut machine.  So I went for the much more inexpensive option and can use any of the Sizzix, Cuttlebug and Quikcutz embossing folders.  Works for me!

Plus, it's about as cute as it could be!

Next, I decided to add a little color to the outer edges with an ink pad.

And then comes the fun part.  Start bending and crumpling the outer edges of the wheel.  This will create the illusion of petal edges.  Really...trust me.  Now start messing it up!

Now comes the tricky part.  Not that tricky though, so don't start stressing.  Simply start rolling the rose up from the outside edge.  If you allow it to sort of roll in a cone shape, it will flare out more like a flower.  Also, you might need to bend the crumpled down edges a little bit because they tend to want to straighten themselves up again.

When you get it all rolled up, you will leave the round center area free. This is actually the base for the rose.  Add a dab of hot glue, and mash it down on there.  If you want to let the wound up rose unwind a little bit, that is fine.  It will make it a little larger.  Just mess around with it.  Squish and scrunch it into the shape you want.

Voila!  And here is your pretty little rose!

And, here is a project I made with mine.  I can actually make something besides cards!

I just used an old 5x7 frame and added some scrapbook paper and ribbon.  I am not in love with the frame and may switch it out sooner or later, but for today...it will do.  The stamped image is one that I designed for Biblical Impressions Rubber Stamps .  I colored it with watercolor pencils and a Dove Blender Pen.  Kinda cute, huh?

Another Rose Tutorial

I have been promising more flower tutorials, so here is my next addition.  These little roses are much smaller than the last one I demonstrated, but they are just as cute.  And, despite the seemingly many steps involved, they are really quite simple too.  As you can see by the many different ones I created here:

You can easily use up your paper scraps to make these little sweethearts as well. 

So, here is how it's done.

You will need a 6 petal flower punch, like the one I used here.  You will need to punch out 3 flowers.  (You could also make your own template or use your cricut to cut out a similar flower shape by hand)

After you have punched out the hearts, you may like to lightly sponge the edges with a coordinating ink or chalk, or leave plain.  It's your rose, do it however you like.  I sponged the front and back of my petals.  After the color is as you would like it, you will need to make a cut in each flower as described in the picture below.  When you are done, you will have 5 pieces altogether.

The next step is to fold up the petal next to the cut as I have demonstrated in the next photo:

Next, you will put a dab of glue on the opposite petal.  Gently pull the folded petal over and attach it to the glued petal to form a cone shape.

I do apologize for the blurry pictures.  Hopefully you can get the idea of what I am trying to convey here.

The next step is to curl the petals with a rounded toothpick or a skewer as demonstrated in the next photo.

Now you have the basic body of the rose.  Snip off the ends of the 2 smaller cones and add a dab of glue to the center of the large cone.  Place the 2nd largest cone into the glue, making sure to turn the petals slightly so they off-center the petal beneath them.  (just like flowers do in nature) Proceed with the smaller cone in the same way.

To create the center of the rose, you will use the last 2 pieces of petal that you cut away from the flowers.  Curl the petals as shown in the diagram.  After they are curled, slip the small one into the opening of the larger one by adding a dab of glue to the tip so that it will stay.  After it is dry, snip the bottom of the tip so that the center will not rise too high above the other petals.

(Please don't pay any attention to my nasty cuticles and hang nails.)

When the rose is finished, it should look something like this:

Isn't that pretty?  I hope you like this tutorial.  Please leave me a message if you have any questions or comments you would like to add.  I would love to hear from you.  Feel free to add me to your journal or follow me for future posts.

Here is a little card I made using the sweet little roses.

Happy Crafting!  ~Shelley

Think Pink!

I was in a very pink mood this morning.  Pink because I found out yesterday that my son and his wife are expecting my first grandchild...and, it's a girl!  Yay!  As a little background on me, I am the mother of 4 children and ALL of them are sons.  I love having sons...but...finally I can enjoy a baby girl after 25 years, and I don't even have to be pregnant this time. :)  And in reference to one of the comments on here....YES!  I am definately old enough to be a grandma.  But, I love you for not thinking I look my age.  I alas, turned 47 last month and other than that whole adult children thing, I am in a bit of denial myself.

Since I was in a pink mood, I decided to create a card to give them this weekend when I go over and surprise them with a little something I know I am going to get tempted to buy as soon as I enter any baby department.  What it will be, I have no idea.  But I can guarantee it will be pink!

This card was stamped with a design I created a few years ago named Sweet Sarah Anne.  The company was named, "The Merry Stamper" and is still available for purchase from I Brake For Stamps.   She has other outfits too: a flowergirl, Valentines girl, cowgirl and an angel.  Underneath her babydoll outfit she has on a cute little bloomers outfit.  It was a lot of fun to create, and I thought it would be fun to share it with all of you.  I have noticed that many of the companies I designed for have sold their designs to other companies, such as the one listed above.  I am starting to think it would be nice to get in touch with these companies again and see if they would still like some of my artwork.  In the meantime, as I showcase my creations, I will try to include their links as well.

I still have more flower tutorials coming up.  Just waiting for the right inspiration to hit me on how I will present them to you.

Thank you everyone for all your positive comments.  I will try to answer the questions that are asked within my posts, but please feel free to email me at shelldian@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

Sometimes it's Better to look Through a Rose Lens...

I found a bunch of new techniques I want to share in the next few days.  Today, I made this beautiful rose.  And, I made it using my cricut, which makes it even more special.  I confess that I don't remember where the link was to this originally, as it is not my original idea.  But, I thought I would take the time to show you by step how I made the one for the card in the picture below.

This card is a special gift for someone dear that is going through a very difficult time right now.  She has been on my mind a lot in the past few days and so I wanted it to be a little special.  I hope it makes her smile.  Especially during adversity and our darkest days, it truly helps if we can take the time to remember the simple joys of life.  Bless you, Kathleen.

Rose Tutorial

To create the rose, I cut out 18 hearts with my Cricut using the Plantin School Book cartridge. I used Bazzil cardstock.  I think the better quality cardstock will make a difference in how well this rose will hold up when you start scrunching the paper.

If you would like to make the rose, here is what you will need.  Cut out the following in hearts:

6 x 2.25"

5 x 2"

4 x 1.75"

3 x 1.5"

After the hearts are cut out, you can then sponge the edges, front and back with a contrasting or compatible color of ink or chalk.

Next, you will need to punch a small hole at the bottom of each heart.  Taking a brad, and starting with the smallest three hearts, place them face-down onto the brad shank.  Follow that with the next size and so forth.  Alternate the placement of the heart petals so they balance out.  When you are finished, secure the brad and it should look something like this:

If you are luckier than me, you will have a more appropriate brad.  This was the only type I had that had a long enough shank; but when all is said and done, it isn't a focal point of the rose so I didn't think it would matter too much.

In the next step you simply take the heart petals and scrunch them up one at a time.  You can move the petals around as you scrunch to give it a nice balanced look.

When you have it all scrunched, it should look something like this:

At this point, I take a rounded toothpick (or a skewer) and curl the petals downwards.  You can use your own judgement on whether you want to do all the petals or just a few.  This rose can really go from a shabby look to almost a realistic rose.  In this case, I did all the petals.  This is how mine looked when finished:

To bling it up a bit, I did something I had never tried before and it worked out pretty good.  I lightly sprayed my rose with hairspray, and before it could dry, I lightly sprinkled prisma glitter on the petals.  I think it made a nice effect.

To create the leaves, I simply freehand cut a leaf shape in green with deckle craft scissors.  I then scored from the top to the bottom to give the leaf a folded look.  After some sponging around the edges, I gave them a quick "hairspray" treatment as well.

And, that's how I made the rose.  Give it a try, and tell me how it turned out for you.  I have some more flower projects I am working on.  Be sure to bookmark me and come back if you would like to see what else I come up with.  I would also be very flattered if you became one of my "followers" by clicking on the link to the right of the blog.  And as always, thank you for your comments.  They make my day brighter!

Scrunchie Flowers!!

I was really excited to find an online blog that gives a tutorial on how to make the ultra cute Scrunchie flowes.  You can check it out over here at Carrie Stamps.  I didn't have the exact tools she demonstrates with so improvised with a couple punches I bought an eon ago from Family Treasures.  I tried to look this company up online and couldn't find them.  I am not sure what has become of them, but almost all of my paper punches were bought from them about 12 years ago. (Yes, 12 years is an eon..didn't you know?)

I believe my punches are also a bit smaller than the ones in the tutorial mentioned above.  My flower punch was about 1.5" across.  It seemed to work fine though.  I was happy with the results.  Here are a couple cards I made today using my scrunchie flowers.  I love them!

As usual the light in my craftroom isn't very good, so these aren't as true to color as they are in reality, but you get the general idea.

Now the only question is...how do I mail these cute cards to someone?  They are VERY dimensional.  It's still a fun technique, and I am glad I discovered it.

Hearts and Flowers

I thought I would try my hand at making a card with the Cricut Lovestruck cartridge.  In my opinion, this cartridge is not just for Valentines day.  The intricate hearts and filigrees are really quite beautiful for other occasions too.  In this instance, I decided to make a feminine thank you card.  I admit that I went a little overboard on the stickles.  I wish I had instead embossed a pearly powder on it, but it will have to do just the way it is.

 I do like the contrast of the sage green and the chocolate brown.  Although, in this photo it appears to be more mint than sage.  Needless to say, my photography skills are not that great.

I believe the paper was from Pebbles in my Pocket.  I purchased a lot of paper from various companies many, many years ago and am just now using it up. I am vague on where I actually purchased most from.  The velvet ribbon was purchased from Joann's.  I used a corner rounder on the edges of the card, the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder, and my border punch was made by The Paper Studio and I picked it up at Hobby Lobby.

I hope you enjoy looking.  Please leave me comments if there is anything special you would like to see next time.

Springtime Flowers and Crafty Daydreams...

As I sat in my craftroom this morning, with the sunshine spilling through the window, I decided it was time to make something simple and springtime motivated.  What better than a sweet treat you can give a friend or loved one?  With Easter right around the corner, I find myself thinking of flowers and pastel colors.  So combined with a bit of chocolate...here is what I came up with.

I used the Plantin School Book Cricut Cartridge to make the flowers.  Using various paper scraps from my handy-dandy scrap paper drawer, I was able to create the header.  The bag was purchased from http://www.clearbags.com/.

I have decided I want an ATG gun..  I went online to look for the best bargain, and was astounded to find how expensive these things are!  I am not too sure I will be able to justify spending that much on an adhesive tool, but I find myself envying those that already have one.  I go through the tombo adhesives so fast, and the last Glue Glider Pro cartridge I bought was defective and it makes me sick to think I spent $8.99 on that refill.  What's a crafty girl to do?  My main gripe with many of these adhesives is they work great temporarily, but in a few months the glue starts to unstick itself from the paper and all the effort seems a waste.

When I look around my little crafting room here, I have to take stock and realize there have been a lot of "I want...I want...I want..." moments.  It's true.  This is probably my biggest weakness.  Buying scrapbook and crafting supplies.  It is like that week before school starts in Elementary School when you get to go with your parents and buy school supplies.  I would get such a thrill out of that new box of crayons, the cool pencils and erasers.  Oh, and nothing was more exciting than a new bottle of paste or a new glue stick.  I just couldn't wait to crack them open and start using everything.  Of course that newness wore off when it came to actually doing the school work.  But, I digress...

So, now I covet an adhesive applicator that is around $60 retail.  The only justification I can come up with is the refills are relatively inexpensive by comparison and the waste is minimal when the tape runs out.  (Just a small plastic ring to toss away as opposed to large plastic pieces that multiply a little faster because they don't contain as much product to begin with.)  So, here goes my rationalizations.  I just hope my husband doesn't read this post and catch me fantasizing about this tool....it would entirely ruin all my fun of dreaming when he puts the clinker on the whole scheme with his ever practical, "You want to spend how much on what?".  I love that man, but I hate it when he is right!