24.9.15

Easy Flower Making Tutorial and Tips

Easy Flower tutorial 
         Hi friends a special Thank you to all my friends who have been dropping in and writing such sweet comments on the  Pen Stand posts...I know it might be getting monotonous but still you are so kind to leave lovely comments!
Paper Flower tutorial 
          This recycled tin can pen stand has a  blue color scheme . I used a DCWV paper as the background and added rhinestone borders , a lacy blue ribbon and my favorite Memory Box Spring Border   die cut.
Glitter Foam Butterfly
        The blue butterfly was cut from glitter foam and the gorgeous white butterfly in the photo below  is very special to me as it was part of my giveaway win from the supremely talented Pamelia! Pamelia, your butterfly has found a good home as this Pen Stand was gifted to my daughter's teacher as a Teachers Day Gift!
Butterfly
These are all the yummy goodies Pamelia sent me all the way from Canada. Thank you so much Pamelia!!I feel like hoarding everything!
From Pamelia

Now on to the Flower Making Tutorial and Tips:

If you have been following my blog you will know I love making flowers! Making handmade flowers usually takes time but knowing a few tricks can help speed up the process when you are in a hurry as I was here!
Paper Flowers

How to make Quick and Easy Handmade Paper Flowers

Materials
Paper : I have often seen new crafters ask "what type of paper should be used to make flowers" ---the  simplest answer to this is  any type! Using different types of paper will give you different looks and for some flowers some papers look better! The key is EXPERIMENT !
For this easy fluffy flower I was looking at the easiest and quickest technique and hence considered the pliability and flexibility factor while choosing the papers.
Let me try and explain : 
For the Outer petals : I used thick Ivory Card [ available at local stationary stores as huge sheets] to die cut the outer layer of flowers since I wanted the outer layers to hold the shape and remain stiff with just a little embossing [ time saver!] . 
If my flower making was going to involve a lot of embossing and texturing I wouldn't choose the super thick ivory card but choose a paper of average thickness like normal card stock or even regular chart paper [You can see examples of both these papers in the Handmade Flower tutorials page]
For the Center : Since I was making my center a fringed flower [ I used the memory box fringe border die]  I needed a paper which was pliable and easy to bend so I choose thin handmade paper.
If however I was going to hand-cut the fringed paper I would have used a paper which is easier to cut [ handmade paper has a lot of fiber and is not the quickest or easiest paper to fringe]
Adhesive : If you want to quickly make flowers the most obvious adhesive choice would be the glue gun but there are 2 things which you have to keep in mind while opting for the glue gun
1. Hot gluing can leave unsightly glue strings which are a pain to pick out especially when you are in a hurry!
2. Hot gluing thin paper especially on steps requiring you to shape the petal as you glue can leave your fingers sore from the burns! And though I did purchase the protective Mod Podge finger caps to save my fingers from hot glue...I hardly ever use it while flower making as I find it very bulky and it slows me down!
Coloring Media : Though there are so many coloring media you can opt for , if you are looking to quickly add colors to your handmade flowers , options are
1. Use colored paper for different parts . A crafter friend Devika recently generously sent me some beautiful die cuts in white since she had seen me use a lot of white in my creations ...well yes I find using white very liberating as you can ink it to colors you want, leave it pristine white or elegant etc etc  but actually  the main reason I use white so much is because I dont own a lot of colored card stock!![He he LOL]
Paper Flower Tutorial
      For the flowers in this project I used 2 Cheery Lynn  sunflower die cuts  and 2 Memory box fringe border strips [ sorry picture shows only one but you need 2 to get a fluffy fringed center]
2. Ink Pads - believe me they are the easiest way to add a dash of color! And for this I prefer some types such distress ink pads rather than memento or archival ink !
Paper Flower Tutorial
You can ink just the petal tips and not waste time inking the center as the center is going to be hidden by the fringed flower.
Paper Flower Tutorial
Make a long fringed paper strip by die cutting , hand cutting etc [ I have written a detailed post on fringing here : Simple Flower tutorial ], grab one end with a forceps , apply adhesive and roll! For this flower I joined 2 fringed strips before rolling as I wanted a full and fluffy center.
Paper Flower Tutorial
Dont roll your paper strip too tightly or too loosely ! It looks cool "un fluffed" but since we are talking about quick tips...the quick way to get a full looking center is to fluff out your rolled fringed strip!
Paper Flower Tutorial
You can keep the fringed flower un inked or quickly add some color to it - again 2 quick tips:
1. Use a sponge to dab on some color just to the top of the fringed flower or
Paper Flower Tutorial
2. An even quicker option --- grab the fringed flower and directly twirl it on your ink pad...it takes just seconds to ink your flower!!
Paper Flower Tutorial
In this flower I only embossed the center part of the flower and didnt bother about the petals. Since I was using really thick paper as explained it held its shape well.
Easy Paper Flower Tutorial
Stagger and glue 2 flowers and hot glue the fringed flower to the center!
Easy Paper Flower Tutorial
        And you are done!  Add one more un embossed flower base if you want a fuller flower!Its not the  most sophisticated looking flower but its a super easy and fun one to make!
Paper Flower Tutorial
Do tell me how you like it 
Supplies Dies : Memory Box Spring border , Memory Box Fringe Border  , Provocraft Butterfly , Marianne Designs Anja Leaf 3,Cheery Lynn  Butterfly , Cheery Lynn  Sunflower, Heartfelt creations Botanical Wings

30 comments:

  1. Beautiful!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Hugs!

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  2. Beautiful project and great tutorial Sonia..Loz

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  3. Beautiful flower!! Love this pen stand as well!! Lovely goodies.. Congratulations Sonia!
    -Berina
    Moxie Craftie

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  4. Especially like the fringed part of the flower. Nice to have a die for the fringing. I have Martha Stewart fringed cutting scissors but do not use them much.
    Melissa
    "Sunshine HoneyBee"

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  5. Beautiful pen stand. Love the shades of blue. Thanks for the flower tutorial. Your flowers are always stunning.
    Have a creative day.
    Hugs Nana
    ♥ My Crafting Channel ♥
    ♥ 2 Creative Chicks ♥
    ♥ Silhouette Challenges ♥
    ♥ Paper & Stitches ♥

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  6. I love the flowers. You make all these beautiful flowers look so easy

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  7. Absolutely gorgeous!!! Awesome job!! I love the pretty embellishments.
    Have a blessed day,
    Migdalia
    Crafting With Creative M

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  8. Absolutely gorgeous!! The flowers are stunning!! Fabulous, tutorial, too!! Thanks so much for sharing!! Have a great day :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  9. You are amazing!! I love love love the colors and the flowers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  10. Beautiful creation and love your tricks n tips

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  11. Awesome..... So simple (that's because you explain so beautifully) and elegant..... N I love the color combo.... Aqua.... One of my all time favorite...
    Thank you so much Doc... ;-)

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  12. Pretty colors. Flowers seems so easy... Even i can make it!

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  13. Love the colours of the pen holder and a wonderful flower tutorial! Debra x

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  14. Beautiful flowers, I specially loved the light color scheme !

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  15. I love all of your projects but this one has to be one of my favorites. The colors are stunning and the butterfly is gorgeous, just beautiful.

    Hugs, Lori m
    Little m's crafted mind
    DL.ART DT Member

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  16. You are on a roll with gorgeous pen holders, the flowers is wonderful and so pretty, thnaks for the great tutorial.

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  17. I just bought some faux flower centers and had I just been a little more patient, I could have saved some money...LOL! Your tips and creation are sensational Sonia. Looove that goody package from Pamelia too :D
    hugs to you,
    Lisa x

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  18. Such a pretty flowers. Thanks for the tutorial. I might try that one. Your pen stand is gorgeous. I love the turquoise; it is my favourite colour.
    How lovely to receive all those goodies from one of my fellow Canadians. Enjoy them. :)
    hugs,
    Teresa

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  19. This is so beautiful! I love these colours! Fun goodies from Pamellia!

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  20. In love with this shade of blue!..thanks for the tutorial!

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  21. Your flowers are so pretty Sonia and I love your spin on the sunflower die.
    Have a great weekend, Julie x

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  22. Your flowers are really amazing and how creative you are at putting them together!! Even more beautiful on your project here as well!! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

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  23. Ooooh, this is gorgeous! I absolutely adore the whimsy... the elegance... the perfectly placed *everything* because you are such an impeccable designer. The flowers are stunning and I adore the sparkly borders. Lovely work, sweet friend!

    Hugs and blessings,
    Karen

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  24. Another beautiful altered tin. Thanks for the tutorial. :)

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  25. Gorgeous flowers & lovely pen stand!! with a well explained tutorial. Thanks for sharing :)

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  26. This is gorgeous Sonia, such pretty colours and beautiful flowers.
    Pauline
    x

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  27. this is beautiful
    hugs Kate xx

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  28. wow love your creation and thank you for leaving a comment on my blog much appreciated

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  29. Wow, this is a real pretty holder Sonia, think this one's my fave, you are making a really fabulous job with these, they will look fabulous on anyone's desk holding their pens, and your tut for the flower, just perfect!
    hugs Jacee
    Simply Paper Card Design
    Simply Paper Card Design

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