Big Time Party Decorations - Flowers!

The Princess is almost a year old and we are getting ready for the party. We have TONS of flowers to make and here is a look at how some of them will look.

This flower is 18" in diameter and very sparkly!

Supplies:

• Smoothfoam 3" Ball
• Italian Crepe Paper
• chipboard
• double sided tape
• coffee filters
• hot knife
• gold paint, gold spray ink, gold microfine glitter
• Beacon 3-N-1
• Ribbon for hanging
• paint brush, chop stick, stapler

To start off I cut a chipboard in a 8" circle and covered it with strong double sided tape. For the outer layer of petals, I cut ten 6"x10" pieces of crepe paper, then shaped them as shown above. Gather then across the bottom, staple together to maintain the shape and stick down to the adhesive.
TIP: - I cut a "ring" around the outside of the circle and just removed that portion of the release paper, instead of pulling it all off.

Add 5 petals, evenly spaced around the circle, then add 5 more. For the second layer of petals, I cut strips 5" wide and ruffled them as I stuck them down to the adhesive.

For the center, I cut the outer ring from 3 coffee filters, fringed them, layered them together and added them to the center of the flower.

For my center, I cut the 3" Smoothfoam ball in half with my hot knife, painted it with gold metallic paint, and sprinkled it with glitter while wet. When it was dry, I adhered it using Beacon 3-N-1.

To finish it off , I rolled the edges of the petals using a chop stick, shaping as I went. Then gave the whole thing a good spray with gold ink.  Add a ribbon to the back to hang. Done!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Spring Banner- Home Decor

Hi everyone, I am guest blogging over on Craft Paper Scissors, be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing projects!  I love Spring! It is my favorite time of year. Everything is coming alive in the yard, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and the world is happy. I like for my decor in the house to reflect those same feelings so cheery and full of color is the name of the game.

This year a created a new banner using laser cut wood pieces, cardstock, colorful flowers, and lots and lots of fun ribbon!

I found these wood cutouts at a popular chain craft store last month and I knew that I had to make a banner with them- they just yelled SPRING at me from the shelf. I started by covering the wood with two layers of VersaMagic ink in Pink Petunia, glueing them to cardstock when dry.

I pulled out my trusty decorative edge scissors and trimmed around the edges of the shapes- no measuring, I just eyeballed it. Then the real fun began! I pulled lots of spring colored flowers from my stash (have you seen my Prima Breeding Program?) and started layering them together. For the section on the right above, I punched three pieces of patterned cardstock in staggered sizes, shaped them, layered them together using foam tape, then added that onto a larger daisy. Easy peasy- super fun flower!

For the flower on the left I used vintage crepe paper and an XXL Glue Dot to create the back section, then adhered a ruffled flower in the center to complete the look. I have several tutorials on making your own flowers here.

For the section on the left I made a ruffled flower using Italian Crepe Paper, using a Maya Road trinket as the center, then adhered it into a hoarded vintage Martha Stewart paper flower (shown in the previous photo on the right). For the right section, I layered 7-8 hoarded vintage Prima flowers, using my Tiny Attacher to secure them in the center. These are the nice, big ones they used to make that came in the cans that are about 4" across. I really miss those!

 Something I do every time I make a banner is group lots of ribbons between each section. I just love the way this looks. I picked up this technique years and years ago in a class, so long ago I don't even remember what the class was about or for! The process is simple- grab a bunch of different ribbons, clip them to about 4" and lay them on your work surface. Take one ribbon and clip it a little longer- about 6" and use this one to tie all the others into a bunch, using a sturdy knot. Then tie that onto whatever string you have going from section to section. Easy peasy.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Handmade Flowers - First Monday Hop with Designer Crafts Connection

Howdy everyone! It is the first Monday of the month and this month our theme at Designer Crafts Connection is Handmade Flowers.

In order see all the cool graphics, check out the logo in my side bar ------->
Use the arrows on the bottom to navigate through the ring. 

I love making flower embellishments for my projects.  There are so many ways to create beautiful flowers from things you already have in your stash! This is a class I will be teaching in May at The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie.  We will be learning how to make 10 different flowers.

This flower is one of my favorites. It is made using Italian Crepe Paper and the XXL Glue Dots®.

This one is made from vintage crepe paper I found a few years ago. The glittered edge is Bo Bunny Glitter Paste.

I love being able to customize the flower to my project, adding different things for the centers, and using paints and mists to color them.

A vintage box flower that I learned a long time ago in a quilting class.

This one is made using plain cardstock and paper punches. I used stickles to add the sparkle to the edges.


I have several how to's on flower making in my Tutorials page - be sure to check them out. Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful week!

Easter Tea Table Decor with Smoothfoam

Hi everyone! Today I have a project to share for Smoothfoam. This weekend I am hosting an Easter Tea and I needed a cute accent for the table. Of course we needed to throw some Alice in Wonderland into the mix, so here is what I came up with.

Supplies:
Smoothfoam 2x4x8 Block
Paper Mod Podge, Paintbrush
Vintage sheet music
Assorted flowers, leaves, washi tape, chipboard letters
Ink, push pins, double sided tape, crepe paper

1. I started by tearing several sheets of music into large strips and adhering them to the block using Mod Podge.
2. To keep the wet paper from sticking to the table, push a few pins partway into one side so that the block will be elevated. Allow the Mod Podge to dry.

3. Apply washi tape around the corner. 
4. Ink chipboard letters and adhere.

5. Use double sided tape to adhere crepe paper around sides of block.

Add flowers as desired.

There you have it! I am so happy with how this turned out- I love it! I will have more on this tea later in the month. Thanks so much for stopping by!