My Play with EK Dimensional Flower Punchers

Good evening fellow crafter!  Still not the usual Saturday this day coz both DPIL are still sick so no going to the grocery with them ... eat lunch with them ... and have a chat or Joseph playing with them.  My son is still recuperating from flu so it's just best that we stay at home.  He is kind'a restless due to boredom but he knows he has to stay in bed and take things easy until such time he is no longer coughing.  I, on the other hand, spent the whole day with him by watching films at viaplay.se.  He got irritated coz the movie he likes to watch "I'm Number Four" has some problems so I promised him we will try again tomorrow.  We ended up watching Step Up 2 and 3, The Mechanic, and partial of Machete.  When hubby got home about 3.30pm, I took my bike and headed to the grocery store.  In between watching films I decided to play for the first time with my EK Success Dimensional Flower Punchers.  I bought these toys in the beginning of October 2011 and I feel ashamed again for just hiding it in my drawer together with the rest of my EK punchers.

Anyway, before I show you my play this day I would like to share the sadness me and my son had this afternoon before hubby got home:  The giant pine-tree at the end of our property was cut off :(  It's a mutual decision between us and the neighbor coz it's so big and tall that one day due to the roots it will hit and destroy the basement(s).  It took 3 years for such decision to materialize because we had to ask for permit, etc, etc, etc.  What a sad feeling to watch it go down.  Although it made a difference coz it's brighter now in and out, I feel sad for the birds especially during winter time :(  Speaking of birds, Joseph saw a bird's nest and he panicked naturally so we told the men working on the tree about it.  Luckily there were no eggs or baby birds inside the nest, whew!!!  I took some pictures while we were watching from the window inside our home but did took pictures outside before they started their mission and after.

Timber!!!!!!!

Good-bye giant pine-tree :(

Now on to my play this day.  Please don't laugh once you see my first try.  It turned out unusual =)  My son likes it more than the second attempt hahahahahahhahaha.  Here goes my first try:

 weird looking, huh?

And here's my second and final try for the day:

I had to stop trying more coz Joseph asked me to dance with him : the streetdance while watching Step-Up 2 hahahahhahhahahahhahaha.

I don't think such flowers can be used in any of my scrapbook layouts or art journaling but definitely can be used as embellishment for something else.

Well, it's time for my son to take his medicine then go to bed which means I go to bed, too.

Goodnight =)

until then......

Punch ... Curl ... Assemble = Flowers

First and foremost I would like to show you what I bought at IKEA =)  If you are into art journal of any kind this IKEA find is awesome for such projects. It's simply a ready-made SMASH Book =)   I had to grab all the last pieces due to it's price - very very cheap if you are an IKEA Family member.  So many ideas flowing in my mind ....it's the execution I have to be patient with because my son is sick (hoping it's not influenza) so I can only make simple things this day or maybe until tomorrow ... we'll see by Saturday.

Where do you shop your craft items?  In my case, if it's in UK, I shop at Crafts U Love.  If it's in USA, I shop at Oh My Crafts, Custom Crops, Just-Rite, and Cricut Machine.  But if it's here in Sweden, I shop at Slojd-Detaljer, Scrapbruket. Scrap Room, PY Hobby, CCHobby, Stellas, Magdas, Scapamer, and of course the ever accessible Panduro.  All the above mentioned stores I access through Internet except for Panduro wherein I shop both at internet or directly at the store.

Having mentioned Panduro, I bought 2 sets of flower punchers due to it's 50% off sale.  I just couldn't resist although I have the cricut cartridges to help me make different kinds of flowers in different sizes.  Sometimes, it's much easier to use other tools aside from cricut especially when you're in a hurry and need to make something outside the craft room. 

I literally used left-over small bits and pieces of cardstock by Tilda.  I just couldn't throw any scraps thinking that I know I can make use of it one way or another.

I like both and I love the fact that I may certainly use these flowers in any of my projects =)

Now back to what I'm creating this day which I hope will be posted later .......

until then.....

Muffin Cup Flowers

My muse is gone for vacation ... i guess :(  No matter what I do I just can't create any cards lately.  Hubby says maybe because I got so tired and still needs rest after creating so many things at the same time during the month of October.  I say, I believe I have to clean and organize again my main craft room and down the basement.  I need to pull out all Christmas related tools and materials so I can focus more.

Anyway, as I was searching for some popcorns to pop I found pretty baking cups for muffins.  I remember I bought few packs in different prints a year ago during one trade fair here in Uppsala.  Since I don't bake muffins often .... or I should say I only bake muffins once in a blue moon, I decided to try and make few flowers.  As I've said I'm just not in the mood of creating anything so I only made four.  The result is so cute!

Just flatten out each paper cups then cut strips but not all the way through then add something at the center, that simple!

Pearlized Clay Buttons with Texture

Project Made : March 10, 2011

Yup, this project has been completed months ago.  I did create several items in celebration of the National Craft Month (NCM) but I really had no time to sit and upload projects thus I was not able to join any BC.  Creating things even up to this day I do it on stolen moments.  Who says working moms life is easy?

As for my clay play, I received lots of clay moulders from a crafty friend in South America last Christmas 2010.  I really don't know which one to use first but just grabbed a few and started playing.  I love how it turned out but sad to say I have no time to color ALL the moulded clay .... maybe before the year ends will play some more but for now I would like to show you what I did with my air dry clay.

Thanks for watching!

until then......

An Alternative To Tulle

There was a time early last year wherein I was going crazy finding tulle in our area.  I was not exactly into it but it became a fad in the paper crafting world that I decided to find and buy.  I found fabric stores that do sell tulle but it was only in black.  I contacted a friend from Multiply site who lives in Vienna and that in one of their stores tulle was available for a very cheap price.  Unfortunately I was too late ... the store doesn't sell it anymore and they have no idea when they're gonna have it again. Out of frustration, I tried searching on-line stores in Sweden but no luck!  Days, weeks, and months passed by and I still have no tulle at all.  I gave up and just decided to try finding tulle some other day. 


One day while I was cleaning the smallest storage room down the basement, I came across some old curtains way back when I was still living in the Philippines.  Being an adventurous crafter I decided to try one of the curtains as my alternative to tulle.

I did this project last September 2010 and totally forgot about it.  Yes, I was able to find all the colors of tulle available in one fabric store here last October 2010 and I bought yards of each color they have.

Here's the old curtain ....

cut into circles (free-hand) .....

added stickles around .....let dry .....

blasted some heat from heat tool.  These became part of the paper flowers I made =)

Trying Out My Sizzix 3D Flowers ( Roses)

One of the yummy goodies  I got on my birthday last August are bunch of different big sizzix die.  I was speechless when I opened one of the boxes coz it was filled with different dies by Tim Holtz and Sizzix.  Up to this day all dies are still unopened due to deprivation when it comes to crafting.  But last week, I did open one and it's called Sizzix 656545 - Flowers 3D.  Actually this item came in last coz it was sold out and we had to wait for the new batch of deliveries.  Would you believe the order was placed last week of July and I got it 2nd week of October?  Yup, that long coz it's always sold out.

Anyway, my friend Hershey and I tried it out for the first time when I had a Kid's Craft day here 2 weeks ago.  Bhoy! I had a hard time on my first 2 tries even if I followed the instructions.  Hershey on the other hand really had some difficulties and so I encouraged her to try making the smaller roses coz I was lucky to make few in just a few minutes.  

All I can say about this tool is that the small rose is awesome and very very easy to make .... manageable for short hehehehehehehehe.  As for the bigger rose, oh well I don't like it coz up to this day I still can't figure out how to come up with a great rose.

Now guess who enjoyed making the big roses?  JOSEPH!!!!!

There were nights while we watch TV together in his room, we would make roses =D He enjoyed cutting the shapes with my Big Shot.  He would decide how many pieces we're gonna make for the night and then he would cut and give it tome.

I really love the small roses and having this tool I'm spared from buying those darn small roses at the craft store which I find very expensive.  I always look at those roses for several months but had no guts to buy even 1 piece.  Imagine a small rose cozt 3 Sek and a big rose cost 5 Sek!!!!!  Although it's not exactly the same but I'm happy with my own paper roses.

These are the mini roses I was able to make.

These are Joseph's big roses beside few of my mini roses.

Oh but one doesn't have to buy such tool coz I'm sure you guys have seen some video tutorials on how to make this kind of rose :  freehand cut a spiral and roll and viola you have a rose =)

Paper Laced Flowers using Border / Edge Punchers

I'm 100% sure all paper crafters has a border edge punch. We're all crazy about the lovely edge punchers from all brands. I remember very well I started having only 3 kinds when I started paper crafting here in Sweden and it's from Fiskars. As years go by I was able to acquire different kinds from Martha Stewart and my favorite EK Success.

Acquiring such tool(s) was not easy fro me but I really thank God for blessing me to have a very dear friend who is one of the greatest I have known in paper crafting especially card making. She would always remember me when it comes to tools that now my wall is filled with different kinds of edge punchers.

hahahahhahahahahahahhahahahaha DH declared a new decree at home that I control myself in buying edge punchers coz he is tired of adding new system for my punchers and there's actually no more vacant space on my wall. If only I have a bigger room, right?

To date, I'm so glad that it's easy to buy edge punchers now here in Sweden but I'm not adding new in my collection coz I know I have enough and I can live with what I have .... for now hehehehehehhehehehehe.

Here's what I have created last week using some of my edge punchers from Martha Stewart, EK Success, and Fiskars. These kind of tools can be used in creating flowers. Who says that Edge Punchers are just for creating borders? Definitely NOT ME =)

 Materials for this Project:

• any Border / Edge Punch that you have
• cardstock cut into 12 inches x 1 inch or more after punching
• any kind of flowers ( prima or handmade)
• different colors of tulle (optional)
• glitters or stickles
• brads or buttons or woodies
• feathers (optional)
• round or scalloped punch - as base for the flowers. you may also freehand cut the base =)
• and lastly PATIENCE in freehand folding the strips of punched cardstock

Procedure:

1. Punch cardstocks using your favorite edge puncher.

2. Cut into strips minimum size of 1 inch in width x 12 inches in length. Please be aware that the smaller strips you make your paper laced flowers will be small BU more than 1 inch in widht your paper laced flowers will be kind'a bigger.

3. Punched round or scalloped shapes as base of your flowers. Freehand is also ok.

4. Starting from one end of your punched strip, begin to fold around your base. Cut the extra at the end of your fold if there's any.

5. Add your prima or fabric flower or even handmade flower at the center.

6. If you want to add tulle and/or feather before the flower then do it.

7. Secure the very center with brad or button or anything if needed.

8. Tap some stickles all over if you like.

Hope you enjoyed my tutorial. If I have inspired you to make these kinds of flowers please be kind enough to give credit as a sign of respect.

Happy week-end everyone!

My Simple Technique in Making Accordion Flowers

This kind of flower has been popular or maybe still is ... hard to tell coz so many kinds of paper flower making is flooding the internet. While I was reading and viewing tutorials I find the procedure so tedious: measure then score and fold those hill valley hill valley thingy. If you're like me who has limited time in crafting nowadays you will really find it tiring.

Since my little boy, Joseph, says this kind of flower is so cute to the point that he even tried making coz the way he sees it one just have to fold and fold and fold hahahahahahahaha. He got frustrated coz it turned out not the way he wants it to be. I made one for him but after that I told him that I can't anymore coz I have to cook and I have no time to measure and score. He was sad of course and watched TV instead.

By the time you have read this entry of mine, he already took all the flowers and will give to her girlfriends in school. Duh????!!!!!

Anyway, if you are interested in making this kind of flower, I'm sharing with you my simple technique - avoiding the measure and scoring part hehehehehehe.

Just go over the pictures and you will find the step-by-step guide =)

 You may cut wider strips of paper but be aware that the wider the paper 

then the flowers will be bigger in diameter.

 

 Attach this to your base and add a brad or a button or a small chipboard =)

 If you will look closely you will see the stickles on every flower. Joseph did that and I find it great =)

Transparency Lollipop Flowers

For now (hopefully) you have seen how I made cardstock lollipop flowers ( http://jerosha.multiply.com/photos/album/253/The_Easiest_Flower_To_Make_Lollipop_Flowers ). This time I made lollipop flowers using ordinary transparencies. I say ordinary transparencies because I don't want to waste my transparencies specifically used for color printing. Both kinds of transparencies are very very expensive here and good thing my brother gave me boxes two years ago.

I really love the effect of the transparency when I made this project. I was careful in using the heating tool and it was fun getting messy with the alcohol inks and distress pads.

I got the alcohol inks in one of the surprise packages DH gave me during my birthday last month then the feathers I got from my DMIL. She gave me packs of different colors of feathers and I was really happy coz I noticed that using feathers is one of the "in" thing right now with paper crafting. I saw some cards and traditional scrapbook layouts adding feathers that in a way gave a vintage look.

MATERIALS:

Ordinary Transparencies
Alcohol Inks
Embossing Folders
Staz-On Ink Pads
Heat Gun
Brads or buttons
Rhinestones (Optional)
Leaves and Feathers (Optional)

PROCEDURE:

You may create bigger or smaller flowers than the ones I made but for my project I decided to freehand cut circles with the size of 1 1/2, 2, and 2 1/2. Freehand cut is better coz it will give character to your flowers.

 Each transparency circle were embossed using Tim Holtz and Cuttlebug embossing folders. 

After embossing I just inked each with alcohol inks.

 Then to highlight the embossed parts, I gently swiped staz-on ink pad and let dry.

 I applied staz-on ink pads on the edges and let dry again.
Once dried I used my heat gun to have a crumple and burn effect. I was very careful in doing this.

Note: if you heat too close you will lose all those embossed areas - it will flatten back so just be careful.

 Layering and embellishing. I used stickles again on each flower and even on those flower brads then I attached the leaves I made using the paper crimper.

 I don't know if you can see the feathers I have attached. gggrrr don't know what went wrong when I took this picture.

To see how I made the leaves just read http://scrapbookingwithjerosha.blogspot.com/2010/09/crimper-and-paper-textured-leaves.html