My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Easy Flower Tutorial (Prima, single layer flowers)

Let's Talk Flowers



Do you have lots of those paper flowers that came out several years ago? Paper crafters purchased them in darling display bottles to adorn their craft rooms. My friend Terry recently cleaned out her craft room and brought a box full of these Prima flowers to my house, knowing I'm a flower fiend.

What to do with all these flowers? Especially if the petals are all the same size? It needs to be something easy because of my fumble fingers. There has to be an easy way of using these flowers in a manner useful for "today's style" of crafting, right?

Get creative - there really are a lot of uses for them, and I'll show more in upcoming posts since the flowers are rather prolific at my house right now.

Let's make inexpensive dimensional flowers that can be added to scrapbook pages, cards, frames, papier mache, and other projects, using what is already in your stash. To make it REALLY simple, how about all those tiny brads -- I know they lurk in your craft room if you've been papercrafting for any length of time.

Make it easy peasy, or use inks, glitters, prills, embossing powders, sprays, etc. Mine are easy peasy.

Step 1 - select 3 flowers. Turn the middle layer upside down from the other two layers. Insert the tiny brad through the middle.

Step 2 - Hold the prongs of the brad. With your other hand, apply the Quick Dry Glue (available at any big box store).

Step 3 - begin pushing the layers together. Put a little glue between the 2nd and 3rd layer if desired and squish those together until the shape is pleasing. Let set about 1-2 minutes until dry.

Apply paint, sprays or glitter if desired.





If you enjoy "flower arranging" on your card, add one step by using florist wire. This will enable you to place the finished blossom at angles on your card.


Use pliable florist wire.
Wrap it around the brad.


Straighten the wire to go in the same direction as the brad prong.


Thread the flower so that the middle layer faces the opposite direction of the first and third layers.


Thread the flower layers through the wire.


Another advantage of the wire is that the prongs can be flattened against the flower during the gluing process.



Apply the Glue


Scrunch the petals to achieve your look. It may be preferable to put glue between the 2nd and 3rd layers, too, depending on the look desired.


The glue will dry clear.


Make several at one time so they can be ready for use. Use single layers of flowers and scrunch them up with glue to create tiny buds. Use two layers (each facing different directions), and glue them together to create smaller, partially opened flowers. 

Have fun using your stash!



hugs,


28 comments:

Shona Erlenborn said...

What a great tutorial Donna! Love all those little flowers. Glad you had time to play! Thanks for sharing.

SD pooja said...

Wow..These are pretty !! Thanks for the well explained tutorial..I am looking fwd to more types of flower tutorials.

KT Fit Kitty said...

Wonderful tutorial, Donna! I would love to try this! You are always coming up with something fabulous! I tend to hoard any type of these flowers so I have a bunch in my stash! Looking forward to more of your tutorials on flowers!

Big hugs to you, my friend!

Kitty

Jane Savage said...

Great tut, Donna! I’m off to get my tacky glue now!! xx

Dr Sonia S V said...

Donna such a clever flower!! Have pinned it here:Flower making Tutorials

Gertrude said...

Danke für die tolle Anleitung, aber wo bekommt man gleich grosse Blütenblätter????
glg Gertrude

creativearts said...

Donna, you are certainly amazing! I have so many of these flowers and am certainly going to try this. I have so many ideas but the body doesn't like to keep up with the brain. Hope you are feeling well at this time. I will be going to a scrapbook show this week end in Chantilly, VA and will see Margaret. Take care.

craftieodmae said...

Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing!

Brenda said...

you rock!

Brenda said...

you rock!

Silvis Kreativstube said...

Hallo liebe Donna,

vielen Dank für das tolle Tutorial. Blumen kann man immer gut gebrauchen.
Hugs Silvi

pam said...

hi Donna, lovely to see you posting again..
thank you for a great tutorial..will have to look in my stash for old flowers..your look amazing.
hugs pam x

Jean Bullock said...

Awesome tutorial! Going to definitely try this technique.

Jean Bullock said...

Awesome tutorial! Going to definitely try this technique.

Jean Bullock said...

Awesome tutorial! Going to definitely try this technique.

Anne Temple said...

Fabulous way to get rid of all those old flowers. Now to find time to get creative with mine (sure you don't want them :-) ?).

Shirley said...

Bookmarked this. I have a ton of these flowers! TFS the wonderful tutorial!! They look lovely on your card too!

MaryH said...

Great tutorial, and thanks so much for taking time to write & even better, photo each step. I've tons of these flowers, and never know quite how to use them and make them look pretty. (they don't so much when flat) What you created with so much dimension, looks ever so much more realistic. TFS & Hugs

Sue said...

HA, had to laugh, I have jars upon jars of these little flowers, what a good idea this is for using them up. Thanks for the tutorial and pictures, I am banging my head saying "why didn't I think of that"?
Your the best!

Hugs
Sue
Add a little of that sparkle you are known for and these will be extra pretty!!

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Hi Donna, your card is gorgeous with so many feminine details and the sweet girl with the fabulous colouring. Your tutorial is awesome, what a great idea for those flowers. I don't have too many left, I also gave lots away. Glad to see you back, take good care of yourself. Hugs, Shirleyx ps.. very busy here

aussie aNNie said...

De I forgot to rejoin the other day have done so now my lovely friend. This tutorial is up my ally as I have a box full of these flowers mainly small so today it's ME time while hubby visits dad for the 4 hours that we do each day and I love flowers so will play.....luv ya
aNNie
The Journey is the Start

crafty-stamper said...

great tutorial to use all those accumulated flowers
carol x

Leslie Miller said...

Oh, my gosh, I am SO going to do this! I have bunches of those single flowers which I hardly use anymore, all different colors and shapes. I can hardly wait (though I'll have to, darn it). Genius! Pretty, pretty, pretty, and thank you!

Wendy H said...

Thank you Donna for the tutorial. You are so talented. I will have to try these. Hope you are well. Wendy xx

Petra Swart said...

WOW, Donna, these little flowers are so pretty!!! I love them!!! I'm sure I'm going to find some of those ones among my stash to make some of these ones!!! (How do you like that!!! LOL!!!) Thanks for taking the time to set up this tutorial!!!

jimlynn said...

Oh, I'm going to do this for sure!!! I have so many of those little paper flowers and never know what to do with them! Thanks for the tutorials!
Lynn

Lady Bug Stampers said...

What a fantastic tutorial. I never thought to do it this way. Now I am going in my craft room and make flowers. THANK YOU
Linda K.

UTs Hobby Time said...

Wow, they look gorgeous. The white one looks like a real jasmine flower. Thanks for the lovely tutorial.