Tutorial - Delicate Detailed Paper Carnations

I wish I could remember where I first saw these flowers and how to put them together, I could have added the link in this post as well.  The flowers are really beautiful and they look to me exactly like carnations.  You can use one color or you can use two different colored papers to add dimension and shading to your flowers.
Here is a project sporting one of my paper Carnations

Supplies needed for this project:

• Scallop Circle Punch
• Brad (preferably one with long tongs)
• Paper Piercer
• Piercing Mat (so table surface isn't marked)
• Premium Quality cardstock - I used Stampin' Up!.  I would strongly recommend you use a good thick cardstock for this project for ease of splitting the paper.
• Crimper (helps break the paper down but isn't necessary)

So the basic idea is to wad the paper up to make it soft & pliable to where it starts to separate.  You can start by running your cardstock through a crimper (if you don't have or use a crimper, just keep wadding up your paper more)

And then once you've crimped the paper, start wadding it up to make it soft & pliable.

Once this has been done and you see where the paper is starting to separate within itself, wad the paper some more to make it even softer.  You need to make sure that every area of the cardstock is soft as you are going to separte the paper into two pieces.  If you start separating too early and you get to the middle of the cardstock, it'll either tear one way or another, it won't split if it's not soft & worked with enough.


As you start tearing the pieces apart, you'll notice that the inside pieces have more of a fuzzy-type texture.  This is the texture that is going to face the outside of the carnation.  The other side is shiny.


Now that the paper has been separated, you've just doubled the amount of carnations you can create!  :)
Once this is done, punch with a round scallop punch.  Each carnation needs four round scallop pieces.



You will need to pierce a hole through the middle of each circle scallop.  The thing that's so great about this split paper is when you bend it & shape it, it's really good at retaining it's shape.  Place a brad through the hole of the first circle scallop and bend / crumple the paper pretty tight so the brad isnt noticable.  You can use the tongs of the brad on the other side to hold on to while you shape your carnation.  You can flatten the tongs out once your finished with the whole thing.  (I really wish i had pictures of this, but it seems my husband was distracted when we got to this part of the tutorial.
Once you are satisfied with how the first circle is crumpled around the brad, add the next one.  Each one you add can be looser and not as tight.  just crumple and twist them until they look like a carnation.



Good luck and I can't wait to see your project!  (if you don't mind, I would like to share your work on my website for others to see as well!  If you forward me a picture of your project but DO NOT want me to share it on my website, please let me know and I will respect your privacy)  :)
Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to hearing your comments!
Blessings & Inky Hugs
~§hawnie B
Remember, if you don't get ink all over yourself, your not stampin'!
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http://Shawnie.StampinUp.net

Top Note Trinket Gift Boxes

I made some adorable gift boxes for a few friends who have been supportive of my Demonstratorship with Stampin' Up!  Though I am not in it for the money, the discount is what I have been focusing on, I am still having workshops that are in a classroom/type environment.  The workshops keep me motivated to keep my mind active and they challenge me to keep coming up with new and exciting projects.

I especially enjoy seeing the look on people's faces when they and not very confident in the first place and they start to see their project come together.  One younger girl, a new mom who attended a workshop a few weeks ago just beemed with pride when she finished a Mothers Day card that she was going to give to her mother in law.  "I made this!" she kept saying.  She definitely looked forward to giving the card to her mother in law for Mothers Day.

So, not only am I sharing my knowledge but I am also helping to increase self esteem.  Another guest at the workshop was a long-time friend of mine and my Stampin' Up! upline mentor.  Along with creating a new project, she also shared her knowledge and wisdom with the group which was very valuable.

My best friend, who always attends these functions to support me but rarely participates actually put together a complete project on her own!  She generally floats around and assists the other ladies with their projects, which is a valuable contribution, but I was very impressed to see that she was actually puting together her own project!  I am most certainly not going to expect it of her all the time, but the times she does this gives me an added sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Oh my goodness!  Back to the Thank You Treat boxes!  lol

Rosebud Thank You Trinket Box

 

The petals from this one was created with my Extra Large 2-Step Bird Punch, which was released in the Stampin' Up! Spring Occasions Mini Catalog.  I got the idea for the rose buds from a creative crafter named Lynette.  Her blog is located at:  http://nzlyn.blogspot.com/2010/04/rosebud-tutorial.html if you could stop by her blog and take a look, you'll find that she's quite creative.  I just had to give her credit for giving me the idea to create rose buds like this.

Thanks So Much Handmade Paper Flower Gift Box 

 This one was created with the same box design, however, the paper flower took a bit more detail than the above rose buds.  After stamping a definition sentiment on the cut out flower shapes, I distressed, cut, and added glue and twisted and fussed over it some more.  The flower took a lot of time and patience to make, but was certainly worth the effort.  

Here are some additional shots of the trinket boxes for you to view:
As you can see in this trinket box, I cut a lot of filler and added some tiny butterfly shaped note cards so the person I am giving this to can keep on giving.  :)  She's just that kind of person.