DIY Flowers – Page 4

DIY Felt Wreath for $1

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When I saw the huge red and green felt stockings at the Dollar Tree, I just knew I had to make another poinsettia wreath. This wreath was made with one stocking and a wreath form which I cut from a leftover box. So yes, it cost $1! Felt can be expensive, and this is a fantastic way to get a lot of it, in Christmas colors, for next to nothing. This particular felt makes a gorgeous flower. I bought three of the stockings and am busy making more of these gorgeous wreaths for Christmas gifts.

SUPPLIES:

Dollar Tree Stocking

Sizzix and Poinsettia Die

-OR-

Poinsettia template to cut felt by hand, like this free one from Eri Doodle

Straight pins

Wire Cutter

Cardboard box

2 circular items to trace onto cardboard to cut out a donut for your wreath form

Scissors

Pen or marker for tracing onto cardboard

Tape

TUTORIAL:

Trace plate or whatever circular items you have onto cardboard and cut out wreath form like I showed you previously:

Wrap your cardboard donut with tape to reinforce and protect.

Cut your poinsettia petals and leaves with your die or template. Assemble flower and use straight pin to stick onto wreath form. For detailed flower assembly, see my paper poinsettia wreath post. The process for felt is the same, but you don’t fold and shape the leaves like you do with paper.

You will likely have excess straight pin sticking through the back of your wreath. Carefully trim flush with wreath form using wire cutters. Wear eye protection for this part!

Make a Felt Poinsettia Wreath

by Johnnie Collier

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This Sizzix Poinsettia petals die has gotten quite the workout from me lately. I love the paper and the aluminum can version, but there is nothing quite like a felt flower wreath, in my opinion. For this project, I did the same thing I showed you for the paper poinsettia wreath, except instead of gluing the petal layers, I stuck a pearl head pin through them to hold the flower together.

I didn’t have another styrofoam wreath form, so I traced a small plate inside a large plate onto some foam board and cut out a DIY wreath form. I wrapped it in duct tape for strength and durability.

I used wire cutters to trim the excess pin from the flower center that stuck through the back of the wreath.

I used a gold wired ribbon to create the bow, and stuck it on with hot glue.

This one is currently in a box, on it’s way to spread holiday cheer to a home in Texas! I will miss it.

Make a Christmas Tissue Bouquet

by Johnnie Collier

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Every once in awhile, I love a project so much that I am not ready to get rid of it for the next season. That is how I felt about the Halloween bouquet I shared with you early in the fall. I decided to replace it with a Christmas tissue pom pom bouquet. The process is exactly the same as for the orange and black bouquet, except for the tissue paper colors. I used silver, red and white. Some flowers I made with petals of all three or two colors together.

For the vase, I used a milk bottle. Silver wired ribbon tops it off as a shiny bow. To see the process, visit here.

Make a Paper Poinsettia Wreath

by Johnnie Collier

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It doesn’t get much more Christmas than poinsettias, right? My grandmother has loved this flower since she was a young girl. She gets sad when they die, so I thought a paper poinsettia wreath would be just the Christmas gift for her this year. I made this in about 2.5 hours using the Sizzix Originals poinsettia die. You could go for the Sizzix Tim Holtz Poinsettia Die if you prefer layers over individual petals (guess what I just ordered). You could also use a different die cut machine, or heaven forbid, cut the leaves out by hand from a free poinsettia petal template like this one, used to create the flower below. The look is beautiful. No die machine necessary!

I love the red and green vellum!

However you get your petals, see how to assemble and shape them, then finish the wreath with me. This will bring classic beauty to your holiday decor.

You can use any paper you want, but I prefer Kraft Core by Coordinations. This stuff is by far my favorite flower paper. You can fold, wrinkle, crease, sand and beat it down, and it comes through beautifully. I like to ink the edges of my flowers with Kraft Core by Coordinations and the blending tool.

TUTORIAL

For the center of the flower, I used yellow seed beads, super duper tiny ones. To glue them in place, I put a few dots of Mod Podge Jewel Glue. I love this because it dries clear, grabs fast, and comes in a container that has a twisty lid and doesn’t clog. This is key. If you are using another glue that clogs, like… all of the time, and you squeeze impatiently over the center of your flower, the entire glossy bottle contents may just ooze out all over your precious paper masterpiece. Ask me how I know #CanYouFindTheGlossyPoinsettia. This is another testament to Kraft Core. I literally washed – under the faucet, with soap – my paper flower, determined to save it. Once I got off as much of the glossy accident that I could, I took my heat tool to my soggy poinsetta, reshaped it, and it is good to go. Amazing.

Make Roses From Leaves

by Johnnie Collier

This project was awhile in the making, as there was some trial and error involved. I have been dying to cut leaves with my Sizzix since they started changing into the warm autumn hues. The part I couldn’t figure out about how to do this was preserving the leaves. If I pressed them, they would be brittle and fall apart when I rolled them into the rose shape. What to do?

The solution turned out to be beeswax. The idea came to me when I saw this post at Artsy Ants on preserving autumn leaves with beeswax. I thought just maybe I could dip the leaves, then die cut and roll the spirals into the 3D rose. There were some things to learn along the way, but in the end, it worked. I used my roses to embellish an oval frame containing autumn themed subway art. See how I did it…

SUPPLIES:

Colorful Autumn leaves

Beeswax

Melting pot

Bamboo skewer or toothpick

Heat tool

Oval frame ($1 at Michaels)

Craft glue

Mod Podge rub on transfers Holidays/Seasons

Masking tape

Sizzix 3D rose die

Sizzix die cut machine (I used Vagabond here)

TUTORIAL:

Melt beeswax in melting pot

Dip leaf into melted beeswax and set on wax paper to cool for 30 seconds or so. You can do several leaves at once, but you want to move on to the die cutting and rolling quickly, as the wax becomes brittle if it cools too much and you will be annoyed. Seriously annoyed. I would dip about 20 leaves and move on to die cutting right after that.

I used the smaller rose to cut my leaves, since most of them were too small to completely cover the large rose shape. Place the wax coated leave over the shape and tape in place with masking tape so it doesn’t shift. You can stack up to 4 coated leaves at a time to run through the machine.

Use your bamboo skewer to roll the die cut leaf into the spiral rose. I showed you this in the aluminum can rose video below. The process is the same for the leaf rose. Be careful, as they are fragile and will tear. If you have a stack of the shapes because you cut 4 at once, carefully separate them and roll each shape. Use a paintbrush to add beeswax as a glue at a couple of points throughout the spiral.

Make roses from leaves #sizzix #DIY #Fall @savedbyloves

This shows me painting on the beeswax as “glue”

Glue the bottom tab to secure as shown in the video, using beeswax instead of glue.

Once your leaf is formed, remelt the wax that cracked during the rolling process with the heat tool. This makes sure the entire piece is sealed and gets rid of the cracks. Hold rose in place with tooth pick while heating.

Use your leaf roses to embellish your next project. I glued mine to an oval wood frame I found at Michael’s for $1. I used Mod Podge fall themed rub on transfers to create subway art on cardstock to put inside the frame. LOVE.

If you like this, you don’t want to miss our nature craft roundup!

Make a Halloween Bouquet

by Johnnie Collier

[pinit]

This project involves four of my favorite things; Sizzix, Halloween decor, paper flowers and upcycling! Learn how to make these poofy pom-pom flowers from tissue paper and book pages. I used Sizzix 3D flower #2 to cut my petals, but you can easily do this project with a scalloped circle paper punch, or with good ol’ scissors and a scalloped circle template. Each “petal” is a scalloped circle folded in half and then in half again.

SUPPLIES:

Tissue paper in orange and black

Old book pages

Green floral wire

Sizzix 3D Flowers #2, or scallop circle punch, or scallop circle template and scissors

Vase or other container for your flowers

Ribbon

TUTORIAL:

Cut your circles using the Sizzix 3D Flowers #2 die. Here is a quick video showing the die and the various flowers you can make. For the bouquet shown here, I used both the large and small scallops for 2 different pom pom variations.

How to Make Fall Flowers

by Johnnie Collier

I am happy to have Amy from Plucking Daisies back today. She has a knack for turning trash into treasure, and this project is a fantastic example of that. Be ready to create this gorgeous fall flower bouquet from things you probably have at home already. This would make a great centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table. Who is ready for a great fall upcycle?

Hi all! Last time I was here at Saved by Love Creations I showed you how to make Paper flowers using punches. Today, I have an even easier method for making Fall Flowers to share with you. Remember the tissue paper flowers you made as a kid? We are going to use the same technique for making tissue flowers (pipe cleaners and all) to create beautiful fall flowers using items you probably have lying around the house.

Are you wondering what these fall flowers are made of? You may be surprised. To vary the color and texture (much like the color and texture found in nature at this time of year) I combined Dryer Sheets, Shower Curtain, Sheet Music, and Kraft Glassine to create the flowers for this arrangement.

If you haven’t used Kraft Glassine yet I urge you to try it. It’s available at most craft stores in the Tim Holtz section for only a few dollars. The great thing about Kraft Glassine is its durability and resistance to creative abuse. The more you beat it up the better it looks!

Kraft Glassine Flowers
1) Grab a few pieces of Kraft Glassine and ink them up with Alcohol Ink. *If you add some metallic mixative to your blending tool you will get a lovely gilded look. 2) Once the ink is dry crumple it up and then smooth it flat. 3) Cut pieces of Kraft Glassine in half (You will need at least 3 squares to form a flower). 4) Fold squares together accordion style. 5) Secure in center by wrapping the end of a pipe cleaner around. 6) Cut a rounded edge on both sides. (Tonic Scissors cut best). 7) Gently peel each layer up to form flower.
* Repeat Steps 3-7 for each style of flower

Dryer Sheet Flowers
Don’t throw those dryer sheets away! Harvest them to make these fun flowers. I sprayed my Dryer sheets with a fall inspired blend of Dylusions Spray inks to color them. Our Friend Laura from the Shed has another unique way to create Dryer Sheet Flowers here. The best part about these flowers is their laundry fresh scent 🙂
* Repeat Steps 3-7 (Above)

Sheet Music Flowers
The sheet music flowers can be a bit tricky. Especially when working with vintage sheet music since it tends to tear easily. *Repeat the above steps from the previous flowers. When you have your ends cut apply Distress Ink (Vintage photo) to all the edges. To make the paper more pliable mist with Perfect Pearls Heirloom Gold. This will help to wick the Distress ink and age your flowers to perfection!

Shower Curtain Flowers
I had an epiphany when changing out my shower curtain to cut a piece off and save it to “make something”. This resulted in some fun fall leaves and now Shower curtain flowers. You can also get this look by using a clear tablecloth. Check out my Shower Curtain Leaves tutorial for all the details on selecting Alcohol Inks in a fall color palette. *I gave my flowers a spritz of glitter spray for a touch of sparkle.
* Repeat Steps 3-7 (above)

The flowers looked great but they needed a little something…like a center. It was bothering me that you could see the pipe cleaner in the center. To fix this problem I consulted my vintage button collection. (Do you ever really NEED an excuse to play with vintage buttons? ) Selecting buttons for your flower centers is half the fun. Try a few on for size, shape and texture. When you are satisfied grab your glue gun to adhere them.
*If you don’t have a stash of vintage buttons you can find an assortment called “Grandma’s Grab bag” in the sewing section at Michael’s. Just look for a bag with lots of brown to complement the fall colors.

Now you will need a container to arrange all the lovely fall flowers you’ve created. I’m sure you may have one of these generic glass vases left over from a fresh flower arrangement. Not even a run through the dishwasher and a good scrubbing could remove the schmutz from the rim of this vase so it was time to up cycle it into something new!
After a coat of Krylon Glitterblast (Diamond Dust) it looks better than ever! *If you don’t have one of these vases lying around they can usually be found at the thrift store for $1 or $2. You could also use a large jar from the recycling bin.

The freshly painted vase is lovely but it needs something to “Tie it all together.” I saved this gold grosgrain ribbon (probably from a Christmas gift from last year) and thought it was the perfect complement for the Fall Flower arrangement . To add a bit of whimsy and tie in with the sheet music flowers I stamped the ribbon with a sheet music stamp and Ranger Archival ink.

Move over 1-800-flowers! If you have a dryer full of laundry, a shower curtain that needs replacing, and a plain glass vase in your home you can create a beautiful Fall Flower arrangement that will last for seasons to come. All with flower making skills you learned in Kindergarten.
Hope your creativity is blossoming today!
Amy*

Mini Faux Pallet Art

by Johnnie Collier

When you love someone’s creation, why not just ask them to mail it to you? That is what I did when I saw my friend Laura’s faux mini wood pallet art tutorial at Pet Scribbles. It went a little something like this, acutally:

For Laura’s version of this fun tale, visit her Macrame bracelet post.

A facebook chat and swap arrangement later, this beautiful piece now adorns the wall of my bedroom.

What’s that? Oh, the flower. Glad you asked. Laura made it from a dryer sheet, and she made it my favorite color. Doesn’t it just look like it was made to go in it’s spot? I love it with my cardstock paper rose topiary!

Laura’s tutorial is linked above. Stop by and see the detailed, step by step photos and create your own faux mini wood pallet art.

And remember, it never hurts to ask. Thank you, Laura. I adore it!

Washi Tape Neon Flower Wreath DIY

by Johnnie Collier

Washi tape + flowers die cut from burlap, a neon t-shirt, neon posterboard and socks… now that is one super trendy wreath! I found a pack of neon washi tape rolls at Target and snatched them up right away. This project is super easy and cheap. I love it on my front door, especially with the neon planters. So cute. Grab some Goodwill t-shirts and do what I did.

Supplies:

Washi tape

Beacon Fabri-Tac glue

Pearlized ball pins (optional)

Mod Podge Super Hi-Shine

Die cut or hand cut flowers from burlap and old t-shirts

Sizzix 3-D Flower Wrapped Die

Tutorial:

To see how I put the die cut layers together to form the finished 3-D flower, see my quick video:

Make Gorgeous Paper Flowers With Paper Punches

by Johnnie Collier

I am so excited to introduce you to Amy from Plucking Daisies. She has recently joined Saved By Love Creations as a contributor *happy dance*. This girl is a flower making – sizzix cutting – copic marker ninja. Amy has tons of tricks up her sleeve for upcycling scraps and trash into whimsical art with a bit of a Tim Burton meets Alice in Wonderland flair. Now she is here to share how to create this fanciful bouquet with us! This tutorial is great for those without a die cut machine, since paper punches are used. Learn Amy’s tips and techniques that will have you making striking paper flowers to brighten your space. Visit her inspiring blog, and plan on developing a crush.

Paper flowers are a fun and whimsical way to add beauty to your home. They make lovely gifts that are sure to bring a smile. Unlike regular flowers Paper flowers will never wither and die so you can enjoy them all year-long. It doesn’t take much to make a beautiful paper flower arrangement. You can make your own paper flowers with just a few simple tools and scrap paper from your stash.

*For this arrangement you will need just 2 paper punches. The Large Daisy punch by Marvy and Small Daisy Punch by EK success were used here.

STEP 1: Grab some scrap paper from your stash and start punching! (I have used scraps from the DCWV “Green Stack”)

STEP 2: Color the underside of your flowers with Distress Stain in coordinating colors

* Unless you are using double-sided paper you will need to color the white side of your flowers. Distress ink can also be used.

How to Make Paper Flowers Curling Petals

STEP 3: Pierce a hole through each flower (you can pierce several flowers at a time. Curl large daisy petals with a stylus. Cup small daisies by pressing down center with sculpting tool.

*TIP: If you don’t have a stylus you can use a paintbrush or chopstick. For cupping place flower on foam pad or mouse pad.

How to Make Paper Flowers Layering Petals

STEP 4: Arrange flowers in layers to ensure proper color combinations. Once satisfied arrange layers of buttons on top then start assembly line.

* I typically layer 3 large daisies and 1 small with two layers of buttons.

STEP 5: Take one piece of wrapped floral stem wire and 1 piece of plain floral wire. Fold in half and thread on buttons smallest – largest. Holding button between thumb and forefinger twist wires together. Thread wire through pierced petals (smallest – largest) adding a drop of glue to seal each layer. Make a wire curl and press against back of flower to finish.

How to Make Paper Flowers Adding Floral Picks

STEP 6: Attach Flowers to floral picks using floral tape.

How to Make Paper Flowers Daisy Arrangement

STEP 7: To create your arrangement simply insert floral foam into a container and “Plant” your flowers. Twist the wires around your finger until you are satisfied with the fullness of your paper flower arrangement. Fill with glass gems or stones and embellish with ribbon.

Ta-Da! You just made a Paper Flower Arrangement!

See? Making paper flowers is easier than you think! I was able to create 4 of these Paper Flower arrangements for my sister’s Baby Shower using paper scraps from my stash. Paper Daisies are a great way to learn and get comfortable with paper flower making. Once you have mastered the paper daisy you can try your hand at more advanced paper flower making techniques.

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

TUTORIAL

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Melt beeswax in melting pot

I used the smaller rose to cut my leaves, since most of them were too small to completely cover the large rose shape. Place the wax coated leave over the shape and tape in place with masking tape so it doesn’t shift. You can stack up to 4 coated leaves at a time to run through the machine.

This shows me painting on the beeswax as “glue”

Glue the bottom tab to secure as shown in the video, using beeswax instead of glue.

Once your leaf is formed, remelt the wax that cracked during the rolling process with the heat tool. This makes sure the entire piece is sealed and gets rid of the cracks. Hold rose in place with tooth pick while heating.

Use your leaf roses to embellish your next project. I glued mine to an oval wood frame I found at Michael’s for $1. I used Mod Podge fall themed rub on transfers to create subway art on cardstock to put inside the frame. LOVE.

If you like this, you don’t want to miss our nature craft roundup!

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Supplies:

Tutorial:

*For this arrangement you will need just 2 paper punches. The Large Daisy punch by Marvy and Small Daisy Punch by EK success were used here.

STEP 1: Grab some scrap paper from your stash and start punching! (I have used scraps from the DCWV “Green Stack”)

STEP 2: Color the underside of your flowers with Distress Stain in coordinating colors

* Unless you are using double-sided paper you will need to color the white side of your flowers. Distress ink can also be used.

STEP 3: Pierce a hole through each flower (you can pierce several flowers at a time. Curl large daisy petals with a stylus. Cup small daisies by pressing down center with sculpting tool.

*TIP: If you don’t have a stylus you can use a paintbrush or chopstick. For cupping place flower on foam pad or mouse pad.

STEP 4: Arrange flowers in layers to ensure proper color combinations. Once satisfied arrange layers of buttons on top then start assembly line.

* I typically layer 3 large daisies and 1 small with two layers of buttons.

STEP 6: Attach Flowers to floral picks using floral tape.

STEP 7: To create your arrangement simply insert floral foam into a container and “Plant” your flowers. Twist the wires around your finger until you are satisfied with the fullness of your paper flower arrangement. Fill with glass gems or stones and embellish with ribbon.

Ta-Da! You just made a Paper Flower Arrangement!

Hope your creativity is blossoming today!

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