Cardstock Flowers

Flowers are a trend that is here to stay.  While I love everything on the market – there are so many options, colors, brands… it can make your head spin!  These came from an answer to a challenge to create a layout entirely of cardstock, and are one of my favorite ways to add a personal touch to my pages and projects.  They take a little time, but are very easy to make and using this method can turn your favorite color cardstock, patterned paper, or even felt into an embellishment all your own. 

• Your cardstock or paper of choice… mix and match! (And scraps are EXCELLENT for these)
• I recommend glue dots to ensure your flowers stand the test of time and stay sturdy once in your album.
• A  “base” for the center of your flower, chipboard scraps for example. But paper would work too.
• Ink to define your petal’s edges.

 Then create your flowers in five easy steps:

• Free hand cut your petals, as many as you wish. They don’t need to be perfect at all! Be sure to vary the sizes to give your flower its 3-D effect. Think large on the bottom, medium in the middle, and small on top.
• Next, ink the edges of each petal. This extra step really helps your flower stand out and gives it a finished look. (I like brown, but any color would do!)

• Next, take your base (you can get an idea of the size of mine peeking out in the pic below) and working in a pinwheel pattern, attach each inked petal with a glue dot. Bend each petal slightly upward in the center to increase the 3D effect.  This effect will work better with cardstock rather than a flimsier paper.

• Finally, to make a cardstock center for your flower, take a scrap piece such as the one below, and snip the edges about halfway down (not all the way).  Once done, roll the scrap up into a fairly tight cylinder.

• On the un-cut side of the cylinder, attach a glue dot, then attach on the center of the flower.  Spread the snipped edges outward (and I hit it with a hammer to spread them out even more – also good for agression but your husband will look at you funny).

You can also use buttons, brads, jewels, or anything you can think of to create the flower’s center.  When you’re making your own, the sky is the limit!   Hope you enjoy.