Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Paper Flowers - make or buy?

Hi everyone! I've been doing some research of late....notably in the area of how to make your own paper flowers! You know the ones I mean? Those spiralled, handrolled little paper flowers that look just darling on a multitude of projects. So, they stick out somewhat and make closing scrapbooks a little awkward and cards a little more than is big enough to successfully close the envelope....but they just look so darn cute!!! I seem to spend a fortune in Michaels, Jo-Ann's and even Wal-Mart(!) so thought it time to try this for myself. How hard can it be, I thought???!


So, armed with different types of paper, different sizes of paper and several types of different scissors, I set off to play....OK, so only in front of the TV (which I got tut-tutted about because the fancy scissors make a bit of a  noise when they cut!) but at least I got the chance to experiment!...and yes, make a mess!!


I found that cardstock works best. Paper is OK, but a bit flimsy and with no substantial "staying-up power"! Also found that double-sided cardstock is a must.....nothing worse than a pretty design on the inside but it looks just white from the outside!! Also, I seem to be liking the scalloped edge scissors at the moment, although should probably try the plain old round edge...but can't help thinking that's a bit boring!! Seem to have settled on a 4" square which results in a nice even flower about 11/4" round.


In short, it wasn't half as difficult as I thought and with a shot of glue to complete, they look pretty good! If I am so modest as to say so myself!


Take a look at how they come out! I was so impressed, I decided to list them on Etsy. Well, they're cheaper than the store bought ones and I can custom make them for you in any color or size you want. Michaels don't offer that flexibility!!! I even played around with some inks....thought the distressed look might look good and grungy and it does! My, those distress inks are so good for this sort of thing!!!


Here goes:





 Check out all my listings on Etsy. Not only paper flowers but also scrapbooks, cards, scarves...the list goes on. Here's the link to the paper flowers section:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/DistinctlyCrafted?section_id=10442200


Thanks for coming by! 'Till next time,
Wendy

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