Flower tutorial

Hi everyone,another hot day here again, hope you have the sun too. I have been asked by a few people to do a tutorial on how I make my handmade flowers.Not that I am at all brilliant by any means  but they look ok...I think. I have tried several methods and adapted  other tutorials I have seen so won't leave links to other tutorials here. There are plenty about if you look  but these are just what I found  works best for me. I will just show you pictures as I am not into  doing videos etc. I am afraid :) First I cut my flower shapes out. These will make two finished flowers , I make mine two at a time  anyway.You will need three flower shapes for one basic flower,  but feel free to add as many layers as you please. I often use four or five. You can either use fancy scissors or dies/punches but you are after a round shape ( if using fancy scissors) or any flower shape you choose if using dies. If using  fancy scissors cut a circular shape then starting  from the edge  go in concentric circles until you get to the middle.Then you just use a cocktail stick and wind it around loosely,let go, then glue  at intervals. Colour the same as below, either with a Promarker or distress inks. When using dies I found I like the TH Rose Creations dies or the TH Tattered  floral dies best & also an Xcut punch too for the smaller middle flower.  I use card mostly as it stands up to 'wetting' better than paper  but you can  use paper if you want. Just make sure the paper is quite  thickish  though. Here I used some linen  card 255 gsm, I use bits left  over from making my square cards. I first cut six flower shapes, four from the die below & two cut with the x cut punch. Then   I used a yellow Promarker (  Summer sun or Canary) to  shade  the edges. I then take the first two I coloured & lightly spray with water, don't wet too much. Start to crinkle them, ( that's a technical term he he). I wrap the ends around a pencil and squidge them a bit side to side and up and down.Do it VERY gently or it will tear. I then dry them using my heat gun, holding them down with a pair of tweezers. The next two flower shapes are coloured with some distress ink ( I used TH mustard seed). Just dab it all over,( I  dab the ink onto an acylic rectangle, then I  use a sponge ,then spray with water again.That part is VERY messy, your hands will be yellow....very yellow! Crinkle as before and dry those also ( if you are impatient like me...otherwise leave until dry.) Colour the remaining two flowers with the Promarker again but  this time colour it all over. Crinkle, then dry.These last two flowers  are crinkled a lot ! 'scrunch' and 'crinkle' them well :) Leave the last ones crinkled almost completely as you dry them  as they are for the centres.He he... so much 'crinkling' and 'scrunching', even I am laughing at this description now! All  very technical terms you  understand ....ahem. Right next we have 'assembly', the easy part I am  glad to say.I use Anita's tacky glue but any strong glue will do really.  Start with the flower you edged with the Promarker,add a bit of glue to the  centre then atatch the next flower. Then add the next one, then the  'really scrumpled' up one in the middle.I add random bits of glue to some  edges, then cover with glamour dust. That's it, two pretty flowers. .......................well I hope they are lol. Hope that was clear enough. I will make a card with these two flowers next just to show you how  they look on a card :) Update!....I added a card with these flowers on the next day, see next post !  New update July 2013.......I tend to use TH distress inks to colour my flowers now.  

   

I used 4 of the bottom flower shapes here ( Tattered Floral Die)

I used 2 of these flower shapes

Here they are cut out

Coloured edges and right one is wetted and crinkled

Two right ones crinkled, middle ones are done with distress inks & crinkled, right pair still left white

Last two on left coloured with a Promarker

After colouring and 'crinkling'

After assembly !

Dot bits with glue & add glamour dust for sparkle !