Welcome to the February Control Freaks Blog Tour! Our theme this month is “The Cutting Edge – Projects Created Using Diecuts in the Big Shot“. If you’re following the blog tour lineup, you’ve just come from Dawn Olchefske’s blog. Dawn never ceases to amaze me with her delightfully original and inspiring projects!
I have three projects to share with you:
PROJECT #1 – 3-D FLOWER FOLDS CARD
My upline, Jill Olsen, sent me a link to a fabulous video tutorial a few months ago where Melanie Hopes demonstrates how to make a 3-D flower like the one on my card. You can see the video here: 3-D Flowers Video Tutorial
I used the Flower Folds Bigz XL Die and the second smallest flower on that die, which measures 3-1/8″ across. It took some practice to get the flower petals to look just right, but I persisted and was finally able to put together a flower I thought looked nice enough to put on a card (not to mention post on this tour). 🙂 I die cut six flowers using smooth Pink Pirouette cardstock. I placed one flower in the palm of my hand and spritzed it with water (twice) and then placed the tip of my Bone Folder in the center of the flower and wrapped the petals around it. I used SU!’s small Clips Assortment to clamp the base of the flower while it dried (Melanie used mini clothespins). I punched a 1-1/4″ circle out of Pink Pirouette cardstock and hot glued the six pieces to the circle. I spritzed the petals with more water to do some additional shaping/molding. Once the piece was dry, I applied a 2-Way Glue Pen to the ends of each petal and sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on them. The possibilities are endless with this technique — Melanie even made a flower using the Round Tab Punch!
Stamps: Build a Blossom, Delightful Dozen
Paper: Pink Pirouette (Smooth and Textured), Basic Gray, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Twitterpated DSP
Ink: Basic Gray, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Big Shot, Flower Folds Bigz XL Die, Stripes Embossing Folder, Blossom Petals Builder Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Sewing Machine and Thread, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Bone Folder, 1-1/4″ Circle Punch
PROJECT #2 – AMAZING, AWESOME, TALENTED…YOU CARD
So this project is one of those that began as one thing and ended up as something completely different. The three flower panels were going to be three individual bookmarks. I had the bases for all three bookmarks cut out, embossed and ready to be embellished when I looked over and spotted all three flower panels sitting side by side on a piece of scrap Crumb Cake cardstock. I had one of those “lightbulb” moments. 🙂 All three panels looked like they’d look great together on a card and so this card was born; the bookmarks put away for another day.
Stamps: Simply Soft, Perfect Words
Paper: Crumb Cake, Watercolor, Very Vanilla
Ink: Black StazOn, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Old Olive
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Labels Collection Framelits Die, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Aqua Painter and Reinker Inks, Very Vanilla 5/8″ Satin Ribbon, Sponge, Color Spritzer Tool
PROJECT #3 – FELT FLOWER PILLOW
Stampin’ Up! has a beautiful pillow in the March 2012 Stampin’ Success that served as inspiration for my project. I also went online and searched for handmade pillows and found several tutorials for this particular pillow. Each online tutorial I came across instructed you to create two different-sized circle templates and then trace and cut out 50 individual circles! Cut to the Big Shot to make this step unbelievably quick and easy!
Supplies you’ll need:
- 1/2 yard fabric (cut two 19″ squares of fabric)
- 1/4 yard felt (from at least a 60” bolt of fabric) (Note — do not use the small squares of craft felt found in the kids’ craft aisle — use acrylic felt found on bolts in the fabric section of your craft store)
- Big Shot Machine
- 3-1/2″ Circle Originals Die (cut 30). I experimented with my Big Shot machine and found I could cut six circles at one time.
- Circles #2 Originals Die (2-1/2″ circle). There are four circles on this die; use the largest circle that measures 2-1/2″ and cut 20. Once again, I experimented with my Big Shot machine and found I could cut four circles at one time – you might be able to cut more.
- Fabric marker/pen
- 18″ square pillow form or stuffing
- Sewing machine and thread
Directions:
- Die cut 30 3-1/2″ felt circles and 20 2-1/2” felt circles. Cut each circle in half to create “petals” (I used a quilter’s ruler and a rotary cutter to cut four at a time).
- Take one 19-inch square of fabric for your pillow front and with fabric right side up, draw a circle in the center of the square (I used a 10-1/2” plate from my kitchen as a template). Begin with the larger petals first, lining up the straight edge of the petal with the drawn circle on your fabric (the curved edge of the felt should face out toward the edge of the fabric square). Sew each petal onto the pillow front, following the drawn line. As you add a new petal, make sure to overlap each petal approximately ¼-inch at the ends. Once you’ve sewn around the entire circle, move ¼-inch down toward the center of the circle and begin sewing the next row of petals. You will go around and around until you reach the center of the pillow. Don’t worry if you have extra petals left over — I had extras, too.
- I created the center piece of the pillow by die cutting a piece of fabric with the 2-1/2” circle die, sewed a basting stitch around the edge of the circle, gathered up and secured the edges (it looked like the top of a mushroom cap after it was gathered), stuffed a few pieces of scrap felt inside the “cap” and hand sewed it onto the pillow.
- Now you can finish your pillow by sewing ½-inch seams and stuffing it with the pillow form or your choice of stuffing.
To see the next blog, click the link below. Connie Babbert’s blog is next and I know you’re going to be blown away by the projects she’s created! Thanks so much for taking the tour!
Yvette's Paper Garden 