Tuesday, October 16, 2012

DIY Sheer Flowers


Although I scrap a lot of boy pages, every once in a while I go searching for that little something to make a page a bit more fancy or feminine. Yes, I have a few flowers, but most are too casual, usually made of paper, and just don't have the softness that I am sometimes seeking. While I admire the gorgeous sets of Prima flowers that are found in stores and on websites, the price always deters me from the purchase!

But, recently, as I was straightening up my scrap stash and clearing out some old supplies, I came across a box of fabrics...tulle, organza, etc., and I remembered a little technique I'd learned a long time ago. When many of these synthetic fabrics encounter heat and flame, they sort of melt, their edges curling up and shrinking. Tulle is one such fabric and this property makes it perfectly suitable for creating sheer, layered flowers that resemble some of the more expensive Primas. I shared the technique for creating these beauties on the Scraptastic blog.

Here's a recently completed project, where I used a single blue bloom to add the bit of femininity I desired.


The pretty blue flower contrasts nicely with the lightly inked chipboard.
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Here's a closeup of the stamp banner detail, an idea borrowed from the Sweet Paul blog.
These fancy flowers are so easy; you have to try them yourself!

23 comments:

Heidi said...

I love the stamp banner with the postcards. And you flower turned out beautiful. Awesome layout!

Lisa Rukin Swift said...

Beautiful in every way! Love the stamps and postcards!

Christina Collins said...

So gorgeous!
I love the flower. It looks so soft to the touch!

Susan Stringfellow said...

AWESOME!!! Thanks so much for the link to the tutorial.

Nirupama said...

So pretty! The flower turned out great (and so economical)

Christina said...

I love those flowers-thanks so much for the tutorial!

Blessed Ladybug said...

love that layout but i'm really loving that awesome dress... reallly nice... they look great together...

byondbzr said...

very pretty flower!

Fleursbydesign said...

That blue flower is just gorgeous the perfect touch to this layout :)

laura said...

Terrific layout. love the flower.

Linda Beeson said...

I love your layout, the colors are great and love the flower.

Sue Althouse said...

The flower is so pretty! I also like your layering and the banners.

Mary Jo said...

How lovely!
Such a pretty flower and great layout :)

Tammy said...

Great tutorial! Great tip to use a flame to get the curls. Awesome page, love that pop of blue. :)

Staci said...

So beautiful! Have a wonderful week.

Anonymous said...

It's perfect!!!

Barbara said...

Wow! What a stunning layout.

I'm now a follower.

msmith434343 said...

For heaven's sake, the flower is lovely, and the girl's dress is AMAZING! What a handsome boy, too!

Thanks for participating in my request at 2Peas for blog exchange!

Jilliene Designs said...

This layout is awesome! I'm now a follower and a fan!

MirandaBe said...

Love this page!!!! the banner stamp is a clever idea! great job!

I'm a new follower from 2peas :)

Rebecca at How I Burb said...

Very pretty page and flower!

I came over from the 2Ps thread and am now a follower :).

Denise Price said...

Hi! I loved your tag in the October issue of Scrap n' Art, so I decided to click over to your blog and check it out. I'm following your blog now--looks like it's full of great ideas. On this layout I love the postage stamp banner and the handmade flower. I've seen similar flowers below, but I never knew that creating the curled edges was as simple as holding the fabric to a candle flame. I will definitely try this idea myself. Thanks for the inspiration!

ryan james said...
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