Technique Class - Open Roses

I have another tutorial for you today, and it's one of my favourite subjects... handmade flowers. I like to play around with flower making because I feel they are one of the prettiest, yet most expensive embellishments on the market. Flowers are very popular amongst paper-craft artists, whether for scrapbook pages, cards or altered items and we all appreciate great flowers that match our projects perfectly. Making them yourself can be a little time consuming, but there's no doubt that it's creative and much friendlier to the hip-pocket.

Requirements:

2 large diecut flowers from double-sided patterned paper

2 medium diecut flowers from double-sided patterned paper

2 small diecut flowers from double-sided patterned paper

1 matching brad

Matching ink

Distressing tool or scissors

1. Begin by distressing the edges of all your petals. You can use a distressing tool, like the one shown in the photo, or the edge of your scissors, which work just as well.

2. Ink the edges of all the petals, back and front. You can make the ink as dark or as light as you like and can use a complimentary or contrasting colour depending on the look you are aiming for.

3. Carefully but firmly scrunch up your petals. This helps break the tension in the paper and makes them easier to manipulate. You can spritz them with a little water before you scrunch if you like, but be aware that this will weaken the paper until it's dry again so you need to be particularly careful of tears.

4. Open them all out again and smooth with your fingers. You don't want them to be completely flat so don't bother bringing out the iron.

5. Starting with one of the small flowers, place them all on the brad. Offset the petals as you work so that there are no spaces between the layers.

6. Once you have all six flowers on the brad and you are happy with the placement, open the brad and press flat. You should have something resembling the picture below.

7. Again starting with the small flowers, start to fold, pinch and scrunch the petals up around the brad. Work carefully, but be firm.

8. Continue with the next row of petals bringing them up tightly into the middle. They will overlap in different ways and fold around the inner petals.

9. Continue folding until all the petals are pushed in toward the brad.

10. Working with the outside petals first, start to unfold the flower gradually. Keep the inner petals tightly around the brad to simulate a real rose but open the large outer petals. Shape them with your fingers until you are happy with the result.

Design Ideas:
- Try using different coloured flowers to make a single rose.
- Use only three or four flowers, folded tightly around the brad to form rose buds.
- Use 8 or 10 flowers for really large, full-blown roses.