Tutorial Wednesday: How to make a Carnation Flower

Hi guys,

Katie here, and I have a quick tutorial to share with you today.

I don't know about you all, but I am slightly obsessed with flowers. I grow them, I buy them, I draw them, I paint them, I decorate with them, I make them, I even eat them (edible ones, in a salad of course).

One of my favourites (not to eat!! ha ha) is this type of carnation, so I decided to work on a method to make a flat(ish) version out of paper that I could use on cards and other papercrafting projects. And, the best part of this tutorial is that it uses SUPER cheap materials.

I'm not at home at the moment, I had to go unexpectedly to the UK so don't have access to all my usual equipment, so big thanks to Jo Brett for allowing me to use all your things! She has the pink Cuttlebug, isn't it cute??

For this tutorial you will need:

• plain old white computer printer paper
• any type of edging scissors
• glue
• watercolour paints
• a die-cutting machine and die, or flower punches. Whichever you use, you will need to be able to cut three different sizes of flower. I am using the Hello Kitty nested flowers Sizzlet.
  

Firstly, you will need to cut your paper pieces. Die-cut or punch 7 large flowers, 3 medium flowers, and 3 small flowers.

Then, use your scissors to trim off the very ends of your petals to give a frilly look.

With your 7 larger flowers, gradually cut off more and more of the petal to make the petal layers gradually reduce in size.

You should now have something like this:

Now, using whatever colour you like, paint the edges with watercolour paints. You could also use inks, or pens, or whatever you have. I just love watercolours :)

You should now have something like this. On the smallest flowers, I also painted some yellow and green into the centres.

When they are dry, it's time to add some body to the petals. For this, I have used a hair grip! But you could use whatever you like. I thread each petal into the grip, and twist.

This makes each layer look a bit like this:

When they are all completed, you should have something like this:

Now, layer up your pieces and glue into place, and you're done!!

Well that's all for today. I hope you have found this tutorial useful. If you decide to make some carnations, why not leave a comment here with a link to your project, I would love to see what you come up with.

Also don't forget, if you have bought the May Kit you can apply to be a Crafty Alley Guest Designer!! Check out the Ning network for more details.

Hugs,

Katie xoxo