Saturday, July 17, 2021

Tutorial: Coffee Filter Flowers

 


This week's party continues here so please link up! I had several requests for a tutorial on the Coffee Filter Flowers I made and used in my Oversized Floral Wreath so here it is. They were never designed to be any specific kind of flower...they're just "flowers" I made while playing around one day.

The process is the same for all three styles and you can definitely adapt to other styles. 

Supplies: 
  • Coffee Filters. The basket kind, not the cone kind. You can get them everywhere...Dollar Store, Grocery Store etc. 
  • Dimesional or Thick Glue. I used Glossy Accents by Ranger. Available at craft stores, online, etc. You can also use a thick glue like Aleene's Turbo Tacky. 


That's it on the supplies! I'm going to show the step by step for Flower number 1 and the basic cuts for the other two. The process is the same. It's the cuts to make the petals that make the difference! 

For each flower, I used nine filters. 

Separate each filter and crumple each of them up. I did this because it gets rid of the original shape and also because it helps give the flowers some body and shape. 


Once you've crumpled them, uncrumple them! I know...work work work. You'll use three filters each to make three sets of layers for each flower. To begin, fold one filter in quarters. 


Then make the cuts into narrow petals as shown. If you are a person who needs to be exact, you can draw them but I'm not so I just eyeballed and did it freehand. 

Make the petal cuts until you reach the other end of the folded quarter. Repeat two more times to create the first three layers of the first section.  Here's what it will look like unfolded. 


Since flowers in nature aren't perfect, I didn't worry about making mine perfect either. For the subsequent sections, it's the same process but you're going to make each section slightly smaller by trimming the filters down. 


Again, I eyeballed it and just trimmed the middle section down as shown before cutting the petals. Then did this once more for the top layers. You're building the flowers from the bottom up. 


For the top layers you just cut more off the filters than the middle layers. You'll end up with three sets of large (1), medium (2), and small (3). 

The quarter folds make a kind of natural well in each layer. Place a dab of Glossy Accents in the middle, then slightly offset the next layer atop the glue, then repeat with the last layer for this section. 


Repeat with the last large layer, then continue with all of the remaining layers until the last of the small top layers. Make sure to offset each layer. This adds to the fullness of the final flower. 



You can see the form start to take shape but with the second section I use the eraser end of a pencil to push down in the middle that helps the petals stick up a bit. I hope that makes sense. 



For the final layer of the top section, before you add it to the flower add a drop of the dimensional glue to the middle and pinch together from the bottom. Then add this layer to your flower. 


And there you are! For flowers 2 and 3, I'll show you what a difference changing up the petal cuts makes. 

Flower 2:


Quarter fold and then cut as shown with a deep curved V. Same concept. Large, medium, and small sections, three filters each, cut down in size before making the petal cuts as shown in Flower 1. Same process of offsetting each layer as glued, and using a pencil to push down / deepen the well in them middle. 




And just as with the first flower, when you get to the final top layer, pinch the middle before gluing to the flower. 



Flower 3:

For this style I just used a basic petal shape on the quarter fold. Large, medium, and small sections, cutting down as shown in Flower 1. Offset as each layer is glued and pinch the middle of the final top layer. 


 



If you wan to make smaller flowers then just trim down your filters accordingly. There are so many possibilities. You don't have to keep them white. You could dye the layers for example. But I would do this and make sure they're dry before you build your flowers. I hope you found this helpful! They're addictive once you make a few. 

If you make these shapes or come up with your own, I'd love to see!! 



Thursday, July 15, 2021

BFF Open House

 


Happy Friday Eve once again everyone. Can you believe we're already halfway through July already?! What a difference a month makes. This time last month, I was just out of the hospital and we were in the process of getting a move underway. Now, pretty settled in and finally getting back to being able to make some things. 

This week I shared my new Craft Room as well as a Layered "Moonogram" (Moon themed Monogram) project. 

The craft stores are filling up with Fall themed goodies and you know that means that Halloween and Christmas won't be far behind! 

Let's take a look at some ideas from last week's party! 



There is a LOT of Christmas in July inspiration in Craftworld (as well as The Hallmark Channel) and I love this idea shared by The Apple Street Cottage using a wood round to make a festive and beautiful wreath. 



Even if you're not yet making Christmas crafts, it's the perfect time to start thrifting for pieces and supplies that you will want to incorporate into your decor. I've noticed some thrift shops have gotten in on the theme by highlighting their Christmas items. Master Pieces of My Life has got a post full of inspiration and ideas for things to start looking for  NOW! 



Switching gears...check out these desserts that are perfect for any time of year because chocolate is year round! This No Bake Caramel Coconut Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert from The Kitchen Is My Playground is perfect for a hot Summer day!


Finally, what is better than a perfect fudgy frosted Brownie? This is just how I love them...with that bit of gooeyness in the middle. No wonder these are a favorite of Cindy's grandson from Cindy's Online Recipe Box

Now, let's see what all of you wonderfully creative people have been up to this week! 












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Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Papercrafting: Layered "Moonogram"

 


I mentioned that I'm going to be a "Fairy Grandmother" since my bestie's daughter is having a baby. The nursery is coming together with a very cool ombre wall done by one of our other friends and has Moon elements. I made this layered "Moonogram" to complement that theme. 


Supplies: 

  • Black Cardstock
  • Lavender Glitter Cardstock
  • Coordinating Scrapbook Paper ( Let's Wander Stack by Recollections from Michaels)
  • Shadowbox Frame (Michaels) 
  • Moon SVG (Creative Fabrica
  • Digital Cutting Machine ( I used my Cricut Explore2) 


As always, I needed to choose what papers I wanted to use. I had a general sense of what I wanted to do but the papers were key! I went with black, since like me, the mom to be is non-traditional and has a lot of black and white in the nursery, a lavender glitter paper and a sheet of very celestial looking paper from the Let's Wander Stack by Recollections. 



The next step was to design the "Moonogram" so I popped over to Creative Fabrica (disclosure, I am an affiliate there) to look for a Moon themed SVG and found this bundle which was perfect: 


I uploaded the "Man in the Moon with Stars" and the "Man in the Moon" images to Cricut Design Space. Then I chose the letter of the baby's first name in a font that would work well with the Moon images and used the Slice function in Design Space to make the cut out layer of the letter adding stars as well. 



I assembled the "Moonogram" layers using foam squares. 


Then I cut the background paper to fit the frame and attached the "Moonogram". 


The paper, with the gold foiling was already pretty but I'm a more is more person so I wanted to add some more bling and when I saw these jewels at Michaels ( on sale for $5!) they had to come home with me for this project. 




I like how they almost look like raindrops. To finish, I used the interior of the star images from the top layer of the "Moonogram" and attached those with foam squares. 


I need to adjust the letter ever so slightly to straighten as I look at these pics but I'm so happy with how this turned out! 

Sharing At: 








Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Craft Room Reveal

 


I've never really posted a "Craft Room Reveal" mostly because mine have been a combination work from home office and craft room and usually when I've moved I haven't had the time to be really intentional about it. I've also been intimidated by all of the gorgeous rooms I see on other people's blogs and Pinterest.  But since I'm retired now I wanted to take the opportunity to make it special and even though I have a couple of things I still want to do ( eg replace or cover the desk chair shown), here 'tis and I'm really happy with it!  I have a dedicated space for both my Cricut  Explore and my Cameo, as well as a desk to hold my sewing machine. 



I'm really happy with this wall that features the oversized floral wreath I shared last week (and yes, I'm still going to do a tutorial on the coffee filter flowers!) along with a couple of paint poured canvases and Quilling projects I did. 




We had these racks elsewhere in our previous house and I knew we wouldn't need them here so I claimed them for my paper stacks and they fit great against the wall as shown.


My desk, which at some point I want to paint, now only has to hold one laptop instead of my personal and work laptops so yay...more room when I'm papercrafting etc. 


My paper punches and Washi tapes were previously thrown in a couple of  baskets but I love them on display with easy access that doesn't require me to paw through the punches to find the right one! We had two shelf units that used to hold other things that we realized we no longer needed and were Goodwill bound when I realized hmmm I could maybe use them. The other one holds my Funko Pop collections. 


I have all of my jewelry making stuff in storage containers that now all fit together on a shelf in the closet with another shelf holding what Mr. Chocolate calls "Michaels Annex" but you know...we all need extra supplies right? And on either side I have shelves and was able to fit a dresser that holds more "stash". 

The best part of all? I didn't spend a penny on anything new and was able to use things we had to get a look I'm very happy with. 








Thursday, July 8, 2021

BFF Open House

 


Happy Friday Eve all and I hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July. It was a late night for us because the illegal fireworks people were shooting off did not agree with the dog nor she with them so it was a "howler" of a night. Given the high fire danger here in the desert that was also a concern but fortunately, all is well.

I also had a chance this week to create something for my new office and because I've had interest in the coffee filter flowers I used in this Oversized Floral Wreath, I will be doing a future tutorial on how to make them so stay tuned! 

Let's take a look at some of the creative projects shared at last week's party! 


Who grew up with one of these Better Homes and Gardens Cookbooks? I know they've updated but this looks so familiar and everyone I know had one of these in their family kitchen. Lisa, from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S took one and altered it, making it fun while keeping the nostalgic feel. 


If you have a fireplace you don't actively use, Kathleen from Our Hopeful Home has a wonderful way to cover it using a beautiful Botanical Print. 


Artsy Va Va shared yet another STUNNING piece of furniture she made over. Just GORGEOUS!! 


Finally, on a hot Summer day, what's better than lemonade except this delicious looking Frosted Lemonade from the Lou Lou Girls?! 

Thank you to everyone who linked up and let's take a look at what you've been up to this week! 






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