Daffodil Tutorial

Here is how I made the daffodils on this card.

You may like to refer to this post if you haven't seen it before - Tool Substitutes

As usual - click on any picture for a larger view.


Here's the list of items needed to make a daffodil:

• Scraps of yellow and orange paper
• Green card
  
• Moulding mat
• White pva glue
• DEET tool
• Embossing ball tool
• Character shaper
• Pencil
  
• Scissors
• Deckle edge scissors
• 5-Petal Flower Punch
• 1/2" Circle Punch
• Boho Blossoms Punch
  

Punch out two 5-Petal Flower shapes, one of the largest Boho Blossoms shapes and one 1/2" circle.


Using the scissors, cut out one petal as above.


Continue cutting off the petals as with the first one until they are all separated. To make one daffodil, you will need six petals, so cut one petal from the second flower also.


With a petal on the moulding mat, and using the DEET tool, place the needle end flat on the petal running from the base to the tip. Apply pressure and draw the needle along the petal towards the tip, all the time keeping the tool flat against the paper. Now do the same thing once on each side of the central line, and make these lines fan out from the base of the petal to the edge. Turn the petal over, and make some more lines in the same way, between the ones already made. Repeat on all of the petals.


Draw a dot with the pencil in the centre of the 1/2" circle. Hold the petal by the tip, and dip just the very point of the base into a blob of pva glue on a scrap of paper.



Stick the petal on to the circle, with the point of the base in the centre. Stick on two more petals in a triangle arrangement.


Now stick the remaining three petals on top, evenly spaced between the first three.


Using the deckle edge scissors, cut the tips off the largest Boho Blossom flower all the way around.


Cut a slit from the outside to the centre.


Using the rounded end of the Character tool, and light pressure to begin with, emboss in circles - around the edges first, gradually working your way in to the centre.


Where you have cut the paper, the two edges will slide over each other - as indicated by the arrow. Place a tiny spot of glue between these overlapping edges, and stick together to hold the cup shape.


Place a small spot of glue in the centre of the yellow petals, and place the trumpet on top. An embossing ball tool is handy for pressing the two layers together. Make sure that the trumpet settles in an upright position.


Cut a small rectangle of orange, and at one end cut about 7 narrow strips to make a fringe. Cut away the rest of the rectangle from beside the fringe as above.


Beginning at the fringed end, roll the paper tightly. Here I am using a quilling tool, but if you don't have one, you can use the needle end of the DEET. Place a spot of glue at the end, and continue rolling and stick together.


Trim the rolled base so that it is a couple of mm long, and also trim the fringe if necessary to make it about as long as the trumpet is deep.


Dip the base of the stamens into the blob of glue on the scrap paper, and then stand upright in the centre of the daffodil. Once you are happy with the position leave to dry before gently spreading the stamens a little. If you try before the glue is dry, they will come out!


Cut slightly tapered, narrow strips of green card to make the leaves. Round off the top, narrow end. Then use the DEET tool in the same way as for the petals, to make a crease down the centre of the leaf. The flower stalk is made in the same way, but just cut a slightly longer length, and don't taper it. No need to round the end as it will be hidden behind the flower head.


Stick the stalk on to the back of the flower as shown.



The finished flower.

On my card, I made three flowers and a few leaves, which I arranged at different levels. I stuck them down to the white oval and then trimmed off the excess length from around the bottom edge of the oval before sticking it down to the matting.

Mother's Day Daffodil Card

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Certainly Celery Designer Prints Paper, scraps of orange and pale yellow paper
Other: Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx 4" x 6")

Method:

I used my Stampin' Up! punches, and deckle edge scissors, to make the daffodil flowers, and cut the leaves free hand from Old Olive card. I'll do a step by step and put it up in the next couple of days.

All mounted on Nestability ovals, and then onto a background of Stampin' Up!'s Certainly Celery designer paper. The card base is Old Olive. Finished with the ribbon with a simple knot tied in the middle.

Marmite is Back!

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Old Olive, Ruby Red, water colour paper
Ink: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Night of Navy Black Stazon,
Stamps: Unfrogettable
Other: Stampin' Pastels Chalks, Old Olive brad, googly eyes
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx 4" x 6")

Method:

Another quick card needed for a 5 year old boy's birthday. So I turned to Marmite the frog to help me out, as I find that it is so quick to create a little scene with this set, and it's simple to colour as well.

I stamped the sitting frog first, then stamped him again on a post it note, cut it out, and used as a mask whilst I stamped the mushroom he is sitting on. I then created a mushroom mask, and used it, and my Stamp-a-ma-jig to do all the other mushrooms. Finally I stamped the leaping frog. The dragonfly was stamped on a scrap piece. All the painting was done using the Stampin' Write markers scribbled onto the Stamp-a-ma-jig sheet, and an Aquabrush to pick up the colour. Old Olive for the frogs, Ruby Red for the mushroom caps (with the spots coloured in with the Ruby Red direct to the paper), Creamy Caramel mixed with a little Ruby Red for the gills and stalks, a very watered down Night of Navy for the dragonfly wings, and Creamy Caramel for it's body.

Once the painting was dry, I sponged Bashful Blue and Old Olive chalks from the Pastels set on for sky and ground. Cut out the dragonfly and stuck him on once the card was assembled. The tag is made using the Stampin' Up tag punches, and the greeting from the Unfrogettable set. Sponged the edges of the white part with the chalk as well. Finished off with an Old Olive brad, and googly eyes.

Sadly Marmite is retiring, but is still available at the moment.

Simple and Quick Birthday Card

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Brocade Blue, Creamy Caramel, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Brocade Blue, Creamy Caramel, Barely Banana
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Sincere Salutations
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx 4" x 6")

Method:

This is a very plain and simple card - but I needed one in a hurry! It was for a man, so no frills!

I stamped the cup cake using the elements from the Big Bold Birthday set. For the icing, I used the 'rock'n'roll' technique of rolling just the edges of the stamp on the ink pad. This way, I had ink just on the edges of the solid stamp. I then cleaned the stamp, and put ink just on the edge of one end, and used this to stamp the humps in the middle of the icing. I stamped the candles on to the card, and then masked them off before stamping the icing. Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig of course for placement. I masked off the icing before stamping the bottom of the cake. Added a little bit of Barely Banana to give some colour to the flames.

The Creamy Caramel strip behind the image was stamped with another of the stamps from the set, using the Stamp-a-ma-jig again to line up all the little circles from one block to the next.

Ruby Red Roses

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Holiday Treasures designer paper
Ink: Ruby Red, Old Olive
Stamps: A Rose is a Rose, Sincere Salutations
Card Size: 15cm x 10.5cm (approx 4" x 6")

Method:

This is the card we made at our stamper's ten meeting yesterday evening. It uses the gorgeous A Rose is a Rose two step stamp set.

Using the rose set, and my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the individual flowers and leaves onto a piece of Whisper White card stock, and then cut around each piece leaving a very small border of white. The background for the flowers is made from a piece of the designer paper matted on to Ruby Red card stock, with a piece of Whisper White on top. Then the lines of holes were pricked through all three layers using the Stampin' Up! mat pack. The greeting was stamped in Old Olive, using a Stamp-a-ma-jig. All three layers had the bottom right corner shaped with the corner rounder before sticking them together. Everything mounted onto a Whisper White card base. Then I played around with the arrangement of the leaves and flowers before gluing them onto the card. The large rose is attached using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Click on the image for more detail.

House Painting

It's been a while, but yesterday I went to another Art Impressions class at the Glitter Pot given by Jane Gill. It's such a therapeutic day, in the lovely bright class room, shut away from everything, painting and stamping!
The stamps used are from the English Countryside sets, and are also available as individual stamps. The cottages were stamped onto water colour paper and then, after washing on the background and painting the cottages, we used various foliage and flower stamps to create the bushes etc. All of the stamps were inked up using watercolour markers. The painting was done using the same markers scribbled onto a white tile, and picking up the colour with a paintbrush. I had a lot of fun making these cards - but painting buildings is definitely not one of my strong points!

Box with Scallop Circle Flowers

Ingredients:

Card/Paper: Ballet Blue, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: So Saffron, (pad), Ballet Blue (marker)
Stamps: Sanded background stamp
Punches: Scallop Circle, Five Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms, 0.5" Circle and 1.25" Circle
Box Size: 11cm x 11cm x 3cm (approx. 4.25" x 4.25 x 1.25")

Method:

This box is a project that I did at my last stamper's ten meeting. Click on any of the pictures for a closer look.


Cut a square of Always Artichoke card 17cm x 17cm, and another square 16.8cm x 16.8cm. Score both pieces of card 3cm in from the edge on all sides. Cut straight in along the score lines as shown, and then cut a thin wedge out from the flap side of the cut.


Decorate the box as desired. Here I have stamped the Whisper White card using the Sanded background stamp and So Saffron ink, punched the corners of the larger square with a 1/2" circle punch, and then matted all pieces onto Ballet Blue card before sticking to the box. Punch a 1.25" circle of Always Artichoke and stick in the centre of the top of the box. Apply glue or double sided tape to the flaps as shown.

Fold along the score lines and stick the flaps to the inside of the box.




Punch six scalloped circles from Bashful Blue card, and mark the centre of each with a dot. Draw a rough circle around the dot as in the picture. Then cut out a wedge as shown by the dotted line on every other scallop all the way round.


Will look like this. Do all six scallops the same.


With a Bashful Blue marker draw markings on the petals as shown.


Place the tip of the needle end of the DEET tool in the centre of the flower shape, with the rest of the needle laying flat along a petal. Hold the DEET like a knife, with your index finger on the needle to apply pressure. Draw the needle from the centre outwards to create a crease. See the Tool Substitute tab at the top of the blog if you do not have a DEET tool.


With an embossing tool, make small circular movements in the centre at the base of the petals to cup them upwards. The more pressure you apply, the more the flower will cup.


Place a small dot of glue in the centre of one of the flowers, and place another on top, alternating the petals


so it will look like this. When you are satisfied with the position of the petals, press down in the centre with your embossing tool to adhere firmly. Make the other two flowers in the same way.


Punch two shapes using the 5 Petal Flower punch. Cut out one of the petals as in the picture above. Do this for both shapes.


Now cut up the middle between the remaining two pairs of petals as shown. Then on one pair of petals only, cut them apart into two individual pieces. You will end up with three pairs and four individual pieces. One of these individual pieces can be discarded.


Using the DEET tool, and the same method as creasing the flower petals, make a crease down the centre of each leaf.


Turn the leaves over, and glue one of the single ones onto the back of one of the pairs as above. Left hand shows the back of the leaf group after sticking, the right hand show the front.


Punch three of the little rounded petal flowers from the Boho Blossoms Punch from So Saffron card. Use the embossing tool in circular motion to make the shapes cup upwards.



Turn the flower over, and hold it with some tweezers. Apply a tiny spot of glue to each or the petal tips only. Don't worry about the petal that is being held by the tweezers - there will be enough glue on the other tips to hold the flower in place. The easiest way to apply a tiny amount of glue is to squeeze a blob onto some scrap paper, and then use the tip of a cocktail stick to apply it where needed.



Still holding it with the tweezers, turn the yellow flower over and gently place it into the centre of the blue flower. Once it is in position, leave it to dry. Don't apply pressure in the centre to avoid squashing it. Just be patient until the glue dries!



Apply three larger blobs of glue evenly spaced around the green circle in the middle of the box.



Place the three flowers onto these glue blobs and settle them into postion. Hold them for a little while until the glue 'grabs' and they will remain in position when you let go of them. I did use both hands to arrange my flowers, but needed one hand to take the photo! Take care not to put too much pressure on the centres of the flowers so that you don't squash them. I like to do the three flowers simultaneously so that I can adjust the postion of all of them at once. But if you find this too tricky, then glue one at a time into position, and wait 'til the glue is holding it firmly before moving on to the next one.



Apply a little glue to the back of a leaf group and stick it so that it pokes out from between the flowers. This is easier if you wait for the glue on the flowers to be holding them firmly so that they don't shift position. Repeat with the other two leaf groups.





The finished box.