The CropStop March Guest Designer Final Project "Watercolor Peonies" Tutorial

For my final week as CropStop Guest Designer, I created a flower using Donna Salazars Grand Peony Creations die. I am still on a high about winning Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Challenge, and Donna's dies that she designed for Spellbinders are among my favorite as well.  I created a few ATC gift tags to place my flowers on. You will be seeing more flower tutorials as I polish my skills and get ready to Guest Design For Donna Salazar.

Here is the tutorial. Just a Note: The Cone coffee filter paper is heavier than the basket type. I just cut the seams out, opened it up and flattened the filters.

Step 1:  Die-cut the two smallest flowers from the Spellbinders Grand Peony Creations Set.  5 of the larger and 4 of the next one smaller.  I layered cone coffee filters 4 at a time and cut multiples.  You can use a thinner cardstock in place of the coffee filters.

 Step 2:  With your flowers on the Inkssentials Craft Mat, mist them lightly with water until damp.

Step 3:  Using Luminarte Twinkling H2Os, paint the flowers to give them a light coat of paint.

Stap 4:  With a coordinating spray color in a darker shade, Creative Imaginations Radiant Spray - Pink Grapefruit spray a small puddle on your craft mat, pick some up on your paintbrush and touch just the edges of your petals.  The color will bleed slightly...this is what you want.

 Step 5:   Dry the flowers using your heat gun.

Step 6:  Using a stylus on an embossing mat (or rubber mouse pad), make the petals cup and curl using a circular motion around each individual petal.  Repeat this until all of your flowers are done.  You may have to use a smaller stylus on the smaller flowers.

 Step 7:  Layer your larger flowers, adhering them with glue, staggering the petals.  Then do the same with your smaller flowers.

 Step 8:  Scrunch them up a bit toward the center of the flower.  You can make many sizes to suit your need.

Supplies

Creative Imaginations Radiant Spray - Pink Grapefruit

Cuttlebug Die-cut Machine

Inkssentials Craft Mat

Luminarte Twinkling H2Os - Think Pink

Sizzix - Susan's Garden Tool Kit

Spellbinders Grand Peony Creations Set

                                                         ZAP! Embossing Heat Tool

And...you can use these flowers on just about any project.  I decided to use them on 3 Artist Trading Cards that I created to use as gift tags.

I die-cut the ATCs using Tim Holtz  ATC and Corners Die.

Next, I embossed them with the Couture Creations Crazy Daisy Embossing Folder and lightly rubbed Ranger Distress Ink - Mowed Lawn over the surface and inked the edges.

I painted the die-cut corners with Ranger Distress Paint - Mowed Lawn and adhered them to the corners of the ATCs.

Using my Crop-a-dile, I punched a hole, set an eyelet and added Creative Expressions Magenta on Magenta Organdy Swirl Ribbon to each ATC.

The flowers were added along with some Martha Stewart punched leaves inked with Mowed Lawn Ink.

I printed the sentiments in Photoshop, cut them out, inked the edges and adhered them to the cards.

The butterflies were punched with a Martha Stewart 3 in 1 Butterfly Punch, sprayed with Creative Imaginations Radiant Spray-Pink Grapefruit and adhered to the cards.

ATC Supplies
Couture Creations Crazy Daisy Embossing Folder
Creative Expressions Magenta on Magenta Organdy Swirl Ribbon
Creative Imaginations Radiant Spray - Pink Grapefruit
Martha Stewart 3 in 1 Butterfly Punch
Ranger Distress Ink - Mowed Lawn
Ranger Distress Paint - Mowed Lawn

I want to shout out a HUGE thank you to Vicki Robertson and The CropStop for inviting me to guest design for March.  I had so much creative fun with all of the products they sent me to work with and I will continue to use CropStop as my one stop shopping store!  You must check out all of the new stock as CropStop is always adding to their inventory!!!