"Cotton Candy" Paper Carnation Flower Tutorial

Hi scrappers! I have a flower tutorial for you today -- cotton candy carnations! My mom thought the pastel ones I made here looked like cotton candy, so I decided to keep that name :)

This is a really easy flower to make and doesn't take a whole lot of skill. So let's get started!

What you will need:

• Cardstock
• Water in a spray bottle
• Paper piercer/small hole punch
• Brad
• Scallop circle punch

First, cut out 8 scallop circles with your punch. Ink the edges if desired.

Next, lightly spritz all eight circles with water. Do not fully saturate the circles. If you are using thinner paper, you will need very little water.

Now take each circle and crumple it up into a little ball.

Carefully un-crumple all the circles. They are wet so they will tear if you are not careful. You should have eight damp wrinkly scallop circles now.

This step is optional. If you are impatient like me, you can use a heat tool to dry the circles.

Now, stack one circle on top of the other until all circles have been stacked. Find the center of the top circle and pierce/punch a small hole through all eight layers.

Next put your brad through the hole and fasten it to the bottom of the stack.

This is the most time-consuming part. Separate the top layer and pretend there is a pencil sticking through the center of the stack and wrap the layer around the "invisible pencil." Really crumple it tightly!

Continue doing the same thing with the remaining 7 layers.

Now gently use the tips of your fingers to fan out the different layers gently until you get the fluffy appearance, or whatever shape you prefer.

And here you have your finished carnation! Another optional step is to Glimmer Mist (or any shimmer spray you like to use) the carnation (second photo -- the Glimmer Mist looks overkill thanks to the bright flash on my camera!).

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it easy to understand! I have a video tutorial on my YouTube channel located at http://www.youtube.com/theElegantCriminal

I have this type of flower available in my Zibbet shop located here: http://www.zibbet.com/kinetickatie

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to leave a comment! :)

My First Layouts Since My Scrapping Return!

So I finally got into making layouts again! I have only made one double layout since I got back into scrapping, and that was for someone else in a swap. But I've made four in the last week or so, and it feels so good! Ready to see them? Let's go!

The first layout was inspired by Lisa over at What a Beautiful Mess. I lifted her layout featuring the faux envelope she did a great tutorial on. She also has a tutorial on faux scrabble letters, which I used for the title. She graciously let me do a video version of the tutorial which you can find on my YouTube channel (link in the sidebar).

I live in the Indianapolis suburbs and this year the Super Bowl was here in Indy! So the Friday before the game two friends and I went downtown to enjoy the festivities going on. We had a lot of fun! My favorite thing was the roman numerals, XLVI, in Monument Circle. They were HUGE and acted as a projection screen for videos. It was so cool!

Flower on left made by me, flowers on right from IAmRoses.com. That's me standing in front of the numerals.

I used Lisa's faux scrabble technique for the title. I also added some eyelets, which I've never done on a layout before! Love my Crop a Dile Big Bite :)

This is the faux envelope I learned to make from Lisa's tutorial.

I colored the top rose from I Am Roses. As you can tell it was white :) I painted it with Brick Glimmer Mist.

I made this flower with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die. It's made up of costume satin, lace, and tulle. And a giant button :)

"Agape" here is pronounced "uh-GAH-pay" and it's a Greek word meaning the highest form of love. It's the type of love between families, and the type of love God has for us. The picture is hard to see, but I've looked at it so many times it didn't really matter if it was real clear. I remember that moment clearly and I think I always will. My dad had been in the hospital for a week, then was transferred to an inpatient physical rehab center for almost three weeks. He had gained 40 pounds in pure water weight from a change in meds and he was bloated to the max, barely able to move, water literally seeping through his skin. But despite his uncomfortable condition, he was so excited to have my brother and me visit him. I asked my brother to take a picture of us and when I walked over to lean down, my dad grabbed my arm and held on with his hand and kept me close as he smiled widely. He was truly happy, and it was just because we were there.

I have brown and "rockstar red" hair at the moment :) The tips are all red and I have several streaks throughout my hair as well. I LOVE it! When I got back from the salon I took a bunch of pics with my computer's webcam photo program, Photobooth, to try and get a good picture of me with the new hair. I kept all the ones I didn't upload to Facebook and I ended up using them on this layout! I made each flower on this layout. The title is "My Version of a Dye It." :)

One night, just before Christmas, I noticed someone forgot to turn off the lights on the Christmas tree in our dining room. I decided to take some pictures of various ornaments. The only ornament that isn't sentimental is the ballerina, I'm not sure when we got that one, but I thought it was pretty and cute and decided to use it in my photographic experiment. I wasn't sure if the photos would turn out or not, but I was able to edit them in Photoshop and I love how they turned out!

This is a flower I made with Tim Holtz' Film Strip Ribbon and Canvas Ruler Ribbon. I used red beaded floral spray and two large floral leaves to accent it. A ribbon rose I bought at Michael's sits in the  center (I wish I could get the hang of making those myself!)

Again I used Lisa's faux Scrabble letter technique for the title. I'm low on Thickers and letters so  I've been using these a lot! :)

I hope you enjoyed looking the layouts, leave a comment if you stopped by! <3

Charm Tutorial: Part One -- Supplies

I am going ahead with the charm tutorial! I got a huge response on YouTube from viewers saying they'd love to learn how to make them, so I am going to do a series on how to make them beautifully! For the first video, I describe the supplies you need. Here is a written list of what you need:

• Jewelry-sized Flat Nose Pliers (two pair is helpful, but only one is necessary)

Photo from FireMountainGems.com    

• Jewelry-sized Round Nose Pliers

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Head Pins

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Eye Pins

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Jump Rings (be sure NOT to get double o-rings!)

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Variety of Beads (don't forget pearls if you like)
• Bead Caps (optional)

Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Wire Cutters (can be full-sized, does not need to be made for jewelry-making)

Your wire cutters may look a bit different. Photo from FireMountainGems.com

      

• Chain and Closure (try Tim Holtz's Swivel Clasps)

Photo from SimonSaysStamp.com

      

• Charms

Here is the video from my YouTube channel:

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section!

(Literal) Scrapping Pains!

A few posts ago I titled my post "Scrapping Pains." Well, there's more.

What has scrapping done to me? Carpal tunnel in my wrists and now I have to wear Ace bandages around my ankles to protect the skin. I sit with my legs crossed over each other (when I was little we called sitting like this "Indian style") in my big leather desk chair, and you can see on the leather where the finish has rubbed off and is discolored from my ankles resting there. I will spare you the photos of what they look like. When I stand up from scrapping, my mom will gasp if she sees the outside of my ankles and feet because it looks like they've been burned severely. It finally started getting painful so I am now wearing bandages to protect the skin on my ankles. I feel like an athlete...an athlete who sits and creates :)

These are the braces I wear when I sleep to keep my wrists straight and the median nerves unrestricted (this is a reversed photo, like looking in a mirror...the hand on the left is really my left hand, not my right):

And here are the bandages on my ankles:

There must be a name for this...oh, right, it's called being an obsessed scrapper! :)

What's New?

Hi friends! So I finally finished all the calendars I had in mind. These are mini calendars that are perfect for a number of projects. I have one set for 2012, a fill-in calendar that I can send you for free (just comment with your e-mail), and a set for 2013. Go to my Zibbet shop at www.zibbet.com/kinetickatie to check them out! The pre-numbered calendars are $3 each.

I'm also running a special in my shop: until I raise $20, the minimum donation to the ASPCA, 20% of every order before taxes and shipping will go towards that $20 donation. According to the ASPCA, $20 will feed a homeless dog or cat for three weeks! I am super excited about donating to the ASPCA, I really wish I had the financial means to be part of their monthly donation club.

In my last post I mentioned some charms I made for some friends, one a loyal customer at my shop. Here are the turquoise charms I made for them:

This one was made for a client.

This one, with the daisy charms, was made for a high school/church friend's wife.

If you want to learn to make charms of your own, comment so I can see what kind of demand there is for a video tutorial :)

Scrapping Pains

So what have I been up to? Scrapping constantly! I have carpal tunnel in both wrists right now, but I can't stop creating, it's such a big part of my life! Thankfully I can work without splints, though I do have to wear them at night or I am in a lot of pain the next day.

So what have I been working on exactly? First I created two custom charms, then made 100 mini ivory envelopes for an Etsy order, did a project for Mother's Day, and am now working on items for an upcoming craft fair I hope to do! I am having a BLAST creating things for the fair!

My favorite thing I've done, though, is this fabric journal I learned to make from my friend Martica here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5jSUfyS-s  I've made four so far of varying sizes and am working on the fifth now (hint: it's denim!). Here are the photos of the projects (minus the envelopes and most of the craft fair items):

My first fabric journal. I made the flower in the center :)

This is my second fabric journal. It measures 3.5x5 inches, and just sold in my shop.

My third and smallest fabric "journal." This one's more like a notepad. It's a keychain measuring 3" square.

My fourth fabric journal and my most eclectic.

Altered Mini Clipboard, soon to be for sale in my Zibbet shop.

This is a charm I made as a gift for my best friend Brandy up in Canadaland :)

Hard at Work

I've been hard at work creating items for my Zibbet shop. I learned to create paper bag flowers and they are fun and turned out awesome! Here are the ones I created:

I also learned to make beaded daisy sprays on YouTube (link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzg4zTZrhB8&feature=related). It's a great tutorial, and if you try it make sure you use something weaker than 24 gauge wire...my fingers were so sore after I finished this one!

I added velvet leaves and floral tape.

So I got some 28 gauge wire and it's much easier to work with, and I didn't stab myself three times making these two:

I've also been busy uploading new YouTube videos. Check out my channel if you haven't already here: http://www.youtube.com/theElegantCriminal

I am having a giveaway right now, until the 20th of this month, so be sure to check it out!