How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers

I found a lovely book in a second hand shop the other day. It was a girls' annual from 1985 and had lots of great pictures and articles in it; it was also falling to pieces with a broken spine and had lots of scribbles on some of the pages - perfect for upcycling!

I started to cut it up to take images for card making and to add pieces to ephemera craft packs when I found a lovely page showing you how to make tissue paper flowers. So I thought I'd give it a go and turn it into a tutorial for here!

This is the original tutorial from the book...

Taken from 'Jinty Annual 1985'

It's a very simple process. All you will need are:

• tissue paper
• a paper clip or pipecleaner
• scissors

Step 1

Cut the tissue paper to the size you want. On the page (and in this tutorial) 6 sheets of tissue paper are used which are 6 x 9 inches each. This has made a final flower that has a diameter of 5 inches.

 Step 2

Place the tissue paper flat in front of you then start to concertina the paper from one of the shorter ends folding it back and forth (like folding a paper fan).

Step 3

In the original tutorial you use a pipe cleaner for this step to form a stem but I've used a paper clip as I wanted a flat back. Whichever you're using, place it in the middle of the folded paper to secure it.

 Step 4

Now cut the ends of each side of the folded paper to create the shape of the petals.

  I wanted to make a rose style flower (like the big red one in the picture) so I cut the ends to be rounded.

Step 5

Now spread out the petals to form a circle turning the edges of the paper up to help it keep its shape.

Step 6

Next carefully pull up each layer of tissue to create the layers of petals.

And then you'll have your finished flower!

   
I'll be using these to decorate all kinds of things. I think they'll look great instead of a bow on wrapped gifts or as table decorations. I'm going to make some smaller yellow ones for Easter decorations too!

Make a unique decoupaged gift or storage box

Decoupage is a great way create unique pieces and use vintage papers and ephemera in crafting. And it's simple to do too! If you use old boxes and book pages, as I've done in this tutorial, it's also a thrifty way to make special gift boxes or storage boxes for your home.

Obviously, the final use of the box depends on the size you choose to decoupage. Here I use a small box that was originally a gift box for a purse. It's a nice one to use as it's plain apart from the original logo on the front so I've just covered the lid. If you wanted to create a very fancy piece you could cover the whole thing!

You will need:

• A cardboard box (whatever size you need or have)
• PVA glue
• a brush to glue with
• scissors
• water
• a book to cut up or a pack of vintage paper embellishments

Step 1

If you're using an old book, cut out the pictures you want to use to decorate your box. If you're using a bought pack of embellishments, choose the pictures you'd like to use.

Take the lid off the box. Without gluing them - place the pictures over the box lid to see how many you'll need and the best way to arrange them.

Step 2

When you're happy with where the pictures will go you can start to glue them down. Spread PVA glue over the back of the picture and press it in place where you'd like it to go on the lid. Don't worry about using too much glue as it's important they're stuck down well. If glue splurges from under the picture you can either cover it with another picture or brush it out as you'll be sealing the box later.

Let some of the pieces hang over the edges of the lid. These can be trimmed later. Fill in small gaps with smaller pictures or leave some of the original box lid showing through.

Keep going until you're happy that the box is completely covered.

Step 3

Turn the lid over and use your scissors to trim away any overhanging papers.

Step 4

Now you'll need to seal the pictures. To do this mix some PVA glue with a little water (I use a mix of about 5 parts glue to 1 part water, but it's not an exact science!). Take a brush and spread this mixture over the lid of your box. Make the layer thick enough to create a glaze but thin enough to not soak the box.

Leave the box to dry. I like to then give it a second coat with the glue and water mixture. Leave this to dry completely before using your box.

And there you have your unique decoupaged box. Try them in different sizes and with different papers to use in a variety of ways.

Apple Tree Gift Tag Tutorial

I think I've mentioned this before (a few times...) but I love wrapping gifts. Giving loved ones presents is always a fun occasion, and wrapping them beautifully makes it extra special. I particularly like to do this at Christmas when presents might be sitting under the tree for a few days to be admired and lovely wrapping builds the anticipation in my opinion... there must be something special in there! But it's not quite that time of year yet, although that doesn't stop me making special gift wrap. Here I show you how to make a simple apple tree gift tag which is perfect for the apple harvests of September.

An apple tree gift tag... perfect for September!

You Will Need...

• a piece of green patterned card 7cm x 7cm (make sure it's plain and light on the reverse so you can write on it)
• a piece of brown patterned card 5cm x 10cm
• brown ink pad
• green ink pad
• small piece of red paper - approx. 2cm x 6cm
• small piece of dark green paper - approx. 1cm x 4cm
• black pen
• glue
• scissors
• pencil
• hole punch
• a piece of ribbon

Instructions

1. On the back of the green patterned card draw a circle (I used the base of a drinking glass to draw around). Cut out the circle.

2. On the back of the brown patterned card draw a tree trunk and branches shape. Use the picture as a guide. Cut this out in one piece.

3. Take the green ink pad and run it around the edges of the green patterned circle.

4. Take the brown ink and run it around the edges of the brown patterned trunk.

5. Spread glue on the back of the branches (but not the trunk) of the tree. Stick this over the green circle in the place shown in the picture.

6. Now cut three small apple shapes out of the red paper. I did this free hand. If you have an apple shaped paper punch that would be ideal to use. Stick these on the tree spacing them out.

7. Cut three small leaf shapes out of the dark green paper. Use a black pen to draw on some veins. Stick one leaf on the top of each apple. 

8. Punch a hole in the top of your tag in the centre and add a ribbon.

Have fun playing with different patterns, colours and sizes. Or try putting things other than apples in the tree. I'd love to see what you come up with!

My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week - handprinted gift wrap and gifts by Handmade and Heritage

While I was writing my post on gift wrapping earlier this week I was reminded of some beautiful hand printed gift wrap I'd seen before. So I looked back to where I found it and it's become part of the latest feature in my Favourite Crafters series. I love wrapping gifts (sometimes I buy extra gifts just as an excuse to try more wrapping ideas!) and finding beautiful ways to present items I've spent time finding for friends and family to make them extra special and thoughtful.

As usual, this post is in no way sponsored or influenced. The crafter featured is genuinely a favourite of mine; all quotes are the crafter's own and the opinions are mine. So, with this in mind this week's UK Crafter of the Week is...

Handmade and Heritage

As well as gift wrap, I also love birds (as anyone who's seen how my bedroom is decorated will tell you!) so I was intrigued when I first saw some brown paper gift wrap with owls printed on it. Looking into it to find more details, I discovered that the wrapping was in fact handprinted using lino printing and based on original drawings by Amiee, the creative talent behind Handmade and Heritage. I love that each piece is handmade and unique with slight variations because of the production technique and, as it's made to order, is made especially for you, the customer.

Barn Owl Rustic Gift Wrap, 3 sheets £6 Etsy

Amiee has an artistic background having studied fashion and clothing and working as a milliner. She was also inspired by her creative parents and their 'ability to make something out of nothing' which I love the idea of; it also reminds me of how Amiee's gift wrap is made to order so when you buy it is essentially 'nothing' waiting to be created! I think this makes it a truly personal and thoughtful choice as a way to share the present you've chosen for a loved one. She describes the creation of Handmade and Heritage as an ' evolution of many creative ideas over the years' inspired by and combined with a 'love of traditional craft, baking and gardening' into which she could 'incorporate my love of British nature and birds'. I love all these elements and think they truly come across in all her work. 

Hand printed brown paper gift bag, £2 Etsy

I've tried hand printing on brown paper before to make my own wrapping, but I'm not very neat and end up with smudges, inky hands and streaks all over the paper! I really admire the quality of Amiee's work and patience to hand print all her items. She describes it this way, 'there is something very calming about printing, I think its the repetitive nature of it', maybe I could learn something from this in my own crafting! Amiee turns her dining room table into her workshop in the evenings after her looking after her two young children but is 'hoping to have a studio space soon so I can claim my dining table back!'

Robin Red Breast Gift Wrap, 3 sheets £6 Etsy I think it would make great birthday or Christmas paper

As well as gift wrap, Amiee also creates embroidered gifts (perfect for having something to wrap up!) using her crafting experience from over the years. These include hand stitched bird buttons beautifully embroidered onto wool felt which make great accessories for clothes or making into unique jewellery or accessories. I love adding items like this and vintage brooches to my bags as I can change them to match my outfit, mood or the season. I think the button below would look lovely for the upcoming autumn months with its soft moss green and rusty orange. 

Hand Embroidered Chaffinch Bird Button £7 Etsy

I love the rustic, natural and traditional look of all of Amiee's work and if you'd like to discover more too you can find here in these places:

www.handmadeandheritage.etsy.com

  

www.facebook.com/HandmadeandHeritage

twitter.com/_H_and_H_

 

How To Make a Paper Gift Bag

A bit of a different post today. I've written a guest tutorial for the blog Through The Looking Glass which belongs to Denise who I met through Etsy.

The post was published yesterday on her site where I show you how to make one of these paper gift bags.

A selection of my handmade gift bags

If you'd like to learn how to make one pop over to Denise's blog and have a look!

Paper Gift Bag Tutorial on Through The Looking Glass

The gift bag I make in the tutorial

Resuable Gift Wrap ideas - where the wrapping is a present in itself

Everyone loves to receive a present (you should see me on Christmas morning!) and when it's beautifully wrapped it makes it all the more special.  One thing though that seems a real shame is the pile of used gift wrap that is lying around after with the only option to throw it away. Now don't get me wrong, I love to scavenge through the wrapping remains and save bows, ribbons and anything else that can be reused (there's a running joke in my family about some gift boxes that everyone's received a present in!), but what about if the whole of the wrapping could be used again? This thought is what led me to these ideas...

Fabric Gift Wrap 

I've seen this idea in one or two places and loved it. The idea is that the wrapping is reusable as, unlike paper, it isn't stuck down and doesn't tear. I also thought it you be particularly apt for a crafty friend who you are giving a sewing themed present to, especially with a couple of added reusable decorations. 

For this gift I cut a piece of fabric to the right size for the box, put the box into the centre of the material and folded the two longer edges into the middle of the top of the box.  Then I folded the remaining fabric of the two shorter sides so that the raw edges were hidden and folded this over the top of the box securing it in place with safety pins. Next I tied ribbon around the box then removed the safety pins one at a time to add a red button before pinning back on the present.

Covered Tub or Canister

I can't help saving used jars, tubs, boxes...well, anything that could be a handy container again. Sometimes I use them as they are as storage such as these jars filled with buttons, or I cover them in pretty papers to keep things in like this chocolate box which is a home for my candles. They also make good containers to put gifts in as then the recipient can use them again too.

Here I've used an empty, washed out conditioner tub. As it had a plain black lid it was easy to keep this and just cover its body. I just cut a strip of paper long enough to wrap around the tub with an extra inch added on for the overlap. I folded the end of one of the short edges over to make it neat, then stuck double sided sticky tape on the back and stuck it around the tub with some extra tape at the overlap.

The matching bow on top can be made using the instructions further down.

Bookmark Gift Tag

There's someone I know (who shall remain nameless) who when I've given them a gift with one of my handmade tags on it, saves the tag and puts a sticker over the writing on the back so they can reuse it. I do like this idea of reusing and it got me to thinking about what other uses gift tags could have so that they aren't thrown away. That's when I thought about a bookmark gift tag, especially if the present you're wrapping is a book for someone who, like me, thinks no present giving occasion is complete without one!

All I did was cut a piece of white card measuring 80mm x 120mm and scored it in half down the length of the card. I added a strip of old book paper and some punched paper hearts as decoration on the front. Then inside I used double sided sticky tape to stick down two pieces of ribbon at the top so that most of it came out over the top of the card. I then added a strip of double sided sticky tape down the edge of the tag inside the front and added a message to explain how to turn the tag into a bookmark. Use the ribbon on the top to attach the tag to the present.

How to Make a Paper Bow

To add a finishing touch to a gift, an upcycled paper bow looks great. I used a page from a book to make this one but you can use any kind of paper. The measurements below suited the gift I wanted to put the bow on but they can be adjusted to your needs.

You will need:

• Scissors
• 3 strips of paper 250mm long x 15mm wide
• 3 strips of paper 220mm long x 15mm wide
• 1 strip of paper 50mm long x 25mm wide
• Double sided stick tape or glue

Step 1
Take one of the longest pieces of paper and fold it into a figure of 8 shape as below. Use sticky tape or glue to hold the ends in place. 

Take one end and twist it around securing it under the middle of the strip.

Do the same with the other end, again securing it underneath the middle of the strip.

Step 2
Repeat step 1 with the remaining 2 longest strips.

Step 3
Add double sided sticky tape or glue to the back of 2 of the 'figure of 8's that you've just made where the paper crosses over. Place them one at a time on top of each other spacing them evenly to make a circle.

The 3 longest pieces of paper stuck together to make the base of the bow.

Step 4
Repeat steps 1-3 with the next 3 longest strips of paper. You should end up with two layers to the bow as in this picture.

The two layers of the paper bow.

Step 5
Roll the smallest piece of paper into a loop and secure with tape of glue.

The paper loop which will be the centre of the bow.

Step 6
Use glue or tape to stick the middle layer inside the bottom layer and then the loop inside the middle layer to form the finished bow.

The layers are stuck together to complete the bow.

Creating Unique Home Decor

One my favourite things about having a stall at a craft fair is being able to talk to my customers. It's nice to hear what they like (and don't like) about my products and they inspire me with their suggestions about what they would like to see and how they will use the items they buy.

At a recent fair my upcycled luggage label gift tags proved popular. I make the tags using a luggage label with string and decorating it with old maps, dictionaries, stamps and adverts all relating to a certain place.  I love the idea of using them on a special gift for someone who has memories and associations with the area as it can then be kept as a little souvenir of the place and the occasion the gift was for. And a lot the visitors to my stall loved this too.

Some of my upcycled luggage tags.  From left to right: a French map, stamps and adverts; Yorkshire tourism adverts from old envelopes; Yorkshire adverts and UK stamps. 

However, some of my customers had other ideas! I was intrigued to listen to people talking to their friends about what they could be used for - and then join in the conversation. When you make something it's very easy to get 'stuck' in the idea of what you think they are, thinking that they have a particular purpose. And so these interesting customers and their wonderful ideas got me thinking... what alternative uses are there for these tags?

The following pictures and ideas are a mix of what I've heard at craft fairs and some my own inspirations.

Luggage tag pictures

The tags look nice displayed as art in picture frames.  Here I've just added one but they also look good in groups or in a photo frames with separate sections for each picture.  Again, they can create a personal memory of a special place or even be added to a set of photos of the places on the tags.

Luggage tag bookmarks

Another use for the tags is as a bookmark.  They're an ideal size for marking a page and the string makes it easy to find your place as it stops the tag slipping down.  One person who bought them was going to use them like this to send to penfriends with local images on them as a unique and personal gift (and they're easy to post!).

Luggage tag bunting

Either as a decoration for a party or a permanent part of your decor, the tags look pretty used as bunting.  In this picture I've used a mix of tags from the UK and France which would be a good memory of holidays and home! I've simply used small wooden pegs to fix the tags onto a length of ribbon. They could also be tied to a long piece of ribbon or string with the strings already attached to each tag. If they are pegged in place as bunting they can still be used as tags too!

Or, of course, they could just be used as gift tags!

I love the idea of my work having other uses as it ties in with the idea of upcycling and reusing - not throwing away items just because they've served their first purpose. And gift tags which have been attached to a present from a loved one make great keepsakes too. So thanks to my customers for opening my eyes to my own designs!