Do you ever have days when you really want to be creative but you lack inspiration and ideas? When you know that if you start a new project (or try to finish a work in progress) that you'll just end up frustrated? Well, here's a suggestion. Do something really simple.
When I'm feeling less than inspired I focus my attention on making embellishments. Often the process of making embellishments is simple, but time consuming and I often find myself reluctant to spend time creating them when I want to finish a layout or mini-album quickly. So, every so often, I sit down with a box of scrap paper or ribbon, crank up the stereo and spend a couple of hours making pretty things. Tea and biscuits are optional, but they do make the process a lot more enjoyable!
When I'm feeling less than inspired I focus my attention on making embellishments. Often the process of making embellishments is simple, but time consuming and I often find myself reluctant to spend time creating them when I want to finish a layout or mini-album quickly. So, every so often, I sit down with a box of scrap paper or ribbon, crank up the stereo and spend a couple of hours making pretty things. Tea and biscuits are optional, but they do make the process a lot more enjoyable!
These cute, little paper flowers are really very simple to make and a very useful way to use up all your paper scraps, so don't be throwing any of them away. Start by cutting circles of paper/cardstock in a variety of sizes, then distress the edges using a craft knife - be careful, I'm accepting no blame for lost fingers, okay?
Once all of your circles are distressed, layer them all up into little stacks - varying the size of the base so that you end up with different sized flowers. To finish, use your craft knife to make a small hole through the middle of your stack and pop a brad through the middle to hold the layers together. Voila!
Now just set all of your embellishments aside ready for the return of your scrapbooking inspiration, use them to decorate gifts or add them to a chain to make spring themed bunting. So many possibilites!
Now just set all of your embellishments aside ready for the return of your scrapbooking inspiration, use them to decorate gifts or add them to a chain to make spring themed bunting. So many possibilites!
Yup, and yup :-)
ReplyDeleteReally? Tea is optional? I thought it was compulsory!
Love the shabby chic flowers xx
I think I will be doing this here and there today{Sunday}. I've been thinking about doing up embellies and I get to thinking that I forget to use them once I make them so I'd have to come up with a way to keep them...I do have a container set aside-so I guess I need to make me a sign telling myself to use my home-made embellies. One of my distressing tools I found at target in the nail polish area- it's suppose to be used on the rough areas of your feet. Happy happies.
ReplyDeletei love making paper flowers of all kinds and yesterday made some which i added clear stickles to and sewed a button into the middle for a change. we need to get ur creative juices running again clair, how about a scrapbooking meet up?
ReplyDeleteJo xxx
I have days like that all the time. I like how you handle them, and I'm going to take a page out of your book. You are so creative!
ReplyDeleteGood idea for using up scraps of paper, I never throw anything but the tiniest slivers of paper away, but my scraps box is now bulging at the seams! Was just thinking I need to use them for something or get rid of them, now I have a plan for what to do with them! Thanks x
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Clair I will have to keep that one in mind. I am hopeing to be crafting much more when this assignment is done and dusted and in cyber space x
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for using scraps of paper and so simple and cute too. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThese flowers have been growing on me more and more, IYSWIM. I used two of my variants this weekend and was thrilled by them. Thank you for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI'm here for the first time today, and being sorry for not knowing you earlier...'coz you make real wonderful stuff! These flowers look so pretty and so really easy to make this!!
ReplyDelete