Flirting with Fourty

The title says it all. I am just a few years away from the big 40.

Turning 40 is going to be a big milestone. Some say the Big 4-0 is the entry to middle age, and one step closer to old age. But is it also not true that 40 is the new 30? As I approach my fortieth birthday, I have lived and experienced enough to learn from my mistakes, yet young enough to chart a new direction in my life. I am just so blessed to have lived long enough to be Flirting with Forty. There are many who did not have the privilege of reaching their fortieth birthday. I will continue to celebrate the blessings in my life. The next 40 years, I am not going to let the important things pass by like, calling family, forgiving an enemy; I plan to chart a new course for the next 40 birthdays!

This LO is more blue than gray but I can't seem to get the blue to translate to the photo. I started with the design in my Gypsy then cut the masking items from my Cricut. The flowers are a combination of Prima Flowers and my own made vellum flowers stamped with Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks.

Newest Sketch

Friendship LO

Distressed Paper Flowers

Distressed Paper Flower

Supplies you will need:

1. Durable paper ( scrapbook paper, paper bag cardstock)
For this example, I used cardstock.

2. Scissors
3. Glue
4. Ink pad
5. Water
6. Wood Cooking Skewer or Reed Diffuser



Step One:

Take a piece of paper and mist with water, you want the paper damp not wet.

Step Two:
Fold the paper three times into a square. Now cut a two inch petal with the scissors. When you cut this petal you will have six two inch petal.



Step Three:
Repeat step to with the exception of cutting two inch petals now cut one inch petals.


Step Four:
While the petals are still damp, crumble and twist the petals. Now slowly and carefully unravel and open the petals.



Step Five:
You will need to let the petals dry. If you are like me, I am inpatient so I used a heat embossing gun to dry each petal. If you use the heat embossing gun to dry the petals, grab the tip of one petal with a set of tweezers a gently run the heat embossing gun across each petal. If you hold the gun too long in one place it will burn the paper.

Step Six:
Begin inking the tips of the dried petal with the ink pad. I find that using two colors one darker than the other creates a more distressed look for the petals. Ink the tips and edges of all the one and two inch petals.



Step Seven:
The first layer, glue the six petals together. The top layer, glue the smaller petals just as you did in the first layer. Now to get the flower to pop up and develop the distressed dip in the middle, I place the flower on a soft surface (the best thing I have found is a soft mouse pad) Next take a rub on tool, I like Basic Grey’s rub on tool the best. Begin rubbing in a circular motion working from the center of the flower to the edge of each flower petal. The flower will begin to curve upward.
You can further distress the petals by inking the edges of the petals, by lightly brushing the ink pad over the whole flower.








Step Eight:
Now it is time to decide what to use as your center. In this example I used my distressed paper rose. For instructions on how to make the distressed rose check out either my blog http://suepup.blogspot.com/
or the tips and challenges in the forum section of PagesTime at http://pagesintimestoresite.ning.com/forum/topics/distressed-paper-roses.
If you do not want to add the distressed rose you could use any alternative center, like filigree brad, flower, rub on-the possibilities are endless.

Final result:

Handmade Paper Flower vine

Handmade Paper Flower Vine


Supplies

1. Floral tape
2. Floral wire any gauge 18 and above
3. Wire cutters
4. Paper flowers on wire stems
5. Paper leaves on wire stems



Step One:
You will need to cut three pieces of floral wire.
1st piece 10 inches
2nd piece 8 inches
3rd piece 6 inches

Step Two:
Decide where you want the vine to intersect. Once you decide, you will need to wrap the second and the third piece around the long 10 inch main vine piece.





Step Three:
This next step can be done two ways:
You can wrap the entire vine with floral tape.
Or
You can start adding the flowers to the bare wire. I prefer unwrapped, because I find the bare wire easier to work with.



Step Four:
Start wrapping the wire stemmed flowers and leaves to the main vine. Before you start wrapping, decide where you want the flowers and leaves placed on the vine. It is better to decide this now, once you get them wrapped on the main vine, it is hard to remove the items. Continue wrapping all the flower and leaves on the main vine. Once all the flowers and leaves are wrapped to the main vine gently start bending and arranging the leaves and flowers to you liking on the vine.



Step Five:
In this step you will begin creating the swirled vines.
Cut six pieces of floral wire at 6-8 inches long. Now wrap floral tape around each piece making sure to cover the entire piece, including the ends. Hint: if you pull and stretch the floral tape as you wrap it makes the floral tape stick to the project better.



Step Six:
Take all six pieces of wrapped wire and begin wrapping them around the skewer or diffuser reed. Hint: the skewer or diffuser reed is smaller in diameter creating a more delicate looking vine swirl.



Step Seven:
Now attach the swirls to the main vine using floral tape to connect them to the vine.



Final Step:
Now the wrap the entire vine with floral tape, remember to pull and stretch the tape as you wrap around the wire. Now you can gently rearrange the vine to your liking.



Final result: