Blessed

Here is a six-layered Zinnia I had fun assembling . . .

 The tiny lilac flowers were actually designed to be flower centers and are made with quilling dies.  I love making paper flowers but I usually have trouble controlling the process with the spiral-shaped dies usually used for making them.  Happily, I stumbled onto these straight flower center dies and am off to the races!  That’s because the margin beneath the petals is just wide enough to let me lay down a double-sided strip of 1/8” wide glue tape.  This is a real game-changer!

Start at the end you plan to begin rolling the strip and allow about 3/8” before you start adding the glue tape to the length of the strip.  This lets you withdraw the quilling tool without getting it stuck on the tape.  The glue tape makes it so easy to maintain the tension and line up the edges.  Also, if the phone rings, you can set the coil down without having it unroll.

The glue tape is so strong that it’s easy to fluff out the petals without having the flower unroll or get skewed.  Best of all?  No messy glue and no waiting for the wet glue to dry.

If you want a larger flower, simply die cut 4-5 extra strips, successively overlap the ends just a bit and attach with wet glue.  When dry, take your newly-long strip, add the glue tape, and start coiling.  You can also create a stamen center as part of the flower:  using a different color of cardstock, die cut a strip and then cut off about a 3-4” piece for the center.  Add the glue tape across the bottom and roll. Die cut the strip you want to use as your flower, add the glue tape and add this to the center you’ve already rolled and begin rolling.  Voila: all in one piece!

Cardstock:   Boxboard, Printed Paper, Unknown Dark Green, Yellow,

                     Lilac, Strathmore #140 Watercolor         

Dies:            Impression Obsession Large Frame, Spellbinders 

Zinnia, Fall Botanical Set: “Blessed”,Quilled Creations 

Fringed Mums,                     

Doo Dads:    Nuvo Glitter Gloss