Paper Flower Tutorial - Three Flowers made from Circles

Hello again, all Blog Friends!

I have been promising, for a while, that I would make another tutorial for you - to show how I make some of my paper flowers. 

This tutorial is Part 1. It shows how to make three types of flower, using punched (or cut out) circles of paper.  They are fairly simple and I hope anyone would be able to make them.

Paper Flowers from Circles

Equipment Needed

You need some method of creating paper circles. Either a circle punch, like those above (which both cut a 2" circle - one plain, one scalloped); or else a circular object to draw round, a pencil and scissors; or a circle-cutter tool. 

You may also need a ruler, pencil, craft knife, tweezers (I didn't need these for this set of flowers, but some people might prefer to measure everything, to make sure it's level, or to hold paper pieces with tweezers etc... we're all different).

Materials Needed

Various sheets of coloured paper. Patterned is nice, but plain will do.  I use two colours for my flowers, but you can make very nice ones with just one colour of paper. (The two-coloured ones are easier to use for a tutorial, as it's easier to see what's going on.) Also some good glue and an assortment of small buttons or other suitable embellishments, for flower centres.

Flower 1 - Folded Circle flower with four petals

Cut four circles from your coloured paper. Fold each in half, creasing it well along the fold.

Apply a little glue at the centre of your first folded circle. Press a second circle on top, at right angles, as shown.

 

Do the same with a third circle, placing it over the second and lining it up parallel to the first, as shown above.  Then feed the fourth circle in betwen the first and third pieces, as in the picture, to give you four overlapping "petals" on your flower.

Add a small button or other embellishment.

Flower 2 - Half-circle flower with four petals

This flower is similar to the first, but it doesn't have the layered look. It's a good flower to use when you don't want the thickness of a folded flower, or to save paper! 

 

Cut two circles per flower. Fold these in half, then cut carefully along the fold, to give you four half-circles.

Assemble the flower by laying the half-circles over each other, in the same way as for the folded-circle flowers above.

Feed the fourth piece carefully between the first and third half-circles. Adjust to make sure everything lines up and you have four even petals. It's more obvious with this simpler flower, if the petals are a bit wobbly!

Finish with a button or embellishment. As you see, the back of the half-circle flower isn't "pretty" like the folded circles.

You could attach it to a circle of cardstock or paper, to add interest and finish off the back more neatly. It depends what you're doing with the flower, of course - the back may not matter if it won't be seen at all.

The added circle does give the flower more "substance" and weight though and the extra layer can be seen a little, especially if you use a foam pad to fix the flower to the top.  Experiment to see what you like best!

Flower 3 - Half-circle flower with six petals

This last flower is made using the same principles as the first two. It can also be made with folded circles, which give it a lot of weight and a lovely layered effect. It can be a bit expensive on the paper though and if you use heavy paper or cardstock, it can result in a very thick flower.  Again, experiment to find what you prefer.

 

 

Use the same overlapping technique as above, but this time each petal is 2/3 of the half-circle, rather than half of it (ie. an angle of 60 degrees, instead of 90). 

Slot the final piece in between the first and fifth sections.

 

 

Adjust the petals of the flower, to make them as even as possible.  Then lift one petal carefully and apply a thin line of glue underneath its edge.

Press the segment down carefully and repeat for each petal, until you have glued all round.

Glue your choice of button or embellishment to the middle of the flower, to finish it off.

There you are - three types of flower, made by the same method! I hope you enjoy making some for yourself and experimenting to see what you like best.

The same technique can also be used to make flowers with eight, ten or even twelve petals. I wouldn't recommend using folded circles of stiff paper for these though! Either use thinner paper, folded, or cut your circles in half and use a backing circle of stiffish paper or cardstock.

Another nice idea, that I've seen someone else do, is to make larger and smaller versions of these flowers, then layer them. This looks especially pretty with multi-petalled scallop-circle flowers.

The buttons can also be attached with stitching, which gives a nice finish. Make the holes for your stitches first, so you know where to sew. Then make a stitch or two before you drop the button over the needle. It just makes it easier and gives a stronger result.

I don't always glue the edges of the petals down. I often prefer to use a single circle of stiff paper or cardstock as a base. I then glue the segments to the base, using spots of glue in the centre. This allows the petals to stand out nicely - I can even curl them slightly to add shape. It also avoids the problem of glue showing on the top of the flower, although if you're careful this can be covered by the button. 

There are several sets of these flowers in my Etsy shop just now, all of which were made with a base. It's a bit more fiddly, but gives a neater and more stable result.

If you make any flowers using my tutorial, I'd love to see what you've created!

Friends

Just a quick little post, to show off a new Scrap Page I made! I started this at the Scrap Club crop on Sunday, but didn't finish it til today:

This was taken when we stopped for a rest on our way home from Ambleside, Windermere. We were at a picnic site, on the grassy hillside, just on the shores of the Lake. It was a lovely afternoon and the baby was busy, busy, busy, crawling and stumbling around everywhere.  She found J and stood up to talk to him. 

This picture just caught their relationship perfectly!  They became such great friends during that holiday week - and now when they see each other, they just carry on from where they left off!

I cut the tree from some green and brown art papers and the top layer of the trunk from a piece of woodgrain patterned paper by Basic Grey. 

The paper flowers were from a pack I've had for ages, by Hero Arts.  I stuck jewels in the centre of these, to make them look more exciting.  The glitzy, 3d butterfly stickers came from Accessorize.

The chipboard "Sunshine" is a shape from a pack of American Crafts chipboards ("Green House") and the cloud was from the "Secret Garden" set by Papermania.  The little green date sticker (just seen) is from a sheet of journalling spots by October Afternoon ("Ducks in a Row").  The journalling card (seen in the main photo) is also by October Afternoon - they do such fab journalling stuff!

These metal letters are from a set by Papermania too. They came with frames, that you fixed to the page like brads; I didn't use those because they wouldn't allow the letters to sit flat when I overlapped them (which means I now have 7 spare frames, to make some other embellishments with!!). 

The squared-paper die-cut with scalloped edge, that I used as a photo matt, is from a set by Teresa Collins, called "Travelogue" (I used some other pieces from the same set for the "Bon Voyage" layout I made a couple of weeks ago).

I can't tell you much about the papers though! The background paper is the reverse side of a design called "Chicken Little", which was a blue sky with clouds. I cut off the white strip from the bottom and forgot to keep it - now I can't remember the brand of the paper (it may have been Cosmo Cricket, but I wouldn't bet my life on that!). 

The other two papers were part-sheets given to me by Margaret, one of the lovely ladies at Scrap Club. I was messing around with the pile of papers I had brought and couldn't quite find the "right" ones... she looked in her paper box, whisked these out and offered them to me.  They were just right!  So Thank You Margaret - you're a star! 

Both the papers are double-sided. I think the yellow design is almost certainly American Crafts - right thickness, right texture, nice bright pink on the reverse, familiar design on the yellow side... But I don't know which range it's from.  I've no idea about the other sheet.  It is a heavy weight paper - cardstock really - and has a lovely hammered texture; the reverse side is a soft aqua/minty green colour, with a design of  layered circles and flowers. No idea where it is from, but it's lovely!

Overall, I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. It was one of those layouts that kind-of "evolved" as it went along - sort of organic.  I had a general idea of the design - where I wanted the photo, how I wanted layers, where I wanted to put embellishments, journalling, title etc. But I moved things round a bit, shifted the balance from the right-hand edge towards the centre, overlapped the layered papers, rather than matting one on top of the other, changed the colour-scheme a bit (bright paper flowers instead of pastel colours) and just generally messed around until I was happy with it. 

I made the cut-out tree fairly early on, so it kind-of acted as an anchor-point for much of the remaining embellishment etc. I also rounded both right-hand corners of the photo, to match the photo-mat, but ended up covering the bottom corner with flowers. It looks better that way.  I'm glad I thought to ink all the edges, before I started sticking layers to the background paper. It looks much nicer!

I wonder how some people manage to make three, four, even five layouts in one afternoon... I take so long over mine, that I'm lucky to finish one a day! Am I slow, or just deliberate and careful? I don't think mine are any nicer than many of those made by speedier folks! 

Still, this one turned out nice and I'm glad I took my time over it - the photo is special and I wanted to make a layout that did it justice (I think I have).

A little bit of Etsy

Hello all Blog Friends, old and new!

I have been thinking for a while, that I would write a Post about my Etsy shop - with a bit about Etsy in general too.  Now seems a good time to do this, so here goes...

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Those who have known me for a while, will know about my online shop, LizzieMade, on the shopping site Etsy.Com.

In this shop, I sell my handmade Books, a few Sock Dolls, various Papercrafting accessories and soon, I hope, some stitched items, such as fabric shopping bags and perhaps aprons, pin-cushions... still planning! 


I started my shop in January 2009, so I've been going for 15 months now.  During this time, I've read a lot of stuff, met a lot of great people, joined a "Team" on Etsy - Bookbinding Etsy Street Team (or BEST for short) -

and generally had a good time finding out about this great opportunity for those who wish to expand their horizons and offer their handmade (or vintage) items for sale online.

Etsy has been around for approaching five years.  It is, at its most basic level, a "Shopping Site" (I think Etsy prefer the word "Marketplace" to "Shopping"), where people can set up an online "Etsy Shop" and offer their handmade or vintage items for sale, and where other people (with or without a shop of their own) can buy these items and have them sent directly to their homes. 

You don't have to be a seller to buy from an Etsy shop (though you do need to register as a buyer, with a Username - unchangeable, so think about it before you start! - and a password); neither do you have to be a buyer to have an Etsy shop of your own - but I would challenge anyone not to be very, very tempted by the huge array of items offered for sale!

Etsy contains, at present (6 April 2010), some 215,788 Members, with items for sale in a shop and many, many more who are either "dormant" sellers, or registered as buyers only (sadly, my attempts to find out the total number of registered Etsy members has been unsuccessful so far. Etsy used to list it on the Front Page, but for some reason they have taken this away and seem a bit cagey about telling me..).
Not all sellers' shops are active at any one point, but 216,000 active sellers is still a huge number of people.  Currently over 200,000 new members sign up to Etsy each month, more than 2 million new items are listed for sale, with over 1.3 million items being sold monthly! That represents more than $20 million worth of sales per month. Certainly not small beer!

I have seen/read criticism of Etsy - it's too big, it's complicated, you can't get your items seen because there are just too many shops/items/people there... But clearly it is working for many, many people. 

I too am listing items in my shop, making sales and taking orders - not on a big scale, you understand, as currently this is not more than a "hobby job" for me - I just don't have time to make more of it, though I do try. 

Butterfly Japanese stab-bound Notebook by LizzieMade

However, for many, Etsy is providing a bigger source of income, often combined with showing their work at craft shows or sales, selling through local shops, making custom orders, filling consignments for larger companies etc etc.  Some people can (apparently!) earn their living from their Etsy shops - but it is not an easy option and requires a lot of work, to set up and maintain such an enterprise, besides whatever work is necessary to produce or procure the goods to list in the first place.  I must admit that I hold these people in awe, somewhat, as I can't imagine  how I could get to that stage. It must be through sheer hard work, guts, determination - and probably a good dollop of luck too, I would think!

Japanese Star Moss Scarf by Xenotees and Wonderful Waterworld etching by MariannJohansenEllis

I'm not sure if there could be said to be a "typical Etsy Seller" either. I've come across people of all kinds on Etsy - male and female, young and old (including a few children - my DS has an item listed in my shop - and lots of older ladies and gents, earning extra in their (semi) retirement.  Sellers are based, literally, all over the world, in U.S.A. and Canada, South America, U.K. and Eire, all parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, various smaller islands... pretty much everywhere has people selling on Etsy. 

Of course, so long as you can get access to a postal service, to send out items and order in supplies, an online business can be run from any place in the world.  It helps to be able to speak English fairly well, as listings are done in English and it's tricky to make sales if your buyers can't understand what you need to tell them about your products. 

There is only one monetary unit in use on Etsy just now, which is US Dollars.  This is obviously a bit tricky - and even off-putting - for many people, but it does make it easier to handle your money.  Of course, sellers outside USA are at risk of problems from fluctuations in Exchange Rates, which may make it necessary to "tweak" prices occasionally, or to re-calculate postage charges, but in the end, it's still money and as long as you work out your pricing carefully, you should be okay. 

Pricing is another interesting subject, actually.  I was recently reading an exchange of messages, between members of BEST (see above!), about the pricing of peoples' books.  One Book Artist, who is a professional, rather than a "hobbyist", commented that it's all very well, those who have shops to make "hobby sales" setting their prices quite low, just to cover their costs; however they felt that this was a bad idea, as it was not just those sellers who were affected by such a policy.

Christmas Scrap Album by LizzieMade,  Berry Pocket Notebooks by Prairie Peasant

Pricing to cover costs, but not to include other factors, such as time spent and overheads, encourages buyers to see hand-made, crafted items, such as our books, as less valuable than they really are. It gives the wrong impression. It perhaps discourages them from taking the "real artists" seriously.  This was the general argument being put forward - that "undervaluing" an item is also undervaluing the person who created it and, by implication, all others who create similar items (I will add here, that no photos shown in this post are placed to imply that any person was involved in this discussion, or that I do or don't support their views - or necessarily know their views - on the subject).

Leather Journal by Baghy, Silk Embroidered Leather Book by Red Pumpkin Studio

Others may argue, of course, that small, inexpensive items encourage buyers to return, perhaps when they have more to spend, or are looking for something "more special" - at which point they may well turn to the higher-priced, professional artist-made items, because they will get a more exclusive, higher quality product - made with materials such as leather, expensive papers, hand-decoration and embellishing etc, etc.

Flip Notebooks by Buchertiger, Plum Blossoms Blank Book by Parkside Harmony

 
Personally, I try to fall in between these two extremes. I don't believe in undervaluing my time, to the extent of ignoring it when calculating prices. I'm not so desperate to make sales, that I will sell "at cost" to just cover my materials and postage expenses.  However, I don't kid myself that my products are of the same quality or craftsmanship, as those Professional Bookbinders that I meet.  That is not to say my books are no good - they are, in themselves, great little items. I would be ashamed to offer anything for sale, that I didn't believe was of good quality and well-made. I try to "be professional" in my attitude and workmanship, even if I can't do this full-time.

Snow Blossoms Stab-bound Journal and Paper Flower and Bunting Set by LizzieMade

I believe in doing a job properly - if it's worth doing, then I will do my best.  I take pride in my work and make the best items I can possibly make, with my current level of skills and the materials I have.  I love to make my books and other items, and get much pleasure from each and every sale - especially when the customer is as pleased with my work as I was when I finished it!  In fact, I tend to worry about the quality of my items, especially when I know something is intended for a special occasion or as a gift.  I would feel dreadful, should I get feedback that one of my books was not up to its intended purpose - that it fell apart, perhaps, or the cover was not substantial, or the paper inside was of poor quality... So far, so good - everyone seems to have been more than happy with their books, so I am happy too!

Commission: Baby Scrapbook Photo Album by LizzieMade

Over the past year, Etsy has just about doubled in size.  European memberships have grown so much, and so quickly, that Etsy have opened new branch offices in Europe and set up special sections on the Etsy Blog, for UK, French and German buyers and sellers.

Besides the obvious, "front end services", offered by the Etsy site, there is a huge structure of other benefits and tools.  There is an Etsy Blog, (called "The Storque", but don't ask me why!), which is contributed to by various members of the Etsy organisation teams, both in USA and Europe.  There are posts about many, many subjects, from Sales statistics, to "How-To" and Tutorial posts, to News, Featured Sellers, general information... you name your subject, it's somewhere in The Storque!  It really is a huge treasure-trove of information for Etsians, both sellers and buyers alike. 

There is also a Community structure, where you can: join in online, live discussions, Q&A sessions, or tutorials, in specially structured "Virtual Labs" rooms; forums to raise queries or problems for other Etsians to help with or comment on; chat rooms for general chit-chat and networking; join Teams of like-minded artists, craftspeople, artisans, sellers, vintage-junkies... whatever your calling (the BEST team is an example of this); have a bit of a moan about changes you don't like, or problems you're having - or a bit of a cheer about good stuff that you want to share.. The Etsy World is your Oyster!

There are Search facilities, so buyers and sellers can easily look for what they want.  This is especially helpful for the buyers, as you can use keywords, or search on Tags that sellers include in their listings.  For example, if you wanted to find stuff offered for sale by BEST members, you could search on the tag "Bookbindingteam" and up would come a list of items from the various Team members.  Or you could search for "shoes", "dress", "red", "red dress", "spring", "Mothers Day"... whatever you want to find.  Sellers who spend time finding out about tagging their items can greatly increase their chances of being "found" buy would-be buyers - after all, with millions of listings, you need to give yourself as much chance as possible!

Etsy also has a structure known as "Treasuries".  These are basically lists of favourite findings, set up by Etsy members, for other members to share.  You can "snag" a Treasury and set up 12 items (plus 4 spares, to fill gaps where items are sold).  The items are displayed in a grid formation, with the main picture from their listings.  You give your Treasury a title and can add comments to it.  Viewers of the Treasury can access the items directly, by clicking on them, or go to the sellers' shops, by clicking on the seller-names. They can also comment on the Treasury, giving feedback on your hard work! 

Etsy Admin choose Treasuries from these lists, which they then set up on the Etsy Front Page, for about an hour or two at a time.  It is considered a great achievement to "make the front page"! (it is also of great value to anyone who is included in one of those Front Page treasuries, as it can bring in a huge volume of traffic to your shop).

There are other features available, such as "Pounce" which displays shops that are new, or have recently made a sale, or just random selections for you to look at, or "Shop Local" - a search that is done by location (hint to sellers, fill in your Location properly on your information page - "somewhere in fairlyand" doesn't work on Shop Local!).  So many features, that I can't really list them all here... Links with other software - sites where you can get "add-ons" for use with Etsy, or tools to follow your listings and shop traffic more closely, find out if your items are featured in any Treasuries, or on the coveted Front Page slots, link to Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites... You name it, it's probably there somewhere, in the vast, Ethereal Cloud that is the Net!

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So, a bit of a summary of Etsy is above.  What about me and my Etsy shop? I've made a few remarks about my shop and how I see it, so I don't have much else to say.  However, I do want to say that it's one of the best things I have ever done.  I don't set the business world alight, by any means. My shop is still at the "hobby job" stage and looks like remaining that way for a while, because of my home / family commitments; but I love to have access to this huge network of sellers and buyers, who all appreciate the various issues connected with trying to get one's work "seen" and finding buyers when it's difficult to go out and about, selling oneself in the big wide world.  Every sale gives me a great feeling of satisfaction.  I won't get rich from this, but it's teaching me so much and giving me a chance to reach an audience that I would never, ever have reached by any other means.  If I had the time (and more drive, determination etc), I know that I could make my Etsy business pay me a "proper wage", even a full-time wage.  There are folks out there who do just that. 

Monotype (untitled - fish) by DeanDymentStudios, His 'n Hers Needlefelted Wedding Cake Topper by FeltMeUpDesigns

Would I recommend Etsy to others? Absolutely.  With caveats, however; you need to research, read and learn. You need to find out how Etsy works, subscribe to the newsletters and "Etsy Success" posts, read them, learn from them, participate - at least at a basic level - in the Etsy community.  People are generous with their advice and experience. A wise seller will take full advantage of all the information that is out there, in the Etsy community, waiting for you to read it, use it, benefit from it.  I still have so much to find out and learn!

An Etsy shop is not something where you can just "stick a few items in", with crummy photos and a brief description, then wait for someone to buy.  If that's all you do, don't be surprised when nothing happens.  That would be like sitting in the street, outside the big shopping centre, with a bit of old sheet on the ground, plonking a few items on the sheet and waiting for a sale - it won't happen (and you'd likely be moved on by the police!).  If you were serious about selling your items, you'd at least try to sell them somewhere where they could be seen by prospective customers. You'd present them as well as you could (ie. decent photos on Etsy). You'd make your display attractive and think about your prices. You would engage with your customer, package their purchase nicely, ask them to call again. 

An Etsy shop is a great opportunity - but that is all it is, until you make it work. And the only way it will work, is if you make it happen - by your own effort.

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Three Sock Amigos and West Highland Terrier Sock Dolls by LizzieMade