Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop

Guess what?  I am soooo stoked!  I just won a spot in Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop!  I have been eyeballing this class for a few weeks and watching her free videos about altered canvases.  She amazes and inspires me!  I love how she creates with such freedom and abandon and doesn't worry about things being perfect.  For those of you who know me, I am a perfectionist and sometimes drive myself crazy that I can't just go with the flow.  I'm hoping this class can help me embrace a little of that freedom. 

Class started today, but it's not too late to sign up if you are interested.  It's all online, so it's easy to catch up.  If you aren't familiar with her work, take a few moments to check out her blog.  Christy owns Scarlet Lime and has started selling mixed media supplies in her online store.

I will definitely make time for this class and share my creations with you here (as long as I can get past the perfection part).  :)

Accordion Folded or "Lolli" Flowers Tutorial

I've been on a "Lolli" flower making kick lately and thought I would share with you how to make them.  They can be made easily from any size strip of paper.  It's a great way to use up some of those scraps! 

Start by cutting a 1" x 12" strip of paper.  (You can make them wider or thinner than 1".  The diameter of the flower will end up being a little more than double the width of your paper strip). 

 Next I scored the strip every 1/4" using my new Martha Stewart Scoring Board. 

(I have to say that having a scoring board makes this process SO much easier!).  Scor-Pal also makes a scoring board. However, I decided to purchase the Martha Stewart one for a couple of different reasons.  First, it has scoring lines every 1/8" while the Scor-Pal seems to have more random measurements.  Second, the MS board was much less expensive, especially after using a 40% off coupon at Michaels.  Third, the MS board has a handy little add-on tool to help you easily make envelopes.  There are many You Tube videos comparing the two if you would like to take a closer look. 

After the entire strip is scored, fold back and forth like a fan.  

NOTE:  I wanted the green side of the paper to show after the flower was complete, so I made sure the first fold was pointed down.  This way, when you get to the end of the flower, it finishes off nicely.

This is what is should look like when it's all folded up.

Next, use a strong glue along one edge as shown.  

(Use something like Diamond Glaze, Red-Line Tape, etc.  Glue dots don't work so well.  They can't hold up to the tension the flower causes once formed into a circle).

Glue the two ends together and hold for a minute or two until dry.  

(You could also hold it closed with a clothes pin or office clip).

 Punch a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" circle from any color paper.  

This won't show as it will be attached to the back of the flower.

Add strong glue to the circle, but not enough that it will squish out of the sides when pressed down.

This is the part where you sometimes need more than 2 hands.  :)

Flatten the flower, top side down.  (The orange that you see is the back of the flower). 

While holding the flower in place, attach the circle glue side down, to center of flower. 

Press down for a couple of minute while it dries, or place a heavy object, like a book, on it.

The back should look something like this when done.

Flip it over and embellish with coordinating paper, buttons, brads, ribbon, string, rhinestones, etc.

Another fun way to jazz them up is by using a border punch along the edge first.  Then instead of scoring every 1/4", score in between each scallop.

Here's an example of a completed flower with the scalloped edge.

Here's a peek at some completed layouts I recently used Lolli flowers on:

"Eggcellent"

This small pink flower started out as a 1/2" x 12" strip.

"4 is my Lucky Number"

Thanks for looking!  If you have any questions about making these flowers, there are tons of tutorials on You Tube that show you a few different methods.  Give them a try!