How to Make a Tissue Paper Pom Pom Flower Accent

I definitely cannot claim the tissue paper pom pom idea as my own (I think perhaps that title maybe goes to Martha Stewart), BUT I haven't seen anyone customize one yet to make it as an embellishment.

I made some pom poms recently for a luncheon, and added them on my napkin rings. It got my wheels turning on how I could make them for my cards, altered items, and layouts.

Start by figuring out how big you want it to be. I wanted mine about 2 inches wide (or so), so I cut 6 pieces of tissue paper into 3" x 6" pom poms. (You need to make it a little bit more on the sides because you will trim it in a bit.)

Stack the pieces of tissue on top of each other.
Accordian fold them.
And squish the accordian folds down. I discovered that cutting two notches out of the center helps for the next step.
Wrap some skinny thread or ribbon around the middle (I used crochet thread). Tie it tightly and trim off the ends.
Trim the sides; I did large, rounded "petals;" you can also make them pointy or use decorative edged scissors. Experiment for different looks!


Gently pull apart the layers on each side of the flower and fluff them around until it's to your liking. I wanted to put something in the middle of my flower, so I squished it down...

Like so.
This makes such a pretty accent for a card! They are rather bumpy, as you can see, so you may need to "squish it" more if you want to put it in an album. I think these would be so pretty on something altered as well!
Try using different colors & patterns of tissue in the same flower, or white tissue and then spritzing the edges with Maya Mist. I love that they are such a fast & easy way to make a truly unique embellishment. There are definitely lots of possibilities with these- and you'll be seeing more of them on my projects for sure!

Dressed-Up Chipboard!

Hello! Here's a little something I did to dress up a chipboard piece for my altered recipe cards box.

I first cut out the chipboard shape with my Sizzix Big Shot, but you could use any other chipboard piece.

Trace and cut out a piece of patterned paper with the shape. Adhere the patterned paper to your chipboard shape.



Cover the surface of the chipboard shape now with a layer of Ranger Glossy Accent, and sprinkle some Pink Paislee glitter. Do this immediately after applying the glossy accent so that the glossy accent can act as a glue for the glitter to stick on.



And there you have a pretty, 'dressed-up' chipboard shape! :)

Glitz & Glam!

This week it is all about adding some glitz to your scrapbook pages and cards. I use glitter, Stickles, and Diamond Dust on many of my pages. You can add them to just about anything to get a whole new look!
I love altering clear embellishments!

(Why the heck there are green plastic letters in there?)

For this LO, I took a clear flourish and used Crystal Lacquer to adhere the green glitter. (Pixie Stick glitter) And yes.....it is for a boy page!

I used my new favorite, Diamond Dust, for this Martha Stewart felt bird. It gives it a "sugary" coating. LOVE IT!

Used Diamond Dust here again for this clear button.

For the butterfly, I used a powder blue Stickle first, then while it was wet, sprinkled it with Diamond Dust.

......Yep used Diamond Dust for the top of the cupcake......yum!

Think outside of the box.....use it on fabric, plastic, directly to paper........it adds a perfect touch to spruce up those pages!

Have a great week!!!!

Five Minute Loopy Flowers

These flowers are so quick and easy, you'll become addicted to making them!

STEP 1: Cut felt into desired width. This sample is about 2.5" wide.

STEP 2: Fold the strip in half length-wise and baste the two edges together using embroidery floss of strong thread.

STEP 3: On the loopy side cut into the strip like you are making fringe. These will be your flower petals. Below is a side view of the loop flower petals you have created so far.

STEP 4: Cut your thread and pull the two ends together, cinching the flower into a circle. Tie a knot with the two loose ends to close.

STEP 5: Cover the center opening with a large button or embellish with other felt layers/flowers/etc. as desired. Your cute flower is ready to use in a project! :D

Cut your strip wider for larger flowers. You can then layer these together to make a fuller looking flower, as shown below.

Another fun option is to use sharp pinking scissors to cut your "fringe" flower petals.

Here is a sample flower with two layers of zig-zagged petals.

I made the one below using crepe paper birthday streamers. Instead of stitching the two edges together, I glued them, cut the fringe, and then attached the strip of loopy fringe to a punched circle cardstock base.
Here is the back of the birthday streamer flower.
For a shabby flower, I used wide grosgrain ribbon. When you cut the fringe into the ribbon the edges fray a bit, giving you this cute look!
Here's another sample. This ribbon had wire in it which I simply removed after stitching the two edges together.

You can layer your different flowers together to create infinite possibilities!

And here is a card I made using one of my flowers. (Card design inspired by Melissa Phillips)

I hope you have fun with this technique!!!! Link us up to your creations! We'd love to see them!

Photoshop Tip

Ever have a picture that would be perfect if it didn't have such and ugly or distracting background? or ever have a picture that you want to highlight something in it while minimizing the view of the rest of the photo? Well here is how you do it.

Now i am using PSE 5 but the instructions should still be pretty much the same.
Now i know it looks like a lot but trust me...this can be done in a matter of 5 minutes. I just did every step to show you without missing anything. it truly is only about 3 major steps. So don't feel overwhelmed.

here we go: **note** you will probably have to click the pics to enlarge it..this was the best i can do. grrrrr!!!!

This is my original pic


Step 1:

Open your photo. And make sure when you hit the edit button you are on full edit see the top left hand corner?



Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color to create your photo overlay.


Click OK to create a new layer titled color Fill 1.


The color picker tool will appear. Select the color you would like your overlay to be and click OK.


Your photo will fill with the foreground color you chose.


Slide the opacity slider at the top of the layers palette (top right hand corner) to about 50% ( i used 70% for this picture) You should see your original image to show up underneath the color overlay. Adjust the opacity to your likings.


Select the Rectangle Marquee tool if you want square or the elliptical if you want oval or round. While holding down the shift key, draw a circle or square (whichever you choose around your photo's focal point. make sure the box in the lower left corner that has a black and a white square that BLACK IS ON TOP..if it is not hit the "d" key to change it.

go to Edit > Fill Selection. in the fill dialog box choose foreground from the dropdown list and click ok. Mine is already done like this so i didn't have to change anything. You should see the overlay within the selection disappear, revealing the photo underneath. DO NOT deactivate this because we will be using it next. Your screen should look like this

now go to Layer > New > Layer

click ok.

Now your forground color should now be White. If it is not white click "X".
Go to Edit > Stroke (outline) selection.

In the Stroke dialog box type 10 pixels for the width.

Click ok and print as you normally would do. You can flatten your image if you want to save a copy of the picture you just created.

This is my final layout i did. What i actual did for this was printed 2 pictures just alike. I cut the box out of one picture and adhered it with pop dots to the other picture for more dimension.


Any questions feel free to shoot me an email (greta(dot)adams@gmail.com and i will try and help you.
have fun and I would love to see what you do using this tip!