Heart Flower Tutorial

Evening Folks

I promised you that if I got the photographs sorted out I would post a wee step-by-step guide to how to make the heart flower I previewed in my WOYWW post earlier today.  Warning: this is a photograph heavy post.

There's really no secret to the making of the flower. In fact, it was the late Sarah Lawrence's beautiful designs, in last month's (February, 2012) edition of Craft Stamper magazine, that inspired me to attempt to make my own flowers, not using a stamp as Sarah did - all that cutting out is not for me - but by using a heart-shaped punch.

Anyway, with no more delay, here is the step-by-step guide to how the flower was made.

Materials required:

Step 1: Gather together the following materials. Patterned card for heart-shaped petals, patterned paper for daisy centre, small piece of white card for base, circle punch - the one in the photograph is 1¼" in diameter but a 1" diameter would probably do as well - small heart-shape punch; tiny daisy punch, pink ink pad, glue gel, small self-adhesive pearl (or a gem would be a good alternative). Items not shown: bone folder or something similar to shape petals with, embossing mat (a mouse-mat makes a good substitute) and embossing stylus.

Step 2:  Punch out a disk from the piece of white card,  six heart shapes from the patterned card (pink polka-dotted), and the tiny daisy from the patterned paper.

Step 3: Ink the edges of the heart shapes with the ink pad and leave to dry.

Step 4: When dry shape the hearts, by rounding them inwards, using a bone folder, or similar instrument.

Step 5: Place a generous blob of glue gel on the white card disk.

Step 6: Place the first heart shape into the glue gel - aiming for the point to be in the centre of the blob of glue but keeping the heart raised at an angle rather than flat against the disk. The consistency of the glue gel makes this easy to do.

Step 7: Place the second heart directly opposite the first heart - this helps with the positioning of the remaining four. 

Step 8: Continue by placing the remaining four hearts evenly around the disk, pressing the tips into the gel, and placing them overlapping left over right. Leave for the glue gel to set.

Step 9:  Place the tiny daisy onto the sponge mat/mouse-mat and using the embossing stylus shape it inwards. Then squeeze a small amount of glue gel to the underneath centre before pressing it down into the centre of the flower. Leave to dry.

Step 10: Finally, press an adhesive pearl or gem into the centre of the daisy.  The photograph shows how the flower looks made in different colours and patterns.

The completed flowers are easy to attach to a project with a strong adhesive - I've usually use glue gel but if I'm impatient I'll use hot glue for this job.

You could make the flowers bigger simply by using larger punch shapes or, as I have done for another project, a larger disk and more layers of heart petals - like this one here:

For this flower I've used two contrasting patterned papers. The edges of the black hearts are inked with red ink and the red dotted ones are edged with red. The base for this flower is a 2½ scalloped circle and the glue gel has been applied from the edge inwards, one layer at a time. The flower is built up in rows, beginning with the outer ring (black pattern paper) allowing it to set before moving on to the next (red pattern paper), and so on until the final central ring. It is then finished off in the same way as the smaller flowers.

I do hope the guide is helpful ... I have tried to keep it as clear and concise as I can but if there is anything that confuses you for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best to clarify whatever it is.

I'm now expecting to see lots of lovely heart flowers adorning projects all over blogland ... and nothing would give me more pleasure :)

Edited Note: since posting this tutorial it has come to my notice that the lovely Karen of What's This Then has also posted a tutorial on how to make a heart flower. Our methods vary slightly but a heart punch is the tool we both use.  Karen's flower is stunning, so please check her tutorial out too.

Happy Crafting,