Some inspiration before we bid you adieu

Today Miss Emily and I must bid you adieu. Thank you for joining us for our week of scraplifing and scraplifting etiquette. Don't forget to complete our challenge and post a link to your creation on the Studio Calico Message Board by tonight at midnight EST. (And please oh please, do not forget to list your source ;)

One last thing I want to share before we go. We all love inspiration and we find it everywhere around us. One of my favorite things about scraplifting and the internet is that one can find inspiration galore in tutorials, and there is NO QUESTION as to whether or not the person writing cares if you use their idea. They are creating the piece for the express use of scraplifting.

The story behind this tutorial is this: I was trying to recreate a marigold for this layout using a photo of my son holding; wait for it, a marigold. I wanted something 3-D, but not "too techniquey" As I was sitting there the thought occurred to me to use different sized scalloped circles stacked and ruffled to make the marigold effect. Alas, I only had one size of scalloped circle, so I was trying to figure out how to make the flower 3 dimensional. I started manipulating and folding the circle. I came up with the marigold on the layout below. I'm sure I'm not the first person to make this, but I was pretty proud of myself!

Here's how you create them:

Cut out 5 scalloped circles. You can punch them out, or use a die cutting machine. Studio Calico carries this 3 inch and this 2.5 inch punch. I used a 3 inch.

Fold the scalloped circle in half, crease on your fold. Fold both horizontally and vertically and then spread it back out, like so.

Squeeze in the sides with the creases between each finger. Your circle should look like this now!

or like this from the top.

Flatten out your now 1/4 circle so it looks like a fan. You may have to manipulate the tip a little bit to make it sharp. Crease down all the edges with your fingernail so they are crisp folds.

Repeat this with all 5 "petals"

Punch another scalloped circle for a base for your flowers. Glue each "petal" on, overlapping the petals in an over under pattern.

This is what my completed card looks like. I added a brad to the center, and a jewelry tag tied with my favorite baker's twine!

Here's another card I made with plain circles and different patterned papers! I LOVE how this one turned out. I fringed the grass with my own Tim Holtz scissors, but I used my friend's MS fringe scissors the other day and I would have used them here if I owned them myself. I also used my favorite black pen. The American Crafts .08 pen.

I made this for National Scrapbook Day for scrapbooks.com I love the 1 petal here. I think it looks JUST like a buttercup! I used the olive twisted burlap here.