A project I made for the Graphic 45 Blog…Instructions on how to make this ornament will be posted HERE soon.

Also…keep an eye out on the Graphic 45 blog this month & next…they will be featuring projects from all of us on their design team.  Today’s project is by Heather Mellstrome, check it out HERE.

After cutting kits for my upcoming Blessed Class, I had quite a bit of left over paper and & leaves (thanks for the leftovers Karen).  The paper was mostly 4 inches across or less, so I decided to make some little mini notebooks.

To make these little books come together I used things I had lying around.  I buy white cardstock by the ream so I had plenty to cut into pages for the inside of the notebook.  I used Chipboard for the back and front covers (these I covered with the leftover paper).  Then I used my  Bind-it-All to “bind it all” (haha) together.  After the notebook was bound I added the leaves and embellishments.  Simple, right?

If you don’t have a Bind-it-all, this project would be just as easy using a punch and individual rings.

With the Holidays coming up this would be a fun gift for a good friend, a happy hostess or sweet family member.

How to make Accordion-Style Paper Flowers:

1.  Start with a long strip of paper (8 to 12 inches).  I cut this strip about 1-1/2 inches wide with scallop-edged scissors.  And yes, I used the beautiful new Graphic 45  paper again today.

2.  Fold the strip of paper accordion-style from one end to the other.

3.  Gather your edges together and tie twine (or ribbon) in the center.

4.  From the center (where the twine or ribbon is tied), gently fold out the top and bottom edges from the right hand side and glue together.  You should probably use some strong glue and hold it in position for a few seconds until the glue dries a bit.  Repeat this process with the left hand side.

Ta-da!  Your Accordion-Style paper flower is complete!

Mix and match these Accordion-Style flowers with the Circle-Punch Flowers from yesterday for a interesting twist!  Have fun!

How to make Paper flowers using your circle punch:

First of all, I must apologize for my photo quality, I made these flowers late at night, therefore I had poor light for taking photos.

I used the new Graphic 45 paper to make all the flowers pictured.

1. Punch Six Circles from your choice of patterned paper using a circle punch.  In these photos I used a 1-1/4 inch circle punch but you may use smaller or larger if you prefer.

2.  Crumple each circle and then smooth it out again (I like to chalk the edges of each circle with liquid chalk for added character).

3.  Arrange five circles in a flower shape and staple the center to hold them together.

4.  Use glue dots to add a silk flower of your choice to the center of the stapled circles.  Then use glue dots to adhere an additional circle to the center of the silk flower.

5.  Tie ribbon or twine through a button and use glue dots to attach it to the top of the circle. 

Your first paper flower is complete!    I prefer to make several different flowers and bunch them together.  I’ll post another paper flower tutorial tomorrow!