GirlFest 2011

Hello PZ Crafters!

I should probably introduce myself (I'm Stephanie) and I am a new blogger for Paper Zone. I began working here in August and have been enjoying every minute of it.

For my first post, I wanted to share my experience at the annual GirlFest event in Seattle. GirlFest is put on by the Girl Scouts of Western Washington and is a great event for girls of all ages to come and have a blast being a girl! At our booth, we did a Make & Take but not just any M&T - fancy, glittery and fun flower pins that were a huge hit!

Check out these creative girls who participated in our GirlsFest M&T...


If you want to make your own flower pin you'll need:



- Pin Backs

- Scrap Paper (different colors)

- Assorted Punches (we used flowers)

- Adhesive or Scrapbooking Adhesive Squares

- Jewel Candy Dots




First: Cut your adhesive square in half and peel off one side of the square. Then adhere the sticky side on the pin back.

Second: Punch out your paper shapes for your flower pin.


Third: Layer your shapes and glue them together until your design is complete. You can use the adhesive squares or glue. Regular glue works but you will need to be patient and wait for it to completely dry. I suggest a glue stick - it is a good alternative and fast drying. Have fun with layering the shapes - the possibilities are endless!

Fourth: Decorate your flower with jewel candy dots.

Finally: Peel off the adhesive cover on the opposite side of your square (which should be attached to your pin already) and press your flower creation onto your pin.












Voila! You are finished and have your own flower pin to show off!

Be creative and have fun!

- Stephanie

Easter Egg Blooms

Hi Everyone! Isn't it nice that Spring is here? I am waiting for a little more sunshine, but I do know it is coming. In the meantime, I am working on some Easter Crafts. I am going to be using these Easter Egg Flowers in my place settings for my Easter Table. I used the Dilly Dally line from Making Memories for these flowers. The line is bright and colorful and perfect for this time of year. In order to make these flowers, first download the template of the flower. Step One: Trace the flower and stand onto your paper. You can get two flowers out of one 12x12. Step Two: Cut out the flower and the stand. You may need to adjust the size of the circle or the circumference of your stand to accommodate the size of your eggs.

Step Three: Crease each of the petals down the center. This will ad a little dimension to your flower.

Step Four: Create a cylinder using the long strip and secure with adhesive. Rest your egg on top of the cylinder.

Place your flower petals over the egg.

I hope you enjoy making these decorations as much as I did!

Happy Crafting

Sandra

Brown Bag It!

Spring is officially only 2 days away and I am so ready for it! I love that the days are getting a little longer and that we have that extra bit of time at the end of the day to go outside and enjoy the sunshine (I know...wishful thinking here in Seattle). I came across this cute idea for a paper bag flower bouquet and thought it was so cute, I had to share it with you!


Spring is the time of Easter brunches, birthday parties and baby showers and this is an adorable way to decorate a table at a party with fresh, bright flowers. It's a table decoration, a place card {write each guest's name on the bag}, and a party favor all in one! All you need is an adhesive, a brown paper lunch bag and some scissors or decorative paper edger.

Step 1: Draw lines on the bag like this:

Step 2: Cut along the lines, using either scissors or decorative paper edgers.

Step 3: Place adhesive on the inside of one of the "handles" and then overlap the two flaps and adhere them together to form the handle.

Step 4: Take a small glass or jar filled with water, place it in the bag and place your flowers inside.

Look at how cute these all look placed on the plates on a table, one for each guest. I just love this idea, it's pretty and elegant, yet super simple and easy. These would also be great for weddings, changing up the flower colors based on your color palette. And, at only $0.15 per bag, it's a really cost-effective decoration!

(photo from marthastewart.com)

Happy {almost} Spring everyone! --Lauren

Glubers Are Here!

I have been so excited about this new product from Cosmo Cricket ever since we saw it in action at CHA. Now it has finally arrived and I'm completely addicted. Introducing Glubers! They are basically a giant glue dot that allows you to create your own floral embellishments with minimal time and effort. It is really easy to get started. Just pick out the size of Gluber you want (they come in 2", 2.5" or 3" diameter:



Then pick out your material. You will need it to be in strips and you generally use about a yard of length per embellishment, but that can vary depending on how ruffled you make it. You just need a yard in total length, it does not need to be continuous. I'm going to use some satin ribbon in my favorite color tangerine:



The Gluber has clear backing on both sides of the adhesive. Peel off one side of the backing and place your Gluber sticky-side up on your work surface:



Start with one end of your ribbon (or other material) and stick it to the outside edge like so:



Then just create a ruffle or pleat and stick the next part of your ribbon on the outer edge of the Gluber like so:





Continue this process around the whole outer edge, then move in toward the center a little more on the next go around:



Continue this process until you get close to the center. Leave the very center of the Gluber's adhesive exposed about like this:



You can now attach a center piece to your flower. I'm going to use a large rhinestone gem, but you could also do a diecut, button, or other embellishment...



Or, you could just continue your ruffles all the way to the center like I did here with my felt flower:



Once you have your flower complete, just peel off the back piece of plastic and you can stick it to anything.



In addition to flowers, these are great tools for making bows and decorations for gift packaging or even hair accessories like these.

Check out the Cosmo Cricket Blog for even more great ideas for Glubers!

What other fun things can you come up with?

Happy Glubering!

Amanda

Pretty Felt Flower Pins!

These pretty felt flowers feature some new products we are carrying at all of our locations. First, we now carry 9x12 sheets of felt in 20 different colors! It is made from 100% post consumer plastic bottles. It is great for home, school, and everyday craft projects. It's soft, cuts cleanly, sews easily, is machine washable and shrink resistant. So, not only is it multi-functional, but it's 'green', too! The E6000 is a great multi-functional, industrial strength adhesive. It's flexible, paintable, waterproof, non-flammable, and safe for photographs. Unlike most glues, this is nice and thick which makes it easy to work with and great for all types of projects! The pinbacks are also new to PZ. They come in a value pack of 60, have a safety clutch, and are 1 inch long. These are great for changing any craft project into something wearable!

Tools Needed:

Felt, Crop-a-dile, pinbacks, E-6000 adhesive, and brads. It always helps to play some good music while you're crafting, too.

You can cut out flowers free hand from the felt, but I found it easier to punch out a template from cardstock.

Then, using a pen (I used a Sharpie) trace the flower shape onto your felt.

Next, using sharp scissors, cut out the flower, carefully.

Cut out one more the same way in another color.

After that, stack the flowers, and use your Crop-a-dile to punch a hole. I used the Crop-a-dile because the felt is too thick to be punched through with a regular hole punch.

Then, place a brad through the hole. This is an easy way to play around with the look of your flower by using different color brads, jewel brads, pearl brads, fabric brads, etc.

Now it's time to make your pretty flower into a pin! Place a bit of the E-6000 adhesive onto the back of your flower.

Next, place a pinback onto the glue and press firmly. Hold for a minute or so to make sure it adheres properly. Then, set it aside and allow about 30 minutes for it to completely dry.

Voila! You have now made a pretty felt flower pin! Another idea is to forgo the pinback and use the flower as an embellishment on a card or scrapbook page.

For more ideas on making pretty felt flower pins, come to a free make and take instructed by Whitney Henne at our Tukwila Paperzone on Saturday, March 12th, from 12-2pm. An example from her make and take is below.

-Malyse