Pretties on the Cheap: Hand-dye Your Own Silk Flowers (& vase template how to)

Becky's been doing some stunningly pretty things with white & black & pink--Ultra-Inspiring! Silk flowers are on sale right now at Michael's, and I've been meaning to make homemade silk primas for ages, so here they are! The blooms for these projects started out as a bunch of white silk flowers. (Which Charles deemed "hideous"--I was, he said "Out of your mind for buying something so UGLY" :0)--Oh ye of little faith, heehee! He likes 'em now.)

I like that you can save tonnes of money and you can get any colour you want. You just pull them off of the plastic stems, then.....

Dye the flowers with reinkers. Easy as 1-2-3:

1) Put the desired amount of reinker drops in a glass dish & add water--stir if needed. (I used 2 tablespoons water & 6 drops reinker)
2) Drop flowers in & pull them out (I use my tweezers from the SU tool kit, you could also wear gloves--or get inky!) :0)
3) Shake excess ink off & lay to dry (on a tray or a plastic bag works well.)

Mottled Variation:

The big silk flowers in the picture above (not on the card) are exactly the same as the pink one on the card, even though they look darker & mottled: all you do is take the dried dyed-flowers, wet your hand and sprinkle water on them. The water carries the ink (usually to the ends of the bloom.)

A close up of layered silks under a large scallop

Steps to make this card:

1...To make your own embossed designer paper: Stamp the Kind Thoughts flourish (in Rose Red craft ink onto Naturals White cardstock repeatedly--turning the stamp upside-down so it fits well--It's like fitting diamonds together) Emboss it with clear e.p.
2...Go over that embossed c.s. with Red Rose craft pad & Use a baby wipe to blend. (Working quickly & rubbing firmly gives a nifty texture to it. I did the paper for the scallop lighter than the square it's mounted on.)
3...Stamp Friend by Definition background stamp (on Naturals white c.s.) in Versamark & emboss with clear e.p. Use the same baby wipe emboss resist technique on it.
4...Punch Friend "d.p." into 3/4 inch circles to make the scallop (just line it up from the middle and work your way out for a perfectly centered scallop.)
5...Layer flowers (adhering well) & add scallop
6...Stamp Amazing to Zany "delightful" or another word onto Naturals white cardstock & adhere to HodgePodge (Place hardware over the word until it is centered Then trace the hardware in pencil. Use that as a guideline to trim the piece and fit it under the hodgepodge.)
7...Add ribbon & hodge podge hardware (Sealing the ends of the ribbon with a lighter makes it easy to thread into the hardware & double sided tape on the back at each side allows you to place & remove the ribbon until you're happy with the angle.)
8...Mat onto white cardstock & distress edges. Matt onto card--with Rub-on on it (Saleabration mini)
9...Glue mini gems on over rub-on (using Crystal Effects)

Another way to get a mottled look to dyed silk blooms
is to let the excess ink sit on them and dry

Steps to make this easy covered box:

Take a box (Mine was from the dollar store--A buck-fifty Baby!) Paint it if you like and Simply add a card-like detail to the top. To make this particular one:

Embellish the silk flowers:

1) Dye the silk blooms (see above for how to) Layer them
2) Punch flower (Martha Stewart Cosmos) from emboss-resist cardstock (see how-to above) Distress with Rose Red ink.
3) Punch 1/4 inch circle out of c.s. Also punch a 1 inch circle for the back of the silk flower.
4) Mark center of each & punch with 1/16 inch punch to make holes for the brad. 5) Sandwich the circles & the silk flowers (The 1 inch circle on the back helps it stay together well.)
6) Add finishing touches to the small circle in the center (cut in towards the brad to make it look like little petals--distress it.)

A Trick to Make Your Own symmetrical Vase Template:
1) Use d.p. (or technique above for homemade embossed d.p.)
2) Create a speedy template for even sides: Draw a vase shape and choose which side you like the best.
3) Cut out the "good" side & cut along the top or bottom. (Leave one side intact.)
4) Lay the half-cut vase over a scrap of cardstock, trace it & cut the scrap along the traced line
5) Lay your new scrap paper template on top of your half-cut vase.
6) Use the bottom to line it up & trace it to create an exact opposite side for your vase.
7) Cut the whole thing out. Erase all pencil lines.
8) Shade with a paintbrush and ink wash.

For the background:
1) Stamp Friend by Definition background stamp (in Going Grey onto Naturals White Cardstock.)
2) Allow to dry & Draw stem/leaf onto it with pencil (You can keep erasing until you're happy)
3) Wipe cardstock with Embossing Buddy (anti-static bag)
4) Trace stem/leaf with a glue pen & emboss with black e.p.
5) Paint inside of leaf with Basic Gray ink wash & add shadow & grey table top
6) Layer mats (torn Basic Gray & Black cardstock mats, & torn Vellum cardstock) & Distress edge of Grey paper with a black marker (or ink)
7) Adhere vase & flowers
8) If you like, trace over your favourite words of the background to make them stand out (Using a mechanical pencil makes it easy to get fine lines.)
9) Adhere your card-like thingy onto the box with double-sided tape. :0D

Thanks for reading--Happy Crafting!
:0)
Mel

P.S. If this post makes no sense, blame the world's longest lasting migraine & please ask any questions... (And many thanks for all your sweet comments & well-wishin' you fabulous people you! You never cease making me feel very very privileged.) :0)