Creating With Cuttlebug Quilled Flowers

Now that I have all three Cuttlebug Quilled Flower kits, I have been deciding how to use these small creations in my other art work. While I practiced doing each of the flowers, I've accumulated a bag full of these colorful blossoms.

For my project...using beacon 3 in 1 glue, I adhered a piece of red gingham check printed paper to a 12" x 12" white canvas. Using the Cuttlebug again, I cut 3 flourishes with the Original Large Sizzix die #656187. After gluing these in place, I picked out 4 blossoms and adhered them to the canvas with my hot glue gun. I added a ladybug made with my Cricut for added balance in the composition.

A lovely large photograph would be the focal point of this mixed media collage.

That would have been the finished project, had the Florida humidity not taken its toll on my beautiful creation. Alas the check printed paper began to separate from the canvas below and I needed to find away to salvage my work. It happen to both of my check canvases...next time I will use better quality card stock and not printed paper.

So, very carefully, I pulled off the paper from my canvases and used the elements to make several 3D greeting cards. Although the quilled flowers are high off the cards, they still fit nicely into the envelopes! I would recommend the cards be hand stamped at the Post Office before mailing, so as not to damage the card.

So, with lemons, you make lemonade!

Cuttlebug Quilled Chrysanthemum Kit

I'm still working on the goodies that came in that box from Jo Ann's a couple of weeks ago. Now, I've made my first chrysanthemum!

I don't mind telling you it took a bit of trial and error working with these Cuttlebug Quilling kits. By keeping at it my flower backs are as nice and neat as the fronts.

What I used:
Cut card stock into 1" strips.
Run 1 green through the Cuttlebug for leaves, 1 yellow for flower center (cuts 4), 1 pale beige for small fringe (cuts 2) and 2 pink for larger fringe outer petals.

If you don't have the longer Cuttlebug plates, then use the older plates, placing the dies on a diagonal.

Cuttlebug plates from bottom up are: A,C, paper on die facing up (illustration side down and then the B plate.

Use only one straight center piece tightly rolled and glued at the end, on the tool. Next attach together the 2 smaller fringed strips...only at one end and then there to the center rolled piece. Roll this and glue at the end...repeat with the larger fringed pieces.

Push the rolled up flower down on a flat surface and spread the fringed petals by pressing them down.

Add two leaves from the back of the flower.

Take your time the these flowers are so worth getting it right...so cut!

Cuttlebug Quilling Kit Arrives

I couldn't wait for my package from Jo-Ann's to arrive. They had a really nice sale and I couldn't pass up the free shipping. One of the items in the box was the Cuttlebug Quilling Kit to make a daisy.

Ever since, I got the Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge and began using a quilling tool for the spiral cuts, I've been intrigued by the quilling techniques and looked for further applications in the things I enjoy creating.

The Cuttlebug Quilled Daisy Kit comes with a very nice quilling pen, 4 cutting dies, 10 floral wires and a premade daisy example.

One drawback is that it is recommended that you also purchase the new larger/longer plates  to use with the kits. That’s quite an investment, but I finally couldn’t take it anymore and HAD to try the kit with my regular plates. In my opinion, it worked!

Using the sample flower as my guide, I picked cardstock and cut them the size to work with the dies provided.

Although the 4 long rectangular dies are longer than the original Cuttlebug plates, they do work when they are placed on a diagonal. I used 1 A plate, 1 C plate and 1 B plate in that order from bottom up.

I placed the piece of cardstock on top of the correct die. The illustration is faced down onto the C plate and the B plate covers the sandwich. After cutting each of the parts (2 for each of the 2 petal dies, I glued the beginning of the strip in a staggered formation each of the 2 petal strips together.

Now, I used the quilling pen and inserted the center strip into the gap in the pen and turned the pen. I kept the double strips together as I wrapped them. Next I add the smaller petal strip and then the larger petal, all in the same fashion.  After gluing the end and pulling out the pen, I tapped the flower down on the table and spread the petals down and finally finished by gluing the leaves from the back. You can add the stems to make it a standing flower or not. These will certainly work well with any floral project you can create. These flowers can be made in realistic colors or in a fanciful array of prints.

There is a learning curve with these kits and I have gotten better as I have had some practice.

 Here is a tutorial on the actual quilling technique, that I found to be really helpful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7I8wFIF_8k

Enjoy, I can't wait to try out the other goodies in the box!