Beauty Unrefined with Blossoming Peony Bud Tutorial by ~ Tracey Sabella

Hi, it's Tracey here to share a mixed media layout filled with handcrafted flowers featuring Donna's Spellbinders dies. This is our lovely daughter on her wedding day. 

Today I'm featuring Donna's Spellbinder dies. Her flower dies are so versatile and can be used to create many different flowers. For this page, I created three gorgeous sets of flowers and have shared a tutorial for the ivory Blossoming Peony Buds later in this post. I've also used her Sprightly Sprockets to die cut her Want2Scrap corrugated board for the gears you see tucked into the clusters.

"Beauty Unrefined"

Tips and Techniques

I hand crafted most of these flowers using Donna's Spellbinders Rose Creations and Grand Peony Dies. I've also used leaves from her Bitty Blossoms dies and the corrugated gear is cut with Sprightly Sprockets.

For the background, I started by stamping with Donna's Art Gone Wild Crackle and Dear Sir stamps using Mix'd Media Inx. I then spread ceramic stucco over Donna's 8" x 10" Want2Scrap Brick Stencil and when dry, spritzed with her Clearsnap Smooch Spritz.

The frame is a Want2Scrap Chipboard Piece which I spray painted with gesso. After misting the petals of my flowers with Smooch Spritz, I had some overspray on my craft sheet which I used on the frame creating an ombre effect. 

In this close-up you can see my ivory Blossoming Peony Bud. I have included a tutorial for these little beauties later in this post. The rose buds were created with Donna's Rose Creation Dies and the glimmer comes from Clearsnap Fairydust Glitter and Smooch Spritz by Donna. The Spellbinders Artisan X-plorer cuts through corrugated board with ease and was used with Sprightly Sprockets dies, then dry brushed with gesso, misted with Smooch Spritz, then finished off with Mix'd Media Inx. 

The title was cut from the die cut sheet included with Donna's Natural Beauty paper pad. The individual rose leaves are cut with Bitty Blossoms dies, then inked with Mix'd Media Inx. 

The sweet focal flower here is cut with Rose Creations dies using Donna's Mix'd Media Stax2 dictionary and mulberry papers. 

Blossoming Peony Bud Tutorial

Supply List

GCD Studios ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Mix'd Media Stax2 (Mulberry Paper)

Crushed Voile Fabric - Ivory

Spellbinders ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Rose Creations

Spellbinders ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Grand Peony

Spellbinders ~ Artisan X-plorer

Candle

Craft Tweezers

Large Diameter Stylus

Foam Pad
Fabric Glue (Not Pictured)

Bowl of water (Not pictured)

Step 1. Counting from the smallest to the largest dies in your set, use the #3 Grand Peony die to cut three from the crushed voile. Use the #4 Rose Creations die to cut two from the mulberry paper in the Mix'd Media Stax2 paper stack.

***Tip ~ The numbers I give might look backward; however, the Grand Peony dies cut petals that are quite a bit larger than the Rose Creations dies, so as you can see in the following photo they are sized to work perfectly with each other for this flower. 

Step 2. Use a small candle to melt the edges of each petal on all three of the Grand Peony Voile layers by running the edge of each petal near the flame but do not allow the fabric to actually touch the flame. The voile fabric will melt and curl as it gets hot. 

***Hint ~ keep a bowl of water right next to you on your work table, so if you get too close to the flame, you can quickly extinguish the burning petal in the water. 

Step 3. Apply a small amount of fabric glue to the center of one of the voile layers and lay the next layer on top, offsetting the petals. 

Add the third layer the same way. 

Step 4. Lay the mulberry Rose Creation pieces with the rough textured side down on a foam mat. Roll each petal with the stylus to round and cup each one. 

***Tip - any kind of foam mat will work - even one of the foam mats that brads are stuck into when you get them. If you don't have a stylus you could try something like the capped end of a marker or pen with a rounded cap.

Step 5. Apply glue to the inside (smooth side) of one of the mulberry paper layers and form it into a bud shape.

Step 6. Apply glue the bottom and lower portion of this first bud and wrap the second mulberry paper layer around it - offsetting the petals to form a larger bud. 

Step 7. Use craft tweezers to roll down the edges of the mulberry bud as shown.

Step 8. Put fabric glue around the base and about the bottom third of the mulberry bud, then wrap the fabric layers around the bud - scrunching the fabric in place and holding for a few moments until the glue has set. The time will vary depending on the glue used. I only had to hold it in place 15 to 20 second until it was set enough to stay in place. Now you have a completed Blossoming Peony Bud. 

And here's one final shot of this sweet blossom on my layout.

Thanks for stopping by today!! I hope you've been inspired
to give this sweet flower a try.
~ Blessings ~
Tracey

Product List

Paper

GCD Studios ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Natural Beauty Twiggy B, Image Sheet
GCD Studios ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Mix'd Media Stax 2

Chipboard

Want2Scrap ~ Vintage Fancy Frames

Colors/Inks/Mists

Clearsnap ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Mix'd Media Inx: Jasmine, Mossy, Leather, Stormy, Schoolhouse
Clearsnap ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Mix'd Media Inx CHOX: Sparrow, Butternut
 Clearsnap ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Smooch Spritz: Tea Party, Caramel Latte, Holly Berries
Clearsnap ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Smooh Spritz: Gold Gow, Mossy MIst
Clearsnap ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Fairydust Glitter: Pralines & Cream

Dies

Spellbinders ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Rose Creations
Spellbinders ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Grand Peony
Spellbinders ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Bitty Blossoms
Spellbinders ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Sprightly Sprockets
Spellbinders ~ Foliage

Stamps

Art Gone Wild ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Dear Sir
Art Gone Wild ~ Donna Salazar Designs - Crakle

Stencils

Want2Scrap ~ Donna Salazar Designs - 8" x 10" Bricks Stencil

Mixed Media
Liquitex ~ Ceramic Stucco, Gesso, Spray Gesso

Adhesives
Helmar ~ Gemstone Glue
Helmar ~ 450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Helmar ~ Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish