Best Buddies

Matchbook-style notepads decorated with folded Petal Pairs.

After uploading the previous tutorial, I got hooked on crafting buds using Tonic Studios Petal Pairs punches. The buds are made by folding the petals to the flower centre consecutively, then tucking the last one in. (My previous post's how-tos said to fold the petals clockwise - but lefties, of course, can fold in the opposite direction.) An original Petal Pairs shape makes a generous-sized (but still cute) bud. And the new Petal Pairs Petites make sweet "nano buds".

The nano buds are especially pretty - they remind me of embroidered French knots. A bud can be used as a papercrafted alternative to a bullet point, calling attention to text in a delightfully different way.

Here's a quick project featuring the buds: matchbook-style notepads with flower vase focals. You can fill them with paper, use them as brag books (with photos), or craft them as mini-cards.

The shapes are quite simple to cut out by hand. I crafted these notepads using my very lovely Silhouette Cameo machine (in case you were wondering about the print-and-cut effects). I don't know how to upload an svg file yet - so here's a j-peg for you:

Chalk the edges of the notepad cover for definition. Fold the bottom tab up and crease it, insert the pages, then punch holes at the marked dots through all layers with an 1/8" circle handpunch. Thread a ribbon through the holes and tie a bow. Tuck the cover into the base, finger-pressing a soft fold at the top. Attach a vase and label with ds tape, then glue on the buds in an artful arrangement. Easy and very quick.

Ready for the close-up? You can see the buds more clearly here:

Papers: pastel stripes and Random (for the buds) from Craft Creations.

Happy crafting.

Flower Basket Card

Suitable for Mother's Day, Easter - or just plain Springtime.

This fun-to-make card is crafted with Tonic Studios Petal Pairs punches - an original Petal Pairs shape for the flowers and one of the new Petites for the leaves. Each flower has a dimensional embellishment in the centre which is created by folding the Petal Pair flower itself - I call this effect a Center Perk.

Here's how to make the Center Perks:

Center Perks: Step-by-step

For each flower, you need three punched Petal Pairs shapes - two of the same colour, and one in a contrast colour for the Center Perk. You also need a Petite shape from which to cut the leaves.

1 Place the Center Perk shape face down on top of one of the other Petal Pair flowers. 

2 Interlock the Petal Pairs flowers in the usual way.

3 - 5 Now for the magic - a little bit of fancy folding. Fold each Center Perk petal inwards to the flower centre. No need to measure - just eye it. Crease the petals so they meet at the centre. Now fold the petals consecutively, clockwise. When you get to the last petal, tuck it under the first one to complete the Center Perk.

(Note: you can make buds using this folding technique - simply use a single Petal Pair shape.)

6 For the leaves, cut off two petals from the Petites flower. Crease each leaf down the centre. Glue the leaves underneath the flower.

You can make Center Perks using most of the Petal Pairs shapes - have fun experimenting. Here's how to choose which punches to use for the flowers, and which ones to use for the leaves:

Top row - flowers; bottom row - leaves.

The "bobos", or rounded shapes are best for flowers. The "kikis", or pointier shapes are best for the leaves.


The card itself is a cinch to make. Here's the template:

Basket and tags

Card front is attached to the back with ds tape. The flowers are attached to the basket with sticky dots.

I used: Bazzill Basics Dotted Swiss cardstock. Flowers are punched from Craft Creations Random Painted Style paper. 

That concludes my first tutorial. Thanks for putting up with my first blogging steps. More soon...

Post launch!

This is my first post - so please bear with me. I've got plenty of ideas and 10,000 hours of papercraft expertise - but blogging is new to me. So - not so many techie bells and whistles to start with - but I'm sharing my love of papercrafts - especially cut and folded creations - with you. Stay tuned...