Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog: A Mother's Day bouquet with Aly Dosdall!

Mother’s Day kind of snuck up on me this year—maybe because Easter was so late in April. Either way, I needed a quick, easy, but pretty gift for my mom and mom-in-law. So I decided rather than giving them real flowers (which are beautiful, but don’t last too long) I would make them a bouquet of flowers from my stash of scrapbook supplies!

Supplies: patterned paper, ribbon, felt flower (American Crafts); felt flowers, button tool, epoxy shape tool (Epiphany Crafts); paper flowers, buttons (Making Memories); silk flowers (WeR Memory Keepers)

Here’s what you need:

- flowers (varying sizes and colours in silk, paper, felt, fabric, etc.)
- buttons (varying sizes and coordinating colours)
- cloth covered wire florist stems (18 inches long—one for each flower)
- ribbon
- vase
- decorative marbles or rocks
*optional: I used custom button and epoxy tools which also required patterned paper

Here’s what you do:

First you need to prepare your flowers. I used layered felt flower settings from Epiphany Crafts, so I gently took them apart so I could layer them with different flowers. Also, if you’re using flowers that don’t come with a hole in the center, you’ll need to punch holes with a paper piercer or 1/8 inch hole punch. The flower that will be the bottom layer will need two holes.

Once your flowers are ready, you’ll need to get your buttons ready. I used the epoxy shape tool and the custom button tool from Epiphany Crafts. I love that with these tools you can create exactly what you want by using your favourite patterned papers. Here I used some American Crafts City Park papers that matched my flowers and just lined them up in the tool’s viewfinder. I them removed the shape or button from the adhesive and placed them in the tool. Then I just pushed down like a paper punch and out came my custom epoxies and buttons—so easy! I also gathered some larger buttons to layer with my custom epoxies.

Last you need to assemble your flowers. The more layers the better. Just make sure that the top of the stack of flowers has a button, and the bottom flower in the stack has two holes. Thread your florist stem (which you can find at your local craft store) up through the bottom of the flower with two holes, and then through the other flowers with one hole, and lastly through the button. Then thread the stem back down through the opposite hole in the button, the single hole of the middle flower layers (the same one you came up through), and the second hole in the bottom flower. Then twist the stem tightly starting as close as possible to the bottom flower layer. Make sure you leave enough stem so that the flower peeks out of the vase at an appropriate height.

I like to create an odd number of flowers—odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye. For this bouquet I made five. Finish off the project by adding a ribbon around the vase, and decorative rocks or marbles inside to keep the flowers in place.

I know my mom will appreciate a little bit of spring indoors. I’m sure yours would too. Enjoy, and Happy Mother’s Day!

~ Aly

Beautiful Aly...thank you for sharing! And, just as a reminder, National Scrapbook Day is this Saturday! The SCT team has been working hard to provide you with some great inspiration, prizes and a BIG surprise! All the fun starts right here at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, May 7th!

Comments

Oh so pretty! It's such a happy looking bouquet of flowers! Thanks very much for sharing this idea! :o)

Posted by: Nancy | May 03, 2011 at 08:15 AM

Wonderfull I think this ios a good "teen" craft to do for their Mom...

Posted by: Peggy Carmody | May 03, 2011 at 08:22 AM

creative, as always, Aly!

Posted by: Monika Wright | May 03, 2011 at 08:30 AM

Really, really pretty! Very spring-like! Thanks for sharing this! It is really sweet!

Posted by: Melissa Joyes | May 03, 2011 at 08:34 AM

Great idea! I like the wire. I've used wooden bbq skewer sticks before for these and my mother in law put them in the liquid for the diffusers and the scent goes up the stick and makes the room smell good, too. Dual purpose—pretty and fragrant!

Posted by: Diana Fisher | May 03, 2011 at 08:42 AM

What fun and colorful flowers!! Thanks for the inspiration :)

Posted by: MargieH | May 03, 2011 at 08:58 AM

Very cute!

Posted by: Lee-Anne | May 03, 2011 at 09:14 AM

Gorgeous Aly!
Thank you!!

Posted by: alexandra s.m. | May 03, 2011 at 09:16 AM

Wow, Aly!! GORGEOUS!!! And what I love about this is that you can treasure it always!! Awesome tutorial too!! TFS!

Posted by: Karen Wilson | May 03, 2011 at 10:02 AM

Very nice - and thanks for sharing how to make them - just the incentive I needed to FINALLY use the flowers I have been hoarding - just wish I had the Epiphany tools !

Posted by: Elizabeth P | May 03, 2011 at 11:03 AM

These are beautiful ... I will have to show these to my girls ... they were making similar flowers Easter weekend and I think that they will find these inspiring too!
Thanks!!

Posted by: Lorrie Everitt | May 03, 2011 at 11:06 AM

So pretty! LOVE this idea!

Posted by: Cathy P in AZ | May 03, 2011 at 11:39 AM

Very pretty!! TFS!

Posted by: Amanda W | May 03, 2011 at 12:30 PM

These are adorable and would make such a cute spring centerpiece for my mantel! Thanks for the tutorial!

Posted by: Erica Marshall | May 03, 2011 at 01:08 PM

Adorable bouquet! Love this!

Posted by: kathy (krolski) | May 03, 2011 at 01:13 PM

Super cute bouquet Aly!

Posted by: Amy K | May 03, 2011 at 01:46 PM

so cute!!! i could use some of those in the gorgeous cat mug my son got me last year :O)
what is that tool that you did the buttons with???? i have not seen that before...looks interesting
blessings

Posted by: scottydog | May 03, 2011 at 03:04 PM