Fabulous circle punch tutorial with Cindy Stevens!

Hi Everyone!
I'm back with a few more tricks to help you get more out of your punch stash,  partnered with a few small things from around the home like twine, toothpicks & buttons.
 


 
The first project is a pinwheel I made by punching a large circle (about 3.5" diam.). If you look at Image #2, you will see that I have marked off where I am planning on cutting my paper. I wouldn't normally do this step at all, much less in ink, this is for illustration only. Artist tip: I like to try to find a patterned paper that has two contrasting colors or designs on each side, so the details pop out a bit more when you fold the corners in.
 


 
If you feel the need to mark out your cutting lines until you are more confidant, do so in pencil, then erase your lines. As you can see, I only cut part way in (about half). Then I used a piece of double sided adhesive in the center. something that will really make all the difference with these embellishment projects is a good double sided adhesive. For my projects I used American Crafts This to That double sided adhesive which will keep my project nice and sturdy. Take each corner and fold it in (gently) to the adhesive.
 


 
All points should meet. I then finished my pinwheel off with a smaller punched circle, button & barbeque skewer (see image 10).
 
The banner is a super simple project. As you can see, al you need is a punch, paper, adhesive & twine. Artist tip: this is an excellent way to use up a bunch of scraps you might be holding onto!
 

 
I first punched out 6 circles (about 1.5-2`diam.) and folded them all in half.
 


I then added a small piece of adhesive to the center of the circle, wrapped it around the twine and folded in half.
 


 
The folded circle flower is almost just as easy. First, punch out 5 - 1.5-2`circles (one will be the flower base and the other 4 will be your petals). Next, fold each piece in half and then fold in half again (see image 8)
 


 
Next, apply a piece of strong adhesive to the center and add first `petal`. Finish with the last 3 (see image 9 for placement). Add a button for detail in the center and carefully puff out petals for dimension.
 




 
I used most of these tricks on my fabric covered wreath for a hand-made, cottage-y feel.

 

I hope this tutorial inspires you to get creative with your circle punches!  Thanks for stopping by and a HUGE thank you to Catherine & the rest of the team at Scrapbooks & Cards Today, I have had a wonderful time guest blogging this week!   ~ Cindy Stevens

Thank you Cindy for some excellent tutorials and for joining US this week!  For more of Cindy's work be sure to visit her blog HERE! 

Our exciting week continues THIS Friday with the release of the new summer issue both in stores and available for free download from our website!  We are also 88 fans away from 12,000 on Facebook!  When we hit 12,000 we are going to have 12 days of giveaways.  Want a hint?  Think Spellbinders, American Crafts, Doodlebug.  Want more?  Fancy Pants, Maya Road, Bella Blvd!  Click here to "like" us so that we can get the party started ASAP!

Have a great Wednesday! 

~ Catherine

Comments

[JoAnn B.]

All great ideas. I had never thought of doing the pinwheels with a circle punch instead of a square. Thanks for all the tips.

[Mary J]

That is brilliant - thanks for the tips!

[Gisele]

Thanks Cindy, going to make some of those fun projects and so easy too:)

[Queen Mary]

Excellent directions, wonderful wreath!

[Michelle Liimatainen]

Phenomenal ideas! I love this blog. It's the only one I make sure I get to daily! :)

[Ann B]

Oh I think I am going to have to make a pinwheel wreath now!! Thanks for the great idea Cindy!! So cute!!!

[Brenda B]

Incredible ideas! Thanks so much!

[Kathy P]

Cool ideas, Cindy.....thanks for the tips! Love your wreath!

[Debby @ ScrapSoul]

Okay, that wreath is so cool! Thanks for sharing!

[Gail Owens]

Thanks for the tutorial- and I love the wreath!!

[Donna Rawbone]

Another excellent idea.
Thanks

[Melinda T]

Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!

[Tona]

Thanks for the inspiration!

[Julie Shearer]

Great ideas ! TFS.

[denise]

I always think is squares so it is nice to get some fresh ideas!!!

[luanne]

wow! thanks for sharing this. I've never tried making a pinwheel and will definitely check this post tonight and try, love the folded circle flower too, I made some of these flowers using felt and never tried on paper so gonna make one of these tonight too.

Woohoo!

[Dorina D]

Thanks for the circle tutorials. Love learning new techniques and these were well explained. Great job.

[Ruza]

Thanks for the tutorial! ;o)

[JustAPacRat]

Wonderful ideas thanks for sharing them with us.

[ColleenB.]

Very clever ideas
thank you

[Vicky Gould]

How cool...gonna give all of these a try...tfs!

[Kaen Caddle]

I love it. Can't wait to try the pinwheel!

[Dorina D]

Great tutorial and ideas. So fun.