Thanks for the wonderful comments!

I have the best followers in the world!  Thank you so much for the wonderful comments, it gives me such encouragement.  I really enjoy putting together the tutorials but it doesn't do any good if no one is reading them, not true on my blog.  I'll try to keep it interesting.  You are the best, thank you.    Kris

Dampening the leaves

Yes, dampening the leaves to shape and letting them dry does help them to keep the shape.  It is remarkable just how much shape you can get.  When making petunias (using just a hole punch) let the circles get damp and then place them onto one or two layers of craft foam and gently and slowly shape with a stylus.  Push in the center and also using another stylus pull the edges out.  You will be amazed at the trumpet shape you can get.  You can't do this with dry paper.  Damp shaping is fun and makes a big difference in the finished flower.  Have some fun!  Kris

Little Red Wagon Floral Arrangement Part 1

 This month I want to make some flowers.  This is an arrangement that my husband sent to me for Valentines Day.  I thought it was so cute that I wanted to make a miniature of it.

This a picture of some of the arrangements I've made.  They are done from directions from the miniature magazines except the gingerbread house on top.  That is another copy of a full size arrangement.


The cabinet is one that I made a while ago.  I would like to show you how to make it, too.  I made mine from wood but I think we can make it from mat board since it's a painted piece.  Then you won't have to have saws to cut the wood.


We are going to make the wagon first, although if you want you can use something else for the container.

A note on my conversions from inches to centimeters, they are close, not exact.

Make a form for the wagon bed, 5/8" x 3/8" (16mm x 10mm), from foam core or something like it.  Make a hole in the top and glue a toothpick in the hole for a handle.

Cut a strip of card stock 7/16" wide and at least 2 1/8" long (11mm x 54mm).

Starting at the middle of one of the long sides, bend the 7/16" (11mm) wide piece of card stock around the form.  Glue the overlapped card stock together with Elmer's glue.

Cut a rectangle 3/4" x 1/2" (19mm x 13mm) from card stock.  Glue to the bottom of the sides.  The sides are still on  the form.  Be careful not to glue to the form, don't laugh!

Trim the bottom to the sides.  Sand the seam on the side with fine sand paper.  Leave the form in while you sand, for support.

Glue 2 layers of card stock together and let dry.


When the card stock is dry punch 8 circles using a 1/4" hole punch.

Glue 2 circles together to make one wheel.  Glue the rest of the circles the same way, making 4 wheels in all.

Pierce a hole in the center of each wheel with a thick needle or "T" pin.

For the tire on the wheel we need to cut the card stock about 1/16" (2mm) wide, I just eye this.  Glue the tip of this narrow strip to the wheel and let dry.  It's easier to wrap the strip around the wheel if it's glued on first.

After the strip is dry, wrap it twice around the wheel and trim the extra off and glue the ends.

Paint a small amount of card stock black, paint the body of the wagon red, (inside and outside), and paint the wheels white, (both sides), and when the wheels are dry, paint the tires black.
Give everything a couple of coats of paint.  I like to use Delta's PermEnamel, although any craft acrylic will do.
We will give everything a coat of acrylic varnish when we are done.  Let all of the paint dry.

The wagon has a rim.  I used crochet thread, (Coats & Clark Knit-Cro-Sheen) to make this rim.  Paint the crochet thread red, when dry glue to the outside top edge of the body of the wagon.
It might be easier to put the body back onto the form for this.

Cut a strip of the black painted card stock 1/8" (4mm) wide.  Fold this strip over the form.

Cut the ends 1/8" ( 4mm) long and pierce a hole in the middle of the 1/8" section.

I used green paddle wire, 24 gauge for an axle.

I bent a small piece over to stop the wire from going through the wheel.

Thread the wheel, the bent card stock and the other wheel onto the wire.

Bend the tip of the wire over to stop the wheel from coming off.

Glue this assembly onto the back underside of the wagon.

You can paint the wire black.

The next piece holds the front wheels and the handle.  This photo shows the diagram and measurements.


1/8" = 4mm
1/2" = 13mm
5/8" = 16mm

Draw and cut out the front piece according to the photo.

Pierce holes at the dots.

Score with the back of your craft knife the solid lines by the dots.

Fold down the receive the wire and wheels.


Score the dotted lines on the "T" part.

Snip in at the solid lines at the base of the "T".

Bend at the scored lines.

Paint this black.

The stick part of the handle is made from a toothpick that's been sanded thinner.

Cut a strip of the black painted card stock about a 1/16" (2mm) wide.  This is for the handle.  I bent this over a piece of wood 1/8" x 1/16" (4mm x 2mm).  If you don't have wood, glue up card stock or mat board to equal this measurement.  Set this aside after it's bent.

If the front assembly is dry, thread the wire and wheels through like you did in step 16.  Glue this onto the underside of wagon.  Paint the wire black.

Glue the card stock handle to the sanded toothpick.

Glue the handle into the front assembly at the little"U" shaped cut out.

Paint this black.

When everything is dry give it a good coat of acrylic varnish.

I made the front assembly long so the handle would show through the flowers.


We will make the flowers next. . . . . . . . .

Little Red Wagon Floral Arrangement Part 2

We are going to make about a dozen each of red carnations, yellow daisies and white daisies.  You won't use all of them in your final arrangement, but I have always been glad for the extra flowers.  I can pick and choose the best ones for my arrangement or I can always use the extras for other arrangements.  Save the extras for a quick project.
The first three pictures are of the punches that I used.  First the Fiskars corner punches, "Flowers" and "Leaves".  Second a 6 petal 5/16" flower punch OR a 5/16" hole punch and an 1/8" hole punch.  Last is the Martha Stewart's Stars Edge Punch, this was a splurge, I had a coupon!

A side note, if you have been reading my blog you will know that I found a great punch site.  It's www.franticstamper.com.  This site has reasonably priced punches that we can use for making miniature flowers.  Go to PUNCH BUNCH when you get to Frantic Stamper.  Of course there is Ruth Hanky of Hanky Panky Crafts, she carries all things for making miniature flowers.

Fiskars also has a border punch that has daisies.  Punch Bunch has a small inexpensive daisy punch also.


https://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Crafting-and-Sewing/Punches

This is a link to Fiskars to find punches.

As I said I had a coupon so I splurged on this punch.  It has all sizes of stars for calyxes.

The top two punches are for the carnations, you can use the circle OR the flower punch.  Whatever you have on hand.

The bottom punch is a 1/8" hole punch I am using for the calyx for the daisy.

For stem wire I am going to use green paddle wire, 26 gauge, if you have 24 gauge wire, use it.  These flowers are going into an arrangement, the size of wire won't matter, at least not to me.

For the flowers I am going to use red tissue paper for the carnations and flat coffee filters, (Mr. Coffee) OR copy paper (painted yellow for the yellow daisies and left white for the white daisies).

For the leaves and calyxes I am going to use green copy paper or white copy paper, both get painted green.









Let's start with the carnations.

You can use the 6 petal 5/16" flower punch OR a 5/16" hole punch.  Either one makes a fine carnation.  For the calyx you can use Martha Stewart's Stars Edger Punch, which has many sizes of calyxes for many types of flowers OR you can use the 1/8" hole punch.

Punch out 8 shapes per flower.  If you have trouble punching the tissue, place the tissue between copy paper.  I usually punch 6 to 8 layers at a time, as many as I can.  Use tweezers to separate.  I like my carnations to be vibrant, so I color each punched shape with a water based marker, red.  I know this sounds tedious, but it does make a difference in the final flower.  You need only to color one side.




****A very pretty carnation can be made by using white tissue and after you've threaded the punched shape onto the wire and before you clip the edges, use a marker to just touch the edge of the tissue all around.  Clip the edges and follow the rest of the directions. *****

Use your tweezers and place 8 punched shapes onto craft foam.  Use a thick pin to pierce a hole into the center of each shape.


Unroll the paddle wire and straighten.  Cut into 2 inch lengths, if you feel you need a longer length, cut it.

I am using paddle wire because I think it's easier and quicker to get.  Hanky Panky Crafts has the paper covered wire for making miniature flowers, it's very nice and not at all expensive.  But, if you have a hole punch and paddle wire right now, you can make the carnation, right now.

Thread your first shape onto the wire.

Make 10 to 12 snips into the edge of the punched shape.

Place a small amount of tacky glue at the tip of the wire.

Push the shape up to the tip, not off, and gently press the shape into the glue and around the wire.  You can gently roll the end between you fingers.

**Tip: When you get the first carnation done and you are pleased with the results, do steps 7 - 9 with the rest of the flowers.  If you let the first punched shaped dry on the wire it won't be so easy to push the carnation off the wire as you build it.****

Thread another shape onto the wire, make 10 to 12 snips into the edge.  Place a small of tacky glue at the base of the first shape and push the second shape into the glue.  Don't push them off.  Carnations are compact flowers, so push the shapes close together.


Do this 6 more times.  You can vary the size of the bloom by using fewer punched shapes and make a bud by just adding a calyx to the first shape you glued to the wire.

In this picture all eight shapes are on the wire.

For a calyx use a 1/8" hole punch OR Martha Stewart's Stars Edge Punch.  This punch has 4 sizes of calyxes, I am going to use the smallest.  To do this without wasting paper I cut a strip of paper and feed it into the punch to just cut the calyx I want.

Pierce a hole in the center of the calyx.  Slide it onto the wire and glue to the bottom of the carnation.

I didn't spend time on telling you what color of green to paint the paper for the calyx.  You can get very specific, I used a "leaf green".

This finishes the carnation.  Use a pin or tweezers to ruffle eges of the carnation.  Make about 11 more.  It's always better to have too many flowers when making an arrangement.



On to part 3. . . . . . . . .

Little Red Wagon Floral Arrangement Part 3

I am using the Fiskars Corner Punch "Flower" OR Fiskars has a border punch that uses a daisy in the design, either on works.  www.franticstamper.com, under the manufacturer Punch Bunch, mini punches, there is an inexpensive daisy punch we can use, too.

This is a close-up of the border punch daisy design.

I am going to use a flat coffee filter, it has a slight texture that I like.

Plain white copy paper is just as good.

Use acrylic craft paint to paint the paper yellow for the yellow daisies.  Use a yellow daisy for the color, real or from a catalog, or maybe a silk flower.  I just used Apple Barrel Yellow, that's what I had on hand.  Paint both sides of the paper.  Let the paper dry before you punch.

Whether you start with green copy paper or white copy paper you are going to paint it green with a leaf color acrylic craft paint you like.  You can get fancy and paint one side of the paper one shade of green and the other side of the paper another shade of green.  You can make two different colors of foliage in the arrangement if you want.  For this arrangement I used Delta's Seminole Green, it's a good all around green.  Let the paper dry completely before you punch.

If you have trouble punching the coffee filters, place them between copy paper and then punch.
To save paper I cut my paper into strips and feed it into the punch to only punch the shape I want.
Punch 24 to 30 of each color for the daisies.
I am going to use the green paddle wire, 26 gauge.  Cut the wires 2" long.

From the painted green paper, punch about 30 1/8" holes.

Bend the tip of each wire about a 1/16" to a 90 degree angle.  I just put my wire at the the very tip of my needle nose pliers and bent the angle.

Pierce the center of your calyxes with a large pin on the craft foam.  To keep the circle from folding up around the pin, hold the circle down with your tweezers while piercing.

Thread the calyx onto the wire and push up to the bend and glue the calyx flat against the bend.  Use tacky glue.  Stick your wires into some floral foam for the calyxes to dry.

It takes 2 punched shapes for each daisy.  Use tacky glue to glue 2 shapes together, offsetting the petals.  Make at least a dozen of each color.

This shows all of the daisies ready to be glued to the top of the wire and calyxes.

Put a dab of tacky glue on the top of the calyx.

Press the calyx onto the back of the daisy.  Replace back into the floral foam to dry.

I use floral foam for the center of the daisy.  This isn't Styrofoam, this is floral foam, it is soft and absorbs water.  Crumble and tear up a small amount.

Apply a dab of tacky glue to the center of daisy.

Using your tweezers, mound a small bit of the crumbled floral foam onto the center of the daisy on the glue.  Do this to the rest of the daisies.  Let dry.

Paint the center of the white daisies yellow and the center of the yellow daisies brown.  Ruffle the tips of the petals with a pin or your tweezers.

On to Part 4. . . . . . . .