How To Shape And Assemble Anemone

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using the Anemone Etched Dies from the Summer Solstice Collection by Susan Tierney Cockburn. Whilst you can create these flowers in different ways, they are made to look realistic. Today, I am sharing a simplified version of how to shape and assemble them.

STEP 1 – DIE-CUTTING THE FLOWERS

1. Cut pieces of ColorWheel Cardstock to be slightly larger than the size of the dies.
2. Place the petal die, as well as the stamens die, onto Lavender ColorWheel Cardstock. Adhere down with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place pistils (flower centre) die onto Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Place leaves die onto Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

5. Create your die cutting plate sandwich – (top to bottom) A Platform Base, B Platform Top, C Cutting Plate, cardstock pieces with dies on top, C Cutting Plate.
6. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
7. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.
8. Place leaves die onto Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
9. Repeat process so that you have 2 flower petal pieces, 3 stamen pieces, 2 pistils, 2 large leaves, and 1 small leaf cut from Rainforest cardstock, and 3 small leaves cut from Peridot cardstock.

STEP 2 – ADD COLOUR & TEXTURE

1. Place petal pieces onto sticky mat.
2. Take a Blending Brush and swipe into Altenew Crystal Violet Fresh Dye Ink.
3. Blend the ink onto the edges of the petals.

4. Using a black 110 Copic Marker, colour the tips of the stamens, making sure to colour on both sides.

5. Add Bearly Art Glue to the tips.

6. Pour Charcoal Paper Flower Pollen into a dish.
7. Pick up stamen pieces with tweezers and dunk into dish to adhere pollen to glue.
8. Repeat the process for all 3 stamen pieces.

STEP 3 – SHAPING & ASSEMBLING THE FLOWERS

1. Place petal pieces onto foam mat.
2. Using a large ball stylus, press into the petals to loosen the fibres of the cardstock and cup them.

3. Place the tip of the tweezers in the centre of the petals and using your fingertips, gentle fold up the sides of the petals.

4. Place the tweezers on the edges of the petals and fold downwards.

5. Press medium ball stylus into the centres of the petal pieces and stamen pieces.

6. Adhere one of the petal pieces onto the other, offsetting, using Bearly Art Glue.

7. Add Bearly Art Glue to the back of the stamen pieces and adhere to the centre of the flower, one on top of another, offsetting each one.

8. Using a medium ball stylus, cup the pistils (flower centres).
9. Adhere one to the centre of the flower, curved side down, with Bearly Art Glue.
10. Add glue to the other one, curved side upwards and add pollen to it.
11. Add glue to the edges and adhere to the other pistil.

12. Place leaves on foam mat.
13. Using a medium ball stylus, press into the bottom of the leaves to add shape to them.

STEP 4 – HOT FOIL SENTIMENT

1. Turn on Glimmer Hot Foil System and let it heat up (red power light will show).
2. Cut a piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock to size.
3. Cut Opaque Black Glimmer Hot Foil to size (just slightly bigger than the plate).

4. Place foil, shiny side up, onto cardstock.
5. Place Making Me Smile Glimmer Hot Foil Plate on top, design side down.
6. Hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

7. Once the Glimmer Hot Foil System platform ready light is showing green, place plate/foil/cardstock sandwich onto platform plate side down.
8. Press timer button. This will flash green.

9. Once timer button is on continuous green, remove platform from base and place both spacer shims on top.
10. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
11. Place platform back into base.
12. Carefully remove plate/foil/cardstock sandwich from platform, being careful not to touch the plate.

TIP: This is the method I like to use to hot foil, but it is worth experimenting with different methods to find which one works best for you!

13. Carefully peel back tape, and using it as a handle, remove foil and plate from the cardstock to reveal foiled image. Place plate onto silicone mat to cool down.
14. If you have any foil in places where you do not want it, carefully scrape away with a craft knife.

15. Place coordinating die on top of sentiments, hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
16. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
17. Carefully remove plate from cardstock and pop out sentiments.

STEP 5 – CARD ASSEMBLY

1. Adhere flowers to A2 sized (4.25” x 5.5”) white card base using Bearly Art Glue.

2. Add Bearly Art Glue to the base/stems of the leaves only (this means the tips will still have the dimension and not be adhered flat).
3. Adhere leaves around the flowers, popping the stems under the flowers.

4. Add thin foam tape to the back of the ‘many thanks’ sentiment.
5. Remove backings off foam tape and adhere to card.

6. To finish, embellish with Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems, using a Tool ‘n One to help place them down.

Whilst shaping the flowers can be a bit fiddly at times, I think it is well worth the effort shaping them to get a realistic look. These cards are very dimensional, so you would want to either hand-deliver them or mail them in a padded envelope/box. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Other Supplies

Black 110 Copic Marker, Altenew Crystal Violet Fresh Dye Ink, Susan’s Garden Ultimate Tool Kit, thin foam tape.