3D Paper Flower Petals

Do you have some tools or other craft products that you don't know how to use? Or that you haven't used in years? Or that you've just rediscovered? If so, we're in the same boat. Welcome. 

That's exactly how I felt as I was digging through my bag of punches. I've had this scallop punch for ages but haven't used it more than a handful of times. So this was the week to pull it out and play around with some new ideas.

That's how this 3D flower card came to be.

 The petals are folded so they'll stand out from the front of the card, and the double-sided paper gives an interesting combination of colors and patterns.

To make your own, punch eight scalloped circles from two-sided decorator paper with your punch. If you use regular paper, it will be white on the folded part, which is fine but a little boring.

Fold in two of the sides, creasing along the line of the scallop. You want two whole scallops on one end and three whole scallops on the other. (It sounds like this should be a cooking post, doesn't it? Now I'm hungry for scallops and a little butter sauce.)

Then fold each edge back slightly so you can see the first pattern one more time. You can also alternate two and three scallops on the outside edge, like I did for my card.

With all of the petals folded, arrange them into a circle. You'll know immediately if you need to make more to fit your project or if you have too many and your flower is too large.

Once adhered to the card front, get creative with the center of the flower. You can use a large button, layer punched circles or find the perfect gemstone to embellish it, making it even more beautiful.