Jolly Old Elf Handmade Paper Rosette

I love making rosettes and this time of year I always seem to make as many as I can.  This rosette is extra special because it's made using handmade paper.  The image is one of my favorites that I've had for a while now.  It came from one of the collage sheets from Altered Pages.  I've been in a vintage creating mood lately so chose to make this rosette have a vintage look to it. 

For the rosette, I made 2 sheets of paper using the Papermill Pro Envelope & Stationary Kit.  I used some scraps of white paper that I had been collecting and followed the basic instructions for making paper.  When I added the water according to the directions, I added a 1:1 ratio of water to tea to dye the paper.  I laid the paper flat and allowed it to dry for a day. Here's a little hint, if you don't want to use an iron or heat gun to dry it quickly, you can lay it a little ways away from a heat vent and as the furnace turns on and off it helps to dry the paper.  Be sure to flip it every so often to help it dry on both sides.  Then, press it in a heavy book if necessary to flatten it out. 

Once the papers are dry, cut a circle from one sheet.  For this sized rosette, I cut a 2" circle.  The size will depend on the size of the rosette you will be making.  From the second sheet, cut three 2" strips of paper.  Cut the paper lengthwise and then cut 1" off from the end of each.  This will allow you to end on the down fold after it is scored.   Score the strips at 1" intervals and then fold them using the mountain/valley fold technique.  Every other score line should be folded upward making sure to keep all of the folds even on the top and bottom. Crease the folds well.  Once you have done it with all 3 strips, glue them together to create one long paper strip.  Add glue from the center to the edges of the circle that you cut earlier.  Now, pull the ends together to form a circle and place the rounded shape onto the glue.  The folds naturally want to fan out and take shape, but some of them may need a little more creasing.  You will have to place something on top such as your glue bottle to help hold it until the glue is dry.  While you are waiting for that, you can cut the image you will be using into a circle.  It will be the same sized circle as you used for the bottom of the rosette so in this case, circle I cut was 2".  If you do not want to use an image that's ok.  You can cut another from handmade paper.  Use one of the fabulous molds and some casting squares to create a special piece to place on top of the circle.  Add a little sparkle with the glitters, metallics and micas from Arnold Grummer's.   It's all up to you!  Once it is dry, add glue to the back of your circle and lightly press it on top of the rosette.  Cut 2" pieces (or pieces that are equal to the width of your paper strips) of chenille stems and add a little glue to the ends and slide them into the center of the rosette. 

It's that easy to make these beautiful rosettes.  They can be used as decorations or package toppers.  Create them for different occasions such as birthdays and Valentine's Day, too.  No matter the time of year, there's always a handmade paper rosette that is right for the occasion!

Head on over to the website and pick up what you need to start making them.  Use the promo code Dec20 and get 20% off your entire order!