A Rosette by any other name....is still a rosette!

PATIO PARTY ROSETTES -  12" WALL ART  by Taylor B! 

HERE IS A GREAT HOME DECOR PROJECT FEATURING ROSETTES AND STAMPIN' UP'S PATIO PARTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER!

Entering this project is FUSSY FRIDAY'S 'FANCY FOLD CHALLENGE 66 " HERE

PART I 

 I have a few choice words about rosettes which range from "Awesome" to 'arrgh!' on the occasion when I am all thumbs trying to put one together!!!

Luckily the Gods were good to us when they gave us steel dies!

We can now punch out rosette embossed 'blankets' and then construct those into the final, nifty, folded rosette of old!  And Stamping Up! has a great rosette die because it can make very large rosettes as you can see in my wall art project - just as it makes smaller ones too!

 So its way better .....but there are those days, when I can not put glue to paper and paper to paper without something slipping and going crooked!!!!  However, I put my thinking cap on and came up with a solution!

 I made 'rings' to the size I needed and placed my creased and nearly finished rosette into this ring to attach the stablizing 'backing' - the smaller sized paper 'core' we glue at center to the squished folds to keep them in their correct position.

  In the past, this is exactly where I goofed up!  I'd have my usual paper circle sitting and push my rosette coil down to glue it onto the circle core only to have the rosette coil shift - and then its less than perfect, and maybe even less than stable!  But my new found method works! Here in pictures is how......

I find a variety of rings to create different sizes of rosettes....here I have used a coffee cup which I cut witha a hobby blade and scissors, but try other 'rings' like biscuit cutters, hoop frames, maybe you have your own ideas. The ring's purpose is to "contain" the rosette coil.  The rosette coil is what I call the strip of accordian-folded paper that is joined at its ends to form a coil!  Now you can focus on securing the rosette's many folds at its center by attaching a paper backing!

Here's my backing.....

First, you need to establish a center - so I created a center guide! 

I made a square chipboard coaster into my ' base ' and marked 

the 'center' with pencil guide lines.  

Here is my rosettes "backing" circle core I 

spoke of just waiting for my rosette coil! I pinned the backing circle to the 

chipboard base AND the pin will act as my "centering guide" when I add

the rosette - you'll see!

Here I have positioned my ring and secured it with push pins.  You won't get a proper centered rosette if the ring shifts around! The glue has been added to the paper backing and everything is peachy! 

I added my rosette coil over the center pin which tells me that the rosette is centered. And pushed the loose rosette coil down and the glue will work its magic!  AND THIS IS WHY IT WORKS FOR ME...the ring helped me place the rosette into position and kept it there while I set it up - no shifting, sliding and I get the backing on dead center!!!  No more lop-sided results.  Instead I can focus on making the next one :) 

When it is safe to remove the rosette when the backing circle has dried in place, I can flip the rosette over and add a decorative center front!  I will be able to do this step easily since the folds are secured in place underneath to the backing. By decorating the rosette's front, you will also be doubling the strength of the rosette - you could almost set a drink on it by the time you're done!  

OK - I will be doing more on this project next time as you can see how I put the project together! 

Just one more picture and a final point.  

DIAMETER SIZE AND DEPTH OF ROSETTE

When you create ' rosettes ' the size and thickness of the rosette depends on the following:

a) the length and width of your folded strip of paper will determine the rosette's size overall 

b) the depth and number of your folds will determine how thick your rosette turns out.

See the pictures below and notice what I mean.....

The deeper, smaller rosette has folds at every half inch on a shorter length of cardstock whereas the more shallow but larger NAVY rosette on the right has a longer 'strip' of paper which was folded at every 1/4 inch. 

You can take this concept to every extreme - from the tiniest rosette with teeny-tiny folds to gigantic rosettes which make wonderful banners!  So please return to see my next set of tips and tricks to make fun and easy projects featuring the "ROSETTE"! 

My GIANT rosette fits beautifully into a 12x12 inch frame! 

To make life easier you will need a scoring tool - preferably one such as Stampin' Up!'s Scoring Tray! 

Designer Paper = Patio Party by Stampin' Up! 

Rosette XL Die by Stampin' Up! 

Project designed by Taylor B! June 2012. 

END OF PART I