Pleat Tutorial for Birds of a Feather

This pleating is so easy! Watch out though, it becomes addicting!

I saw this idea quite a while ago in the blog world, so the original idea isn't mine, but the tutorial pictures and directions are mine.
1. Cut a 1 1/2" strip from your paper. Any length you want, you may need two or three strips depending on the length of your pleat. For my layout I had a 8 1/2" pleat and needed 11 pleat pieces.
2. Use a decorative edge punch and punch along one edge of each strip you cut. I used the Fiskars scallop punch.
3. Cut the strip into 1 1/4" pieces.
4. Fold two sides in, as small of a fold as you can.
5. Ink the edges, as much or as little as you like.
6. Cut a piece to adhere the pleats to in whatever length you desire and at least 3/4" wide.
7. Lay the larger piece you just cut onto the table. Space out pleats below it. You will want to have one less pleat for the top layer.
8. Flip the larger piece over and with a pencil, mark the center of the top layer of pleat pieces.
9. Put adhesive/glue on the marks and adhere the pleat pieces about 1/4" or a bit more from the bottom edge. (I used my ATC gun)

10. Put glue/adhesive in between each pleat for the rest of the pleated pieces. Adhere the pleated pieces about 1/8" from the bottom to give them a bit more length.
The above picture is what it should look like from the back. Below is what it should look like from the front.
I covered the backside with a liquid glue when gluing to my card and layout. This helped secure the pieces better and allowed me to nudge them just a bit if needed.

Here is a layout I did with the pleats.

So easy and fun!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! If you end up giving the pleats a try let me know! I'd love to see it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pipe Cleaner Flower Tutorial

I created a little tutorial for a fun Pipe Cleaner Flower for the Scrap A Little Blog. Helen posted it there yesterday. I thought I'd share it here today in case you missed it!

I saw a flower from a larger manufacturer that looked a lot like a pipe cleaner. I thought, I can make that! So I did!

I got this die cut card from Creative Cuts & More.

Here is how I make my Pipe Cleaner Flowers:

Start off with a pipe cleaner.

Wrap one end around your index finger.

Wrap the very end of the pipe cleaner so the loop is secure.

Put your index finger in the first loop to keep its shape and wrap the pipe cleaner in a figure eight around your ring finger.

Twist the long end of the pipe cleaner around the figure eight.

Create the third loop around another finger to keep the size of the loops even.

I then wrap the long end of the pipe cleaner through one of the loops already made to secure the last loop made.

Create the fourth and fifth loops the same way, wrapping around a finger to keep size consistent and wrapping through a previously made loop to secure.

You should have a tiny bit left over that you just tuck around the center know to secure the flower.

Open up the prongs on a brad all the way.

Slide the prongs around the center knot.

Fold the prongs shut.

Here is the finished flower!

This was so quick and fun to make. I think they’d make great layering pieces for layered flowers too! Of course, you could always make bigger flowers by using more than pipe cleaner.

Here is a layout I did for Scrap A Little a while back using the pipe cleaner flowers.