Miniature Shabby Ruffled Flower:

Last, but certainly not least.  I made a bunch of handmade flowers for my mom and sister's Christmas stockings.  This beauty is a smaller version of the ruffled flower I posted previously.  You can find the tutorial here.  I added my own bit of glamour to the flower with puffy dimensional paint and stickles.  This flower is a little bit more time consuming, but oh! so worth it!

Creating flowers is very satisfying for me.  It's appeals to the girl in me to make something beautiful and delicate.  It also satisfies that quirk of mine with needing to complete a task.  They don't particularly take very long to make, not like LO's do.  Also, my LO's tend to be mostly about my son, so this is such a nice outlet for that feminine side of me.  Giving them away to my sister is also rewarding because she compliments me when she adds them to her own gorgeous cards and tags.

Making all these flowers has taught me a few tricks as well.  The part of making flowers that bums me out the most is the "cutting" part.  Whether it is from my Cricut or punches, it feels like a drag of a step!  So, I've improvised.  I decide what I what to make and cut out a whole bunch of the shapes I need in one sitting.  Later, when I actually have the energy and time, I make the flowers.  It is nice to have the "cutting" phase over with and get on with the creative phase.  Hope that little bit of advice helps you get started with making your own flowers.