Pine Cone Tutorial

Today I have two cards for you.  Both qualify for this week's Joan's Garden's Thursday Challenge.  I am including a tutorial with this post.   This card was created using punches for the poinsettia and the pine cones.

This card was made using "Groovy Snowmen" stamps from JustRite. To emboss the trees, I used a Tim Holtz embossing folder. I made the pine cones using card stock. Joan (Joan's Gardens) has created a gorgeous card using another JustRite stamp and it also has pine cones. Be sure to go to her blog to see it.

Joan  is has some new products that we are having so much fun using. These include new punches, flower tools,  YES paste, and a book.   She has more information about these products on her blog here. 

Here is the tutorial on how I made the pine cones:

You start off punching 20 "pine cone petals" using a "Pear" punch. 

Using a flower shaping tool, you "condition" the card stock to soften and shape  it.

This picture shows how you use the large "ball" end of the tool to shape the petal of the pine cone.  You press down in the center causing the edges to curl up slightly.  You need to do this on a thick rubber mat.  Using tweezers you pinch down in center of the stem end of the "pear" to help curve each one.

What we use as a base to shape the pine cone is "YES" Paste.  This is a thick glue that will hold its shape so you can push each  petal into it to form the pine cone.

I use a chop stick to take out a small amount of paste and place it on a piece of acrylic.  I use acrylic from Nestability packaging. 

This paste is very sticky, but try and shape it in a bee hive shape.  In the picture here I have three shapes for my three pine cones.  When dry, this glue is transparent.

I have to say I am pretty messy when I am doing this.  You start off pushing seven "petals" into the bottom of the paste slightly overlapping. To form a "closed" pine cone, you want the cupped part facing the middle.   Don't worry if they aren't perfect because you can shape it after you have finished adding all level of petals.  Also, you can cut off extra glue that is showing after you are finished adding all petals. 

Here I am using tweezers to add the second level of petals.  You should add three or four rows of petals in the paste.

This picture shows the pine cones once all petals have been added.  In the very center you use the tweezers to roll one last pear shape diagonally.  Grasp the top of the petal with the tweezers and place it in the top center of the cone.  It is important to roll this middle one to make it look realistic.  Now I have lots of glue showing on the bottom.  I take a scrap piece of card stock and just "slice" down around the pine cone to remove all the excess glue.  Maybe with more practice I won't have so much paste showing on the outside.   I  slide a piece of card stock under them, one by one, and place each pine cone where I want it on my completed card.  You can shape them easily the way you want them once they are on the card.  If you want to add snow to them, just add a tiny bit of Liquid Applique to the tips and heat with heat gun.  You can sprinkle on clear glitter immediately after heating and it will stick.  You can also add punched "greenery" around your pine cones. 

These cards were created for the Joan's Gardens Thursday Challenge #21.  You can read all the details about the challenge here.  Hope you will join in on the fun.