May 15, 2020

PUNCH OUT A CORSAGE

The cornerstone of my quarantine survival strategy is keeping busy. I enjoy challenging myself with design problems to stay occupied and to keep my creativity flowing. While deep cleaning my studio I rediscovered my stash of craft punches and decided they would be perfect for my next project: I challenged myself to create something entirely out of craft punches. The corsage I developed would make a gorgeous gift tag, stunning pin, or even a vibrant place card for a table setting.

Long-haired girl wearing a ruffled gingham pink dress with a paper corsage made unexpectedly with an assortment of craft punches.

A vintage scalloped brass tray with a collection of paper floral corsages unexpectedly made with an assortment of craft punches.

MATERIALS

Various craft punches:

4-inch scissors

Scoring stylus

Straight edge

Cardstock in various colors—We sourced ours from Paper Source

Gold foil paper or Assorted metallic foil papers

All-purpose glue

Glue pen

Optional: Adhesive backed pins

INSTRUCTIONS

Tutorial showing how to make a paper floral corsage with an assortment of craft punches.

To begin, prepare all the shapes:

1. Flag punched with a flag punch, cut in half, 2. Base punched with a 2-1/4-inch scallop, 3. 3/16-inch hole punch, 4. Circle punched with 1 1/2-inch circle punch, 5. Two small stars punched with a 5/8-inch star punch, 6. Leaf double-punched with a 2-inch circle punch, scored lengthwise, 7. Two flowers cut with a flower punch, 8. Six petals punched with a balloon punch, each scored lengthwise.

Step in a tutorial teaching how to make a paper floral corsage with an assortment of craft punches.

1. Place a dollop of glue in the center of the scallop base. Set the bottom of one petal balloon in the glue, then add the others, rotating each so that the bulbous portion of the balloon goes around the base. Add another dollop of glue to the center to encapsulate all the balloon ends.

2. Bend each point on the flowers and stars upward. Glue the center of one flower onto the gold circle, then add the other, offsetting the petals.

3. Cut fringe into the gold circle. The cuts need to go just far enough underneath the paper petals to be hidden. To prevent overlapping snips, cut into the circle at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock. Then go back and snip in the middle of each of those quadrants. Go back again and cut in the middle of those sections, and again, until the entire circle is fringed. It helps to use small scissors to make the delicate snips.

4. Adhere the fringed gold foil assemblage to the center of the balloon petals. Next glue the center of the foiled star to the punched out flower, offsetting the points. Then add the paper star, also offsetting the points. Finish with the hole-punched center.

5. Glue the two sides flag strips underneath the petals. Snip fringe into the leaf for texture then glue underneath the petals. Bend the center petals and stars upwards and ruffle the gold fringe to finish off the corsage.