While Valentines day is (in my books) overly commercial and terribly forced, it does seem like a nice opportunity to do something sweet for my dear husband… but what?
Cooking something delicious is the obvious choice (which I will still do) but what can I do that’s unusual and something that he can keep? Last year I made heart shaped red velvet ice-cream sandwiches (they didn’t last long) so this year I decided to make him a huge “I Love You” rosette.
Making this was so much fun (and so easy) that I thought I would share it with you.
You will need:
Different coloured papers – I used 3 plain papers and one with an old school newspaper effect
A ruler
A box cutter
Glue
If you have one – a tool for making folds in paper (have no idea what it’s proper name is?)
1 – Cut strips of your paper in varying widths. Remember you want them to be progressively wider than each other so that you get a multilayer effect. Also cut out a backing circle and a heart shape for the front of your rosette.
2 – Carefully measure and crease your strips of paper every 1cm. Then fold the paper up so it make a concertina. Here having a cutting mat (with lines on it) and that fold making tool (as in the photo) really did help.
3 – Now take your widest strip of paper and glue the two ends of the concertina together to form a band. Gather all the folded edges of one side of the concertina together and push the other ends out so it lies flat. Your paper should now create a circular fan. Apply a generous dollop of glue to your backing circle and stick this onto your fan.
4 – Now continue creating circular fans with the other coloured papers. Continue sticking them down, one on top of the another, until you have a set of concentrically smaller circular fans.
5 – (not pictured) Cut strips of your paper to create the ribbon tails and glue these onto the back of your rosette. When you are happy with the overall look, glue your heart in place – Voila, you are done!
This is so easy to do, and you can customise it in so many ways, sticking on some sparkly glitter, or using a photo in the middle. The options are endless.
Hope you all have a romantic and happy Valentines Day
Much Love
xxx