E-Team Special Mission: The Tim Holtz Rosette Die

It's always like Christmas and Mardi Gras combined whenever Tim Holtz puts a new product on the market, but few have spiked the excite-o-meter quite like the Sizzix Alterations Paper Rosette Die!

So, it makes perfect sense that our fearless leader—Daisy of eclectic Paperie—sent down a Paper Rosette Extravaganza Assignment to the E-Team. "Take this and play with it and create something cool," was the gist of it. Were we excited? Does Mr. T like jewelry??

I had an absolute blast with this die, and I can already tell it's one of those craft supplies I'm going to be tempted to use every single time I make anything.  Good grief, this thing is addictive! And it really works. Yes, that flat little strip of perforated paper really CAN be transformed into a perfect flower. It's kind of magical, really. 

I could go through the instructions here, but it's way, WAY more fun to watch Tim's video on how this fabulous die works. Let's all go do that right now, shall we?

Tim Holtz Rosette Video

How fun was that?! I know, I'm ready to make more rosettes! (And on a related note, eclectic Paperie is taking pre-orders for that already-legendary Vagabond, Tim Holtz's ingenious, automatic die cutting machine. If you haven't ordered yours yet, it's time! )

Since my Vagabond is on pre-order, I used my Sizzix Big Shot with the Extended Spacer Platform and the 13-inch Cutting Pads with the rosette die, and they worked perfectly. And, in the process of making a gazillion little flowers, I learned a couple of tricks that might be helpful to you. Here they come...

The only real challenge I had with the rosette was the fact that it kept tearing at the perforations during the flattening out process. This is no doubt because I'm a crafting brute who needs to develop a gentler touch. In the meantime, though, I found that putting a strip of clear packing tape across the back of the cut paper prior to doing the accordion fold completely alleviated the issue. The tape doesn't show in the finished rosette, and it gives thinner papers a little more heft and durability.

The other suggestion I have is to experiment with cutting the strip lengthwise before folding it to create smaller rosettes. You can see on my picture frame that I've stacked smaller flowers onto larger ones, and that's how I created those. You can get really creative with color and texture combinations using varying sizes of rosettes stacked together. I mentioned the word "addictive" already, didn't I?

Obviously, I'm completely smitten with the Paper Rosette Die, and this seems to be the general consensus of the entire E-Team. My Design Team friends made some absolutely stunning art for this challenge; you've just gotta check out their mad crafting skills!

The E-Team

Broni Holcombe

Latrice Murphy

Linda Duke

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever

Starla Nelson

So, here's the deal: Visit each E-Team member’s blog, then head over to the eclectic Paperie blog and tell eP which paper rosette project(s) was/were your favorite/s. And why would you do this?

Because Daisy is going to be giving away a Paper Rosette Gift Package on the eP blog!!!

Okay, my art-y friends, I'm off to (cut more rosettes) do some Very Important Projects. I can't wait to hear about your experiences with the Paper Rosette Die!

Hugs,
Linda