Pussy Willow Tutorial

March 27, 2020

Hello my crafty friends,

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these stressful times. One plus with all this staying in is a chance for a lot of us to craft more. Since here in Maine the pussy willows are blooming I of course wanted to recreate them for my cards. I have come up with my take on making them I do hope it is helpful. I don't do videos but have taken pictures.

Stems:

Find a die for a stick that is fairly straight. The ones I have cut were from ECD Toasted Marshmallow die set ( I happened to be using for another card so I cut extra branches) I cut some out of white and equal amount from brown cardstock. Adhere white on top of brown (Note: you can cut both out of brown rather than color with markers) Using a couple shades of brown alcohol markers color stems. Lay stems right side down and using leaf tool draw a line down middle then pinch between fingers to curve stem a bit.

Buds:

Mix Art Glitter Dries Clear glue mixing in s small dish with small amount of water. Cut small pieces of wool roving approximately 3/4" dip in thinned glue squeeze out excess then twist to shape putting clip on end to hold twist. Set aside to dry.

Once dry take clips off. Using Neutral Gray Shade PanPastels add a little shading to each. Be very light handed to avoid some really darker spots which you can see on mine. Trim off excess roving and reshape if needed. Using Kids Choice Glue and a toothpick attach each bud to stem. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Have fun - plan on getting your hands quite messy but it will be worth it.

Alternative to wool rovings you can use Q-Tips I would shade with the PanPastels before cutting as it is easier to hold on to.