The Tea Princesses Crown with Two Toned Ribbon Leaf Tutorial

Okay gang, steep a bag, don your finest attire, pull out all the bling, and sit back and relax while you check out The Tea Princesses Crown.

I have been itching to create a crown, for some reason they always seemed so intimidating, but when I set my mind to it and received this months kit, Provence French Country, from Alpha Stamps, everything fell into place.

The frame of the crown was created using the 2 3/4" wide Ivory Venice Lace (Massive Supply list HERE).  The Ivory was a little too light in my opinion, had a cup of coffee sitting next to me (Yes, I know!  I'm a traitor, but it was early early in the morning, don't tell the Tea Princess!) so in went the lace and out came this gorgeous color.  Next I soaked it in Plaid Stiffy Fabric Stiffener (from local craft store), set it flat to dry.  When it was dry I soaked it a second time and wrapped it around a massive cylindrical tube.  Had to pin it in a few places to keep it on.

 Once it was dry it was time to get crackin'.  

For the focal point I used a chipboard Tea Cup from the Teaparty Chipboard Die-Cut set and glued on an image from the Sweet Tea Collage Sheet.  The image was a bit too grey for the crown so she got brushed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and Galaxy Gold Ink. 

For some reason I just couldn't wrap my mind around how to make the saucer look like a saucer, where to draw what lines etc...so I covered it up with a crown from the Royal Icons Silicone Mold.  All the molded items on the crown I created using hot glue.  

A few weeks ago I created a tutorial for how I did that.  

What tea cup doesn't need some filigree behind it?  

This piece is from the Large Bronze Fancy Filigree Set.  To make it fit for a royal, I painted it with a coat of Lumiere Metallic Acrylic Paint in Metallic Gold.  It took on this amazing depth of color. To make my other pieces look the same I first painted them with a coat of black acrylic paint and then covered it with the Metallic Gold.  I did this on everything you see gold, all the molds and the triple pearl pins (they were originally pearl colored).

To fancify the tea cup's handle I added a flourish from the Small Flourishes Silicone Mold and a bow from the mini bows silicone mold.

Flowers, flowers everywhere!  

Seam binding roses are such great filler.  The pink, tan and blue seam binding are from the Provence Seam binding set (oh, these colors are so luscious).  For the leaves, Serbian Brown, from the Art Nouveau seam binding set.  Do you see that little tip of Spice (burn orange) coming out of the center flowers leaf?  I'm going to show you how to do that!  That shade of seam binding is from the On the Boardwalk seam binding set.

But I didn't stop there, That luscious velvet flower is a Vintage Velvet Hydrangea.  I painted it's center with a bit of the gold.  I didn't think about making the center of the seam binding roses gold until after I'd sewn on the pearls from the cream pearl assortment, and well, I didn't want to get gold on the flowers, so no gold centers.

When I was thinking about what kind of tutorial I would like to do for this project (there has been a request for simpler tutorials and projects, and well, this is not a simple project) I decided I wanted to show how to make the ribbon leaves. They add so much to the little seam binding roses and other purchased flowers that don't come with enough leaves.  You can never have enough leaves.  But how to make it mine, new and original?  So I stared at the pile of ribbon on my desk, and stared and then light bulb!  Why not make the leaves two toned?  The above image shows two toned leaves using the 1 1/2" moss green satin ribbon and a darker green I found at the craft store.  The flower I enhanced with these leaves is from the Calla Lilies and Berries pack, in Ivory.

The secret to this process is that your ribbons need to be the same width or equal the overall size.  So one ribbon can be 1 1/2" and the inside ribbon can be 1 3/4".  

But more on that later.

Onto the side.  

Wrapped around the entire crown is a tea themed boarder cut from the Tea time boarder die.  The rich paper I cut it from is in the Provence 12x12 Collection pack, so many rich and detailed papers.  A strand of white (not after I painted them ;) plastic pearls also wraps around the crown.

Another Calla Lily, this time with simple leaves, not two toned, Brass Flatware spoon,  and a vintage velvet pansy (amber yellow) create the side focal point.  

There is one on each side of the crown.

Can't leave the back plain now can I?  

More Filigree painted with gold and seam binding roses adorn the back.

The stick pins I used I have coveted for years, this was the perfect project for them, alas they are no longer made.  But, don't despair, they are easy to make.  

You will need some head pins, like THESE, and a mix of pearl sizes (the cream pearl assortment is perfect for this).  

Thread those pearls on, put a dab of glossy accents between them and paint them.  

Voila your very own pearl stick pins, they won't look exactly like these, but they will be darn close.

I've spent most of this post focused on the large two toned leaves, but look here, you can make them itty bitty too!

Here is that Tutorial I keep speaking of

Now a bit more detail on the leaves and what size ribbons work best for what size flower.  All of the following images are in the video, but here they are for your staring pleasure.

All of these ribbons are available at Alpha Stamps and most of them are on the massive supply list.  

 1 1/2" Moss Green Satin Ribbon

 Top: 7/8" Satin Ribbon shown with the velvet pansy

Bottom:  Olive Crepe Ribbon shown with a seam binding rose made with a dine as the template.

 Top:  Variegated Silky Rayon ribbon

Bottom:  Seam Binding

The smallest flower in my collection of paper flowers that was not a bud.  We are talking pencil eraser size.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  

I hope you enjoyed your tea and my Tea Princess crown.  

Names of all the supplies I used from Alpha Stamps

Most of them can be found HERE

2-3/4" Wide Ivory Venice Lace

Brass Flatware*
Calla Lilies & Berries - Ivory
Cream Pearl Assortment
Crepe Ribbon - Olive
Large Bronze Fancy Filigree Set*
Lumiere Metallic Acrylic Paint - Metallic Gold*
Mini Bows Silicone Mold*
Moss Green 1-1/2 Inch Satin Ribbon
Moss Green 7/8 Inch Satin Ribbon
On the Boardwalk Seam Binding Set
Provence 12x12 Collection Pack
Provence French Country Kit - October 2015
Provence Seam Binding Set
Seam Binding - Art Nouveau Colors
Silicone Mold - Royal Icons
Silicone Mold - Small Flourishes*
Silicone Molds - Alphabet
Soft Taffeta Ribbons
Sweet Tea Collage Sheet
Tea Time Border Die
Teaparty Chipboard Die-Cut Set*
Variegated Silky Rayon Ribbons
Vintage Photo Distress Ink & Stain Set
Vintage Velvet Hydrangea Picks - Cream
Vintage Velvet Pansies - Amber Yellow
White Plastic Pearls (Strands)