Welcome to our new Maker's Corner! We hope you enjoy the tips, techniques and stories that many of our Oliso friends have offered to share with all of us. When an expert shares their tips it removes some of the guess work out of trying something new. At Oliso, we believe that education and creativity go hand in hand.

Michele Muska - Director of content and community

Hey Makers! I love my Oliso Mini Iron! But who knew you could use it to create beautiful 3D foam flowers? This is one of those techniques that is so simple, yet the results are absolutely gorgeous. Using thin Sizzix Sculpting Foam, a few basic tools, and a little heat, you can transform flat die-cut flowers into dimensional blooms that are perfect for all kinds of creative projects.

Let’s Make Some Flowers!

1. Start by die cutting several flowers from thin Sculpting Foam in a variety of sizes.

2. Set your Oliso Mini Iron to high and place it on its side on the silicone iron cover. I like working with it this way because the iron is easy to access when it’s time to heat the flower petals.

🌟🌟 SAFETY FIRST! Work in a well ventilated room and use your face mask. 🌟🌟

3. Using reverse tweezers, hold onto one of the flower petals and slowly bring it toward the iron. As the foam heats, the petal will curl toward the iron. Move the petal around the heat until it has curled as much as you like.

4. Once you have the desired shape, place the flower on a non-stick surface to cool. The petals will hold their dimensional shape as they cool.

5. Repeat the process with all of your flower layers.

Put Your Flower Together!

6. Once all of your flowers are shaped, stack them in size order, with the largest layer on the bottom and the smallest on top.

7. Add your leaves and flower stamens, then gather all the layers together. Insert a brad through the center of the flower and spread the prongs on the back to hold everything securely.

Now comes the fun part!

8. Gently work and adjust the individual flowers and leaves until they sit naturally and your flower has the shape and dimension you want.

The result is a gorgeous 3D flower that looks surprisingly realistic—and it all started with a flat piece of foam!

Want to see it in action? check out the video below to see more.

So Many Ways to Use Them!

These dimensional flowers would be beautiful:

• Tied onto a special gift package
• Added to home décor
• Used on the cover of a handmade journal
• Incorporated into a scrapbook or mixed-media project
• Added to a beautiful 3D card
• Used as a special embellishment on almost any creative project

I love techniques that take a simple material and turn it into something completely unexpected. The Oliso Mini Iron and Sizzix Sculpting Foam are definitely a fun combination!

Give this technique a try and see what beautiful blooms you can create!