Do you like succulents? I think they are pretty cool plants, but when I saw they were making their way into the papercraft world, I was a bit unsure. Sometimes I just don’t get a scrapbook trend. That’s not to say I don’t always try it out. I do. It’s just that sometimes, I don’t know what to do with certain motifs. After seeing the succulent trend at CHA, I dismissed it. Yes, I saw that many people were making their own succulent gardens( my neighbor included). I just wasn’t sure it was for me. Then it happened. I came across some photos of my son which would work with the succulent motif.This was fortuitous for me considering that shortly after I discovered those photos, Traci Reed Designs came out with a kit featuring said trendy motif.
A Cactus Barrier by Christy Strickler |Supplies Cardstock: American Crafts; Digital Kits: All Year Round Beautifications by Traci Reed and Jady Day Studios; Other: Glossy Accents
It always seems like the one thing I think I will never use ends up being the best thing for a page. I lucked out with a specific set of photos. But what would have happened if photos didn’t drive me to use the succulent motif? What then? Let’s take a look at a few other options for using succulents as inspiration for your layouts and crafts.
If using the motif itself isn’t appealing, consider using photos of succulents to inspire you. Many of these plants have a range of soft colors ranging from warm to cool shades. These colors offers an alternative to traditional spring or summer color palettes.
If blending several colors isn’t your thing, choose just one plant as your color guide. Each type of succulent has a beautiful palette of its own.
I don’t have a green thumb, so planting succulents just didn’t seem like a good fit for me. I did find a few craft alternatives which would allow me to decorate my home with the trend while not sacrificing the lives of any poor plants.
These felt succulents from ShakenTogetherLife.com are both cute and easy to make. I could see myself making some of these with scraps of felt.
CreateCraftLove.com offers a tutorial in which you can create a wall planter of paper succulents. Looks like it’s time to break out the Silhouette Portrait!
In addition to making your own faux succulents, you can use them on cards, tags and in art journals. It would seem that you don’t have to take the trend literally and can interpret it any way you like. To see more succulent inspiration, check out the MSE Trend Watch: Succulents Pinterest Board.
Follow My Scrapbook Evolution’s board Trend Watch: Succulents on Pinterest.
Have you given in to the succulent trend? Are you growing your own or creating something crafty? Share with us in the poll below. I would also love to see links to your own succulent inspired projects. Feel free to place a link to your project in the comments.
Lab Exercise 24: It’s Good to Have a Theme!