My friend Sherry, made me a cute desk set using plumbing couplings. I thought I’d try to replicate the set.

I started with three plumbing pieces from my local hardware store. They didn’t have information on them, but I think they are called “Couplings.” The largest one was under $3 and the smaller ones were around $1 each.

The Graphic 45 papers I used were from Couture Collection.

The ink I used was Wendy Vecchi Make Art Orange Blossom to ink the flowers I cut out. I also used Fern Green for the leaves.

The dies I cut the flowers from were given to me by a friend, and I don’t know the names of them, sorry.

The flower stamen (centers of the flowers) were from Aliexpress.The larger fluffy looking stamen I used on the largest flower is a 3mm glass stamen, link: https://tinyurl.com/y27mghw8 and the stamen I used on the smaller flower is a 3mm pearl stamen, link: https://tinyurl.com/y697o4sq

The yellow/green stylus set from McGill, link: https://tinyurl.com/y6eolzc9

The larger blue stylus set link: https://tinyurl.com/y65k4qcv

Shaping mat (I couldn’t find the foam piece I used) link: https://tinyurl.com/y6yncoy5

After inking the Graphic 45 Couture Collection papers that I cut into flower and leave shapes, I took a stylus and shaped the flowers on a piece of foam. Then took a pokey tool and punched a large hole in the center of the flower. I took three to five stamen and bent them in half, then twisted the stems so they weren’t separate, then added a piece of Scotch tape to the end and wrapped the tape around the ends with tape hanging off the bottom. I snipped the end on an angle, then was able to push the stamen through the back of the flowers and hot glued them in place.

At this point it’s important to look at the top and bottom of the coupling. One end might have writing on it, and that should be your bottom when gluing it to acetate.

To do so, I took each of the couplings and laid them on a piece of acetate (that I got in a stamp set) and drew around the outside bottom edge with a black marker. Then I cut out the circle and laid it on the bottom of the coupling and used a piece of washi tape to hold it in place while I hot glued it to the bottom of the coupling. Once it’s glued in place, I removed the washi tape and trimmed the edges with Tim Holtz scissors so they are flush with the coupling.

To wrap the plumbing couplings with paper, I measured them from top to bottom and cut a piece of the Graphic 45 Couture Collection paper to that height, then took tear tape and wrapped it around the smaller couplings in one spot plus one more piece of tear tape that runs from top to bottom. The larger coupling, I added three rows of tear tape around the coupling, then one piece running from top to bottom to hold the paper in place when I began wrapping it.

After covering all of the couplings with paper, I used a matching alcohol marker and inked the tops of all of the couplings. Then I glued them together.

I used a retired Stampin Up ribbon from a set called Beachfront link: https://tinyurl.com/y5qyv6cn I hot glued the flowers onto the couplings and then added leaves and a fern around the flowers. I took some of my live hydrangea blossoms and added them around the flowers.

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