By Angie Felix

Using Pinwheels

They’re little. They’re fun. They’re fashionable. Tiny little pinwheels are a great way to make a big impact on a page, card or other paper crafting project. Pinwheels are a perfect little metal accent, giving your designs a touch of shine and a lot of detail.

About Pinwheels
For starters, pinwheels are a cool way to jazz up the look of a mini brad. They’re small, decorative metal embellishments that come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and are typically used with mini brads.

Using Pinwheels
Each pinwheel has a hole in the center where you can add a brad or thread ribbon through. Designers use a brad of the same color as the pinwheel for a more traditional look or jazz it up with a different colored brad for something fun.

LeNae used pinwheels to accent the snowflake artwork and journaling block on this winter layout. Icy blue and spearmint green metallic mini brads combined with silver pinwheels keep the wintry feel of the spread alive.

On this heartwarming card, Susan added gold flower-shaped pinwheels to accent the rich burgundy tones. Placing one at the top of the card quote and one at the top of the “Birthday Wishes” tag, Susan threaded ladder fiber through each pinwheel. Each added a tiny of bit of detail to complete the card.

Another great pinwheel idea from Susan? Try placing a pinwheel where the “o’s” are in a card sentiment or journaling. Susan added this sun pinwheel to the “o” in extraordinary to help draw the eye to the card quote. She placed a second pinwheel next to the “celebrate” fragment—a natural place for the eye to go next.

Pinwheels and brads are also a perfect way to “hang” an embellishment on a page or card. Paris secured a piece of folded-over ribbon to her Attachments™ Travel Frame and attached a brad and pinwheel through the center point of the ribbon to create a hanger. It’s a little detail that makes a big impact!

Pinwheels are a great way to add personality and interest to paper crafting projects of all kinds. Try some on your next tag, card or page—you’ll love the creative possibilities! Look for Metal Pinwheels #1 or #2 from the Paper Wishes catalog.