Paper Flowers!

Thank you for returning to another Crafting Wednesday! Today we are making paper flowers! 
I love, Love, LOVE making these. They are so pretty and so easy!

Supplies Needed:

1. Paper (larger sheets of paper = larger flowers)
2. Scissors
3. Glue, preferably hot glue gun

You can use any kind of paper you want. Magazines, book (if you wish to destroy a book), construction, whatever, but if you want the best "hold their shape" flowers I recommend using card-stock, or scrapbooking paper. 

You'll want to start with a square piece. If your paper isn't square fold a corner to the opposite edge, not the opposite corner, you are lining up the short side with the long side. Oh just see pic.

Ok, now round the corners. I'm using scrapbook paper and it has an annoying top border that also needs to be trimmed off.

You end up with something like this:

Yes, I'm using multiple pieces of paper, don't be confused.

Next choose what side you want to be facing up. My paper is double sided, one will be facing up, or be the inside of my flower, the other will face down being the outside of my flower. Personally, I like the better looking side to be on the inside. So when you look down into your rose you see the pretty colors or cool pattern. 

Below is the back side of my paper. Draw a spiral to guide you as you cut. It doesn't have to be perfectly spaced. Actually, the more random the better your petals look. However, remember the inner spiral is actually going to be the outer part of your flower, so you may want to get slightly wider as you go in, or get slightly thinner as you go out, you know, depending on where you start your spiral. 

Make your cut

Begin rolling from the outside in. You just want to roll it around itself, as if you were wrapping it around a pencil, which you could actually do if you wanted. 

Remember to roll the side you want UP in. Notice my polka pattern is in the inside. 

Roll it relatively tight.

When you're finished rolling it should look something like this:

Then simply let it go!

It will pop open and turn into a beautiful flower!

I like to secure the shape with a little glue. I have found that hot glue seems to work best since it dries quickly and grabs anything.

Flip your flower over so you are looking at the bottom. Notice the very inside of your spiral, it probably looks almost circular. I like to put a dab of glue here and push the inside of the flower down onto it. 

Sometimes I add a few more globs where the flower seems to want to pop up. 

If you want, cut out some leaves and attach them to the bottom at this time as well. 

Then attach a stem. Just shove it up through the center of the bottom. 

You can find packets of stems at the fake flower section (??) of your craft store, or discount store, I think I found mine at a Walmart. 

TADAA!

If the stem doesn't want to stay add more glue. 

It may take a few tries but you will get it. After all it's only paper. Practice with old magazine pages if you don't want to waste your good paper. But magazine pages make pretty cool flowers too. 

So instead of buying real, which cost $$, or buying those obviously fake flowers, make your own. They are cute and stylish, and eco-friendly, especially if you are repurposing some old paper! Make different sizes and put them in a vase, make a wreath, or use them to decorate an old frame. Be creative! 

Getting married this summer? Brides are actually choosing to do all paper flowers for their weddings!

-C-