Tutorial Tuesday! Paper Bouquet

Happy Tuesday!

We’ve much material to cover, so let’s get craftin’, shall we?

I’ve had my eye on this tutorial for months! but wanted to wait until I had both the time and energy to put into it. You will need both, I assure you, but the payout is this gorgeous piece of art.

*Sorry about the ugly peek into our garage. Not part of the lovely, obviously!

Didn’t it turn out great?!

I was first inspired to make my own paper bouquet after stumbling upon this blog: http://jonesdesigncompany.com/flowers/rolled-paper-flowers-tutorial/ Emily, a designer, makes many gorgeous things, some involving paper, some not. You’re sure to find something that suits your fancy if the bouquets are not for you.

*** I want to be honest with you. Nothing is more defeating than when craft experienced people neglect to mention that something might be difficult or  that obstacles will ensue. So, I am saying that — right now. Obstacles will ensue. If you’re a regular crafter and have worked with paper before, it will likely be easier than if you haven’t. If you are frustrated easily and also have the misfortune of being a perfectionist, such as myself, this craft will vex you. Requisitioning myself a deadline added to my stress, but had I given myself the freedom to span this over a few days, I think I may have enjoyed the process a little more. However, I am — as I stare across the room at my desk — enjoying the result immensely 🙂

Before starting you will need:

~ paper {I chose a blues and greens theme, as that suits the color palate of my room. Feel free to branch out and use different colors.}

~ florist wire {Rather than go to Michael’s for this, I went to a thrift store and purchased fake flowers and snipped off the buds.}

~ scissors, pencil, glue gun

~ Vase (I opted for a pitcher, instead, to go with the decor of my room)

Step 1: 

Cut a circle. I gave mine scalloped edging to add layers and dimensions. You will need to repeat this process approximately 12-16 times depending on how full you want your bouquet. My roses varied in size, but a good template would be somewhere between 6-9 inches in diameter.

Step 2:

      Along the inside, cut in a spiral fashion.

Many, many, many minutes later, your pile should look a bit like this.

Step 3:

Take the outside of your spiral and begin rolling backward. For the majority, I chose to have my print on the inside, rather than the outside. Occasionally, I would do a few the other way around.

Continue rolling until you have a rose that looks something like this.

Step 4:

Gently lift up the base and glue, securing your rose.

And again . . . a long while later, you should have amassed a stemless batch of roses.

Just checking in . . . How are you doing? Burned your fingertips yet? Any bald patches? Crumpled roses tossed across the room? Have you forbade anyone to enter your dominion, lest receive a lashing of a minimum of one hundred angry glares? If not, and you are finding all my warnings unnecessary, great! If so, this is especially for you.

Aw . . . look at the sweet puppy, adorable puppy. I happened to look over at my sleeping puppy at a particularly disgruntled moment and saw my sweet girl. If you’re anything like me, you should feel your jaw loosen and blood pressure go down shortly. Take a few deep breaths, and when you’re ready, move on to the next step.

Step 4:

 Trace or free hand a leaf template, and cut out about 8-10 leaves total.

Fold by taking one side and crossing over, so that there is a crease down the middle. (Like a folding fan) Then glue.

Step 5:

Take your florist wire, or whatever you are using as a stem, and cut accordingly to fit the vase you plan to store the roses in. Bend the top of the wire at a 90 degree angle and glue.

Position a leaf behind the rose and cover the stem by gluing over it.

Step 6:

The final look I was going for was airy. I didn’t want a tight bouquet, so I used a foam ball and punctured holes using a screwdriver, then arranged the stems accordingly. You will definitely have to play around with a bit, bending the wires and shifting things around. You’re on the home stretch; keep going!!

Dare I say we’ve finished?!

Until next time . . .