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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 . . .