| Would you like to know some of my secrets for | | | | indent that suggested a heart shape. From this idea I |
| making paper flowers? One of my secrets for making | | | | could punch a shape that was close enough to the |
| paper flowers comes from remembering my childhood | | | | actual petal shape, and sometimes only a small |
| paper crafting lessons with my loving Aunts. Here's a | | | | re-shaping of the petal with my scissors would be |
| reminder of how to make a flower from a tissue, if | | | | required to create a petal that looked like it was from |
| you need it, or if you never got to learn how to make | | | | the kind of flower I was looking at. |
| them in the first place. | | | | It is the same when I look at the flower centres, the |
| How to make a tissue flower that looks like a | | | | flower's leaves and the buds. They all suggest basic |
| carnation: | | | | shapes to me that I can make with my punches and |
| Start with a 2 ply tissue. Fold it in half lengthwise (along | | | | scissors. |
| the existing fold) and cut it in half along that fold so that | | | | Another thing that nature has taught me is that flowers |
| you wind up with four layers of tissue. Leave the four | | | | are not usually entirely flat. They usually have a three |
| layers all stacked together. | | | | dimensional shape because the petals are cupped or |
| Now start at one end of the length and begin folding | | | | curved or folded or ruffled. Again, nature teaches me |
| the tissue back and forth into an accordion fold. Keep | | | | what to do to make my flat shapes look more realistic. |
| folding till you have pleated the entire tissue. | | | | I take a flower shaping tool and make shape my |
| Next take a piece of florist's wire, or an ordinary piece | | | | petals and leaves with that, often before i assemble |
| of thread or a twist tie, and tie the tissue together | | | | my flower all together. It's amazing how a little shaping |
| tightly in the very middle of the pleated folds. | | | | of the components of my flower can make it seem |
| Then fan out the pleats and carefully separate them | | | | even more life-like. |
| to form a carnation. You can use chalks or stamp pad | | | | What to do with your paper flowers once you have |
| ink to edge the petals of your carnation, though I must | | | | made them: |
| admit I did not know about this last step when I was a | | | | I enjoy playing with paper shapes to see if I can make |
| child. | | | | a paper flower from them. I usually have a project in |
| How I make paper flowers now: | | | | mind before I start making flowers, or colours or a |
| I guess making tissue paper flowers when I was a | | | | theme to guide my thoughts as I make my flowers up. |
| child was one of the reasons that led to my life long | | | | I then use these creations on scrap book pages and |
| interest in paper crafting. My secret for making paper | | | | card fronts, or even on gift wrapping or to decorate |
| flowers now? Paper Punches! I often make paper | | | | 3-d (or off-the-page) projects. It's satisfying to me to |
| flowers from punched shapes such as hearts and | | | | have a unique embellishment to use when I am paper |
| circles, and I trim those shapes to look more like petals | | | | crafting. |
| and leaves as I need them. | | | | So the real secret to making paper flowers comes |
| It's a lot of fun making up different flowers out of | | | | back to that old adage "Make sure you stop and smell |
| paper. | | | | the roses!" In this case, I want to change the saying to |
| Something that helps me create new flower shapes is | | | | remind you to "Stop and LOOK at the roses" too. A |
| nature itself. I found that when I studied live flowers, I | | | | little time observing real flowers can yield wonderful |
| could see there were usually repeated shapes that | | | | dividends for us paper crafters when making our own |
| made them up. If I looked at a flower petal, it often | | | | paper flowers. |
| looked like a circle or oval shape to me, or had a little | | | | |