Crepe Paper Flowers - Part 2 - How 2!

So I had an inquisitive poster on Weddingbee.com asked if I could post instructions on how I did my crepe paper flowers.

I think alot of it once you have the basic concept, the possibilities are endless. Also I would like to say that I will be the first to admit I'm not the most fantastic at explaining how I do my DIY projects but I give them a shot. With this I tried to include a lot of visual. So excuse the picture heavy post!

(Tools needed; Scissors, wire cutter/pliers/, 28 gauge wire, PVA glue, Skewers, Floral Tape, Buttons and crepe paper)

My Crepe paper that I'm using is GALA brand which is 240cm long x 50cm wide. I find I can either make four big ones out of these or 17 small ones.

(slide your crepe paper out of the packet sleeve)

Place your template over the top. This can either be a circle, a heart shape, or leaf shape. Those are the three main ones that will get you variations.You can combine them all in one, or just use a particular shape for each flower.

Also, use a template in regards to how big you want your flowers. So i.e the bigger the flower, the bigger template you use when cutting your crepe paper, and in reverse. The smaller template the smaller the flower. Logic right?

Cut around your template.

Also some people at this step here "prepare the petals" Prepare means by either stretching them a little, cupping them or rolling the edges in with a pencil, so they take more of a curve. It's up to you tho what you would like to do. I don't usually do anything on my small flowers but on my big flowers cup them a little so they don't just lay flat.

Now would be the time to cut your flower tape into three 10cm pieces for later use, as your hands will probably be covered in glue.

I'm adding a button for the bud. (You can also use a different coloured crepe paper and cut a small section and glue it to the skewer then wrap it around so the top 2cm of the skewer is covered.)

To add the button I take about 15 cm of wire and thread the wire through like you were sowing on a button on a shirt. (you will need the pair of pliers as this can be a little fiddly).

Wrap the wire around the skewer so the button is attached.

Place your skewer like the picture below and add a small bit of glue.

Cinch it around the skewer

So it looks like this or something similar. :)

My original instructions that I gathered when I was doing the research for this was to glue all the petals to the skewer. Well this just ended up in a sticky and soggy situation and my flower looked a little sad! So this is the only part that you will use glue to secure the first petal. From now on in I reccommend using floral tape.

Start adding your petals around your bud.

Then secure it with your floral tape by wrapping it around the base. (Now you wont need glue with the floral tape, as floral tape stretches and secures it itself. I admit I sat there for about 30 seconds when I first started going.. Whattttt.... as I had never used floral tape before. I may be the only person ever in history to do this tho.)

Add more petals if you want to make it bigger, using the same process with the floral tape. I usually use three pieces of floral tape in my creations.

End Product :)

If you have any queries on the above, just leave me a comment and I will clarify or alter my instructions.

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx