Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Which means that it’s time to start making some festive decorations! I’m not a huge fan of brightly colored hearts hanging up everyone for Valentine’s Day, but I do love to show some spirit… so this year I decided to make some pink and white paper flowers to decorate my mantel. And I’m sharing the tutorial with you!
Here’s what you’ll need for this project:
- Italian crepe paper in white
- Construction paper in green and yellow
- Watercolors
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
Begin by cutting a circle from the yellow construction paper and trim little slits all the way around, as shown above. There should be a one inch diameter area in the center that doesn’t have any slits.
Place your pointer finger in the center of the circle and then fold all of the outer pieces upward. This will be the center of the flower, representing the stamens.
Next, cut a strip of crepe paper that is about 6 inches wide, and then fold it into fourths. Cut a round-ish petal sort of shape like I’ve shown above. The pencil marks were for the tutorial’s sake only… if you decide to use pencil to draw your petals, make sure you cut inside of the line or else you’ll be able to see the pencil on the final piece. Cut out the shape, going through all four layers. This doesn’t have to be exact – a flower is an organic thing, so wonky edges will only make it look more flower-like.
Now you’ll begin to hot glue petals to the stamens. Begin by stretching the petal out… this will make it much wider and more rounded, as shown in the photo above. Glue the bottom of the petal to the bottom of the stamens. Let it dry for about 20 seconds, then attach another petal on the other side of the stamens. Keep doing this until the flower is the fullness that you desire. I usually use five or six petals.
At this point, the flower will have a somewhat conical shape. Stick one finger down into the center of the flower to secure it on your work surface, and use the other hand to push the bases of the petals down so the flower opens up.
Next, cut a leaf base for the flower out of green construction paper using the shape above as a guide. Use hot glue to attach it to the bottom of the flower.
Last, use your watercolors to add some color to the petals if you like. I painted some of my flowers pink and peach, and left one white.
The white one is quite large, probably about ten inches across. It really makes a bold statement on the mantel.
Clustered together, the flowers make for a beautiful, romantic display for Valentine’s Day. You could also add wire stems and then place them in a vase as a centerpiece.
The flowers look a bit different depending on whether you paint the paper or not… the edges get a ruffled quality with paint, but they are more rounded without it (as you can see below). Happy Valentine’s Day everyone, hope you enjoy this project as much as I did!
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