I wanted to road test these and see how easy it really was to attempt as a DIY element. Most brides, post wedding, usually admit they spent a fortune on floral arrangements, and came to regret it later – think how $1000 could be used elsewhere in your wedding budget! For brides who are after something I like to call, ‘more dash than cash’ - or those who like to keep their finger on the fashion pulse, these Paper Flowers are just the touch you’re looking for.
Fashion trendsetters will recognize this inspirational element as having hailed from the iconic house of Chanel. Most of us can unanimously agree, Chanel has influenced designers and fashionistas alike since ‘Coco’ first made her mark in Paris. This legendary fashion house pushes the bar when it comes to opening our eyes and instigating trends – remember they did it with popularising the ‘LBD’ (Little Black Dress), even down to the classic ballerina flats. Chanel is now leading the way when it comes making floral designs a fashion staple for any woman.
Paper flowers directly inspired Karl Lagerfeld during Chanel’s SS-09 Haute Couture Show in the autumn of 2008. The all-white theme dazzled critics, who called the choice of material a fresh direction for the fashion house. Now Paper flowers are trickling down into other creative arenas – from permanent interior design features to popping up in weddings, you can find hundreds of examples of paper flower décor! Take a look on Pinterest and Instagram, you’ll be lost in paper flowers for hours.
The look of paper flowers is subjective, the shape and form really comes down to the individual artist, and like Mother Nature no two flowers should be the same. These flowers can be used on a smaller scale, as a modern take on the bride’s bouquet, or something entirely different for your flower girl– try an Alice in Wonderland inspired idea, a giant flower mounted on a green stem – If it’s a summer wedding you can even keep your little flower girls shaded and entertained at the same time!
Whether accenting a larger floral wall creation, or standing on its own, paper flowers provide a fresh take on a classic design concept.
Making the Flowers
You can make paper flowers as large or small as you require - the downloadable templates below will make a reasonably large flower. It is also better to use tissue paper as it holds its form better. Crepe paper can be used, but make sure you cut your petals with the grain and use a bit of hair spray for structure. The only part of this fun DIY project that takes a bit of time is cutting out all the petals; again it is up to you as to how full you want your flowers to appear.
Make sure you have all your materials on hand and ready for use so that when arranging your petals, you don’t have to run off and look for masking tape or heat up your glue gun – take it from me - have everything ready!
Materials
- Tissue paper or crepe paper *you will need two colours one for the petals and one for the center
- Scissors, glue gun, masking tape, pencil & marker
- Spray paint - I use the brand by Montana - Gold Acrylic (optional)
- Dried moss Floral moss
- Petal Templates *it works best if you print them out and make them first on thick cardboard, its easier to trace.
- Cardboard for templates (optional)
- Hair spray (so they keep their hold – lightly spray from a distance)
Instructions
- Print out your template or create your own petals depending on which flower you are trying to replicate, or what flowers work with your theme.
- Frist trace the petals onto thick cardstock or cardboard as paper templates tend to tear easily and cardboard makes it faster to trace the outline. Cut out the cardboard templates. – this step is optional, but recommended.
- Trace the hard templates on tissue paper. Cut out the tissue paper petals. You can stick to two sizes or do several different options. I used 5 of the smaller size and 9-10 of the larger size.
- Form the smallest petals into a bouquet in one hand. With the other hand use your pre cut tape and fasten around the bouquet’s stem to keep the layers together. You could also use small spots with your glue gun (this will make it less bulky).
- Add the next layer of petals, one at a time and secure with your glue gun. Repeat this with 9-10 petals, or until you have reached the desired size.
- For the flower centers, cut circles (I used what I had at hand and traced the outline of my masking tape). Make two sizes out of tissue paper, scrunch the edges with your thumb and finger, and glue the first layer to your flower, followed by the second smaller layer.
- Glue your moss into the center of the circle, enough to fill the space that is not crinkled. If you don’t like the colour of your moss you can always spray paint it, best to do this before you attach it to the flower. I would then arrange your circles separately and then glue your spray painted moss and attach to your flower.
- Take your flower outside. With your chosen paint spray can about 20cm away from your flower, lightly spray your flower in a complementing shade. This will give the illusion of depth and make the flowers more realistic. This is also optional.
- Depending on where you plan to attach your flowers – to a backdrop wall, table centerpieces, hanging from the ceiling, on a stem, or as a bouquet, I find clear zip ties work best to affix the flowers on surfaces and you won’t have to worry about them falling apart!
You’re all done!
CREDITS
Article and images courtesy of AroosJoon DIY Expert, Cecile Guillemot.
Cecile Guillemot is the Do It Yourself (DIY) Expert for AroosJoon.com, providing innovative and on trend craft ideas for the modern bride. She is also the Co-Founder and Marketing Director of Thinkzenmedia. While planning and executing her own culturally diverse wedding events, her DIY career blossomed. Since that time, Cecile has worked with numerous brides with creating themes, branding, stationary and of course discovering, teaching and incorporating all things DIY!
Flower petal templates courtesy of Think Zen Media