I debated sharing this tutorial for a couple-o-reasons. Reason 1. It's a craft that has been around since before I was born and reason 2... it's a craft that has been around since before I was born. I feel like I might be a 100 years old at this point. My crows feet asked for slippers the other day cause they were getting cold.
Since it's new to me I figure it's got to be new to someone else too so I am doing it anyway! I have a teeny tiny little LollyChops spin on it towards the bottom... so if you are a crafting goddess and have made 6 zillion of these flowers (starting from before I was born (which would make you over 100))... put your teeth in and hang with me till the wee bottom... pretty please.
Supplies you'll need to make tissue paper flowers:
Tissue paper (seeing as how this IS a tissue paper flower tutorial it would stand to reason that some form of tissue paper will be required)
16 HUGS (just checking to see if you are actually reading this)
Pipe cleaners or floral wire
Scissors
Extras (for pizzaz): glimmer mist, brads, 2 inch Styrofoam balls, ribbon, more hugs (still checking), a flower girl (seriously), and lastly... Martha Stewart magic sprinkles.
As I stated last week, I purchased a Martha Stewart tissue paper flowers kit a few months ago on clearance at Malwart. I hoarded it until last weekend and then went totally crazy and made like 6 zillion tissue paper flowers (which now makes me a tissue paper flower crafting freak). Since the kit only makes 24 flowers and wanted to make 6 zillion, I had to create my own templates to keep me going (the 1 pound of M&Ms certain unnamed people might have consumed while making 6 zillion tissue paper flowers might have had a hand in my the success.... but there is no way to be sure without further extensive testing)!Since I know a lot of people cannot find these kits I figured I would share some of the details and the templates I made so you can make them too!
Cut 6 pieces of teal tissue paper in a rectangle.
I'll allow you to use another color...
...but just this once...
I used an 8 x 5 piece.
Accordion fold the tissue paper starting from the shorter side.
You can either snip a triangle point (think picket fence post) on each end after you do the accordion folds...
...or...
Scallop or pinking edge the 6 layers of paper before starting with you accordion folding.
Tip: Picket fence points make for spikier flower petals and scallops and pinking edges make them just a little softer.
It's just personal preference on which style you prefer!
Once you have the entire thing folded up, you will want to fold it in half.
Wrap a piece of floral wire or a pipe cleaner around the center and twist it tight.
Your folded tissue paper cinched with the wire should look something like this.
Fan it out a little because it will make the next step a little easier.
Start with one side and pull a single sheet of tissue paper up - one at a time...
...just keep pulling each sheet up...
Until you have them all pulled up towards the center.
The bottom will look something like this once you have one side done.
Go ahead and do the other side in the exact same way and...
VOILA!!
You have a finished TEAL flower!!!
I added a fancy brad to the center but you can poof it and cover up the center entirely if you want.
Fancy brads are not required but add some extra special fanciness to it.
I like fancy fanciness don't you?
So... I decided to make a little mini pomander using a smaller sized tissue paper (the 5 x 3.5 inch rectangle)
Here is how you do this...
Start with a small Styrofoam ball and poke each tissue paper flower wire into it.
I used a 2 inch ball.
When the wires poke through just bend them over.
It helps to keep the flowers securely in place.
Keep going along and fill the entire shape with the tissue paper flowers.
Wrap some wire around the base of a nice piece of ribbon...
Poke it into the Styrofoam ball (once it's filled with flowers) and...
VOILA!!
You have a tissue paper pomander that would be totally awesome as a brides maid or flower girls practice bouquet...
(or heck... real bouquet too... why not!!)
Next up...
Golf anyone?
The MS kit came with this totally cool little round form (pictured on the right up there).
I decided that we needed some other little round form options to get the same effect...
Thus enters... the golf ball.
If you don't have any golf balls, call 1-800-Mom-Chops!
MomChops & DadChops live on a golf course and have more than enough to go around
(many many many times over!)
I actually found this golf ball in my yard.
I don't live anywhere near a golf course.
I hung on to it cause I saw major craft potential in it.
I actually see major craft potential in nearly everything...
It's a curse really.
Sew...
Take a rectangular piece of tissue paper (I used the 8 x 5 inch piece) and wrap up half of that golf ball like a piece of candy (twist the ends nice and tight).
Leave some of the golf ball peeping through so you can get it out of there.
Snip ONE end (closer to the base than I have pictured here)...
Make up about 5 of them...
Gather them all together (I included some of the pearl stem doobers than the MS kit came with in this one)
Don't worry about how the petals look right now, you can twist them around once you have the base cinched together.
Trust Lolly!
Wrap a piece of wire around the base to help hold it all together.
This is the hardest part of making this flower cause they all want to slip out!
Wrap the base with some nice floral tape...
and...
VOILA!!
You have one wacky balloonish looking flower!
(but it's cool regardless of it's wackiness)
So Lastly...!
(heavens to betsy...will this tutorial ever end???)
Stay tuned!
The MS kit came with these petals as well...
I used them as a template and then made this beautiful flower!
You basically cinch the center with a wire and twist the petals until they are all splayed out.
You place a tiny ball in the center that's been wrapped in tissue paper....
Then floral tape wrap the base and you are good to go!
Sew...I really really really love this shape, so I decided to make a paper version!
Since I was feeling lazy crafty AND I wanted to use what RonChops had gotten me for Christmas...
I kinda cheated.
I created a template in Adobe Illustrator and then imported it to my Sure Cuts a Lot Software (SCAL)
(my SCAL template is available below)
SCAL allows me to cut any shape I can draw in Illustrator with my Cricut Expression.
You can read about SCAL HERE and the Cricut Expression HERE.
BUT... it's ok if you don't have either of these cause I have a nifty template you can use just as well (download below)!
Here are my flower petal shapes all cut out (on two sided paper).
These kinda look like wacky spoons if you ask me.
First distress the edge.
You can use a distressing tool or you can just use the edge of a scissor blade.
I inked the edges with brown...
(it totally looks like a bow tie now - no more wacky spoon)
I smooshed it up GOOD!
Now it kinda looks like a barbell!
(use your craft muscles obtained from years of crafting with Lolly)
I smoothed it out and inked the wrinkles...
(which is kinda like applying makeup to my crows feet)
Once you have 6 distressed, smooshed, edge inked and wrinkle inked bow ties...
Give those poor little baby bow ties a Valium cause they are going to be stressed out from all that manhandling!
(while they are napping finish up that pound of M&Ms you started on earlier)
Punch a tiny little hole in the centers.
Stack them all up and poke a little brad through the holes...
...and...
VOILA!!
You have a nifty flower you can use on a card, scrap book page or altered art project!
You can download the .svg file for SCAL below.
Large flower petal .svg HERE.
Smaller flower petal .svg HERE.
Or you can download the PDF of these templates below (so you can cut them out by hand).
Thanks for hanging with me until the bitter end!
I hope you all have a lovely week!
P.S. I am having a super secret card drive. If you are interested in helping me out, please leave me a comment and I'll email you the details! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo!!
P.S.S.T. The word of the day is VOILA!! (but only in teal with two exclamation points)!!
