crepe paper flowers

  While I was setting up for my daughter's birthday a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to add something orange.  I really wanted to make some orange pom-poms.

I searched several stores even a party store and orange tissue paper was no where to be found.  I had no idea!  I'm sure I could have found it online, but I didn't have the time to wait.

I remember seeing on the wonderful blog Dear Lillie she made crepe flowers as embellishments for wrapped presents.  It really added to the finished look of the present.  It was almost to beautiful to unwrap!

Well I took that idea and thought about hanging flowers from the ceiling.  But I knew once I hung them they would sway back and front and you would see the back of them.  So why not hot glue two flowers back to back?

Dear Lillie has a complete tutorial on the making of these flowers...here is my shortened version.

I started with 3 strips of crepe paper anywhere between 2' to 4' long, depending on big you want the flower to be.  I cut mine 4' long.  I ruffled one edge.  Then I wound it around and hot glued it as needed.  I found that once I started winding the crepe paper somewhat held it's shape so it didn't need hot glue.

Once the flower is completed glue strips of crepe paper on the back to hold in place.



I cut a long piece of fishing line.  You could use about anything to hang it with depending on the look you want.  I think it would be pretty to hang it from a satin ribbon tied in a bow at the top of the flower.  But in this occasion I wanted everything to be floating from the ceiling so I didn't want the string to be seen.

Next just hot glue to flowers back-to-back.

Then squish the two layers together.

And finally the fun part...separating the layers of the flower!

I separated the outer layers the most and kept the inner part of the flower together.  I liked the look of the more defined flower as it circled toward the middle.  Experiment on what you like best.

In my top picture, I love how it adds another dimension to the decorations.  The mix of pom-poms, lanterns and now these crepe paper flowers make for an interesting display.  In a way I'm glad I didn't find orange tissue paper.  A year ago I would have never mixed these things...it would have been one thing or another.  Let me tell you I'm really shaking it up now!  Watch out!  Ha Ha.

Thanks for stopping.

Bye for now!