DIY: Crepe Paper Flowers from Party Streamers

Turn your leftover party streamers into a whimsical flower centerpiece! This project is lots of fun to make and I’m excited to teach it at my craft night with TOMS tomorrow (join me if you’re in LA)! Fresh flowers are of course always beautiful, but the perk of paper ones is they won’t wilt and you're guaranteed that your favorite flower will always be in season. Plus, you can mix 'n match with any colors you fancy.   

Create a bunch and use them as centerpieces, gift toppers or even wedding decor. I also found that mixing real leaf branches really complimented the paper flowers.

You can find tons of great paper flower tutorials online, but I gave it my own spin by using ink pads to add a distressed look to the crepe paper and by adding pearl beads to the center of the flower.
 
This project can also be completed using tissue paper, but I love the texture of crepe paper. Pick your favorite colors and follow the tutorial below to craft up your own!

  
Materials:
• Party streamers (found at party supply stores for less than $1)
• Ink pads
• 18 gauge floral wire
• Round bead
• Double-sided tape
• Tacky glue
• Scissors

Steps:  
• To create the the flower's center, cut a 2 inch square piece from one of the streamers and use it to cover the top end of the wire. Secure with double-sided tape.
• Cut another piece about 10 inches long. Roll it up and fringe the edges with scissors.
• Keeping the paper rolled up, rub the sides and edges against an ink pad.
• Wrap the fringed paper around the double-sided tape you placed on the wire to create the flower's stamen. Secure with tape.  
• Cut petals using one or two different colored streamers. I used about 20-25 petals for each flower.
• Stack the petals on top of each other and rub the edges and sides on an ink pad. 
• Attach your first petal to the double-sided tape you used for the stamen. By pleating the base of each petal before attaching, it will give your flower more dimension. Add two more petals than secure that layer with tape.
• Continue until you have reached your desired flower size.  
• Cut a few small mini-petals in another color to create the flower's calyx. Secure them to the base of the flower.
• Cut a thin piece of the streamer (about 5 inches long) and roll it around the base of the flower to give it a finished look. Secure with tape.
• Add some tacky glue to the top end of the wire and place the round bead on top.

Happy crafting! Follow along on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all my new DIY projects.

 

DIY "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" Gift Box (+ free printable)

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you may have seen that I recently got engaged! It’s been one of the most exciting times in my life and as you can imagine, I can't stop thinking about wedding craft ideas! My first wedding-related project was to think of a fun way to ask a very special group of girls to be part of my bridal party. 

For my best friend and Maid of Honor, who is luckily also a talented wedding planner (check her out at Yvette Hart Events), I organized a big box of personal mementos from pictures and notes to a giraffe figurine and chili powder (inside jokes). 

For my Bridesmaids, I was inspired to make these accordian cards after seeing the most adorable mini gift boxes at Paper Source. I personalized each card with my bridesmaids’ names and a special note. For this tutorial, I created a one-size-fits-all printable, but you can use Photoshop, Powerpoint or even Word to make your own personalized version.



Materials:
• "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" printable (click here to print mine) 
• Stamp pad
• 3 pieces of 5 in. x 2.5 in. cardstock paper
• 2.5 in. x 2.5 in. chipboard (you can also upcycle an old notebook cover)
• 2 kinds of decorative scrapbook paper (1 for the cover and 1 for the heart)
• Button
• Threading needle
• 1 yard of yarn (thin enough to fit in the needle hole)
• Glue stick
• Dimensional glue dots 
• Scissors (optional: paper trimmer or x-acto knife for extra straight lines)
• Small gift box
• Ribbon and/or gift toppers (bought my gift tag from We Love Citrus)

Steps:
• Cut out all 4 "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" pieces. You can either use scissors, a paper trimmer or x-acto knife and cut inside the black lines.
• In order to give them a distressed look and create a colorful border, rub the edges of each piece onto a stamp pad.
• Form an accordion card with the cardstock paper by folding each piece in half and attaching them to one another with a glue stick. 
• Attach each of the "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" pieces to the cardstock panels with a glue stick.
• To create the front cover, apply glue to one side of the chipboard and attach it to the back side of your scrapbook paper, leaving about one inch of excess paper hanging on each side.
• Trim the corners of the excess paper to make it easier to fold over. Apply glue and fold them over the chipboard. 

continued below...
 

• With your second piece of scrapbook paper, cut out a heart shape.
• Place the button on top of the heart. With your threaded needle, pierce through the heart and the button so that the button is now attached to the heart.     
• Knot the yarn on the back of the heart, leaving the yarn hanging evenly on both sides.
• Add dimensional glue dots to the back of the heart and attach it to the cover.
• Attach the cover to the front of the accordion card with a glue stick.
• Wrap the yarn around the accordion and tie a bow to secure it.
• Place the card in a mini box and decorate with ribbon and/or gift toppers.



What are some fun and creative ways you’ve asked your bridal party? I’d love to hear them…and any wedding planning advice for that matter!