Paper Flowers

I just love when the DIY stars align, don't you? We're very limited to decorating our new place since it's a (very outdated) rental house. I spent $0.00 on this project by upcycling and using things I had on hand. It was so easy that I wanted to share the how-to. Have no fear - green thumb not required. I apologize in advance for the iPhone pictures, but it's better than no pictures, right?

If you'd like to view the tutorial, click through using the below link.  Happy crafting!



This idea isn't mine, but it certainly isn't new, so giving credit to the originator would be like trying to identify the first person who discovered that moving your paper instead of your scissors was a good idea (which applies in this project). 

Supplies:
sticks and twigs
cardstock or paper
scissors
glue

First things first: gather some sticks and twigs from outside to stuff in a lonesome vase or a used, clean bottle that you like. You may need to wipe away dirt or peel off bits of bark that are already peeling. This will aid in both adhesion and appearance.

With any cardstock or paper you have on hand, cut out circles in a variety of sizes between 1/2" - 2" in diameter (larger or smaller depending on your sticks and desired scale). You could certainly use circular paper punches, put I liked the varied size and shape achieved by hand-cutting.

Cut a spiral into each circle.

Beginning from the outside of the spiral, curl it up into a flower shape. VIOLA: a flower! You may or may not want to place a dab of glue inside the flower to help tame the extra springy ones. I used Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue, but I'm sure any other white glue will do the trick.

Glue your flowers to the sticks. Using the larger flowers on the wider sticks and the smaller flowers on the tiny branches will give it a more organic feel. Also, placing the flowers in small groups will mimic the look of blossoms (if that's what you're going for). 

The best part of this project is that even the most severe perfectionist will be pleased with imperfections and variances of each flower. You don't need to get hung up on perfect circles, uniform spirals, or exact tension in the curl. In fact, variances of these things help make the finished product a bit more interesting.

If you decide to do this project, I'd love to see your results. This is an easy, quick craft that would be great to do with kids. Well, what are you waiting for? Get to rummaging your yards for some sticks!