Tissue Paper Flowers

    Guess what! Not only is it Fathers Day on June 21st, it's also the first day of Summer!

            I love flowers and usually have a vase of fresh blooms somewhere in the house all year. I have flowering planters outside too, but flowers don't do too well in the Texas heat, so I admit to resorting to Amazon to add some color during hot summer months.  

            Back in the late 60's and 70's, tall vases of crêpe paper flowers were all the rage when I lived in Germany, so I made a lot of those for friends. I also remember my parents making the most beautiful crêpe paper roses back in the 50's, and I still have their instruction book, but the right kind of paper is expensive and hard to find, so thought I'd share some tissue paper flowers, based on the technique I used in Germany......   Definitely not long-lasting and inside only (unless used to embellish a wreath for the front door), but they're easy to make, tissue paper is inexpensive ($1.25 for 25 sheets at Dollar Tree) and they will certainly brighten up any corner of your home during the summer months.   Hope you like them too! 

This is what you'll need:

Tissue paper - multi color pack
Short, clear Zip ties

Bunch of artificial flowers that you have on hand for stems

1. Tissue paper is pretty easy to tear, so remove from the cover, unfold and lay the sheets flat on a table. You will only use one sheet per flower, so re-fold the colors on top of the color you want and set to one side. Refold the sheet you want to use. 

2. Fold this folded sheet in half lengthwise. Repeat 2 more times, then fold in half end to end. Cut on the fold to create two, small pieces.

3.  Fold each small piece in half then trim the corners, so the open ends are rounded.

4.  Unfold and open up the folded piece. Using your fingers, gather the paper together across the center fold line then fold in half. All the rounded ends will now be together. 

5. Hold the folded tissue tightly at the base, then starting with the outer layer, gently separate the layers of tissue to create the flower. 

6. Each piece looks pretty by itself, but you can also put two of them together to create a larger, fuller flower.  Bind the folded ends together with a zip tie.  You can also use wire, or even a small rubber band, but I like the zip tie to pull it really tight.

7. Cut the folded end to finish the flower head.

8.  Now you need to add a stem. You can use floral wire, of course, but I had a bunch of sunflower stems with leaves, so I removed the flower head from each stem then pushed the top of the stem firmly into the base of the tissue paper flower.  I didn't use glue and I still have the sunflower heads, so I can always replace them later when I decorate for fall, or use them to decorate a wreath or banner.

9. I used four of the colors in my tissue pack: Yellow, pink, purple and blue. I made 3 "full" flowers, but didn't combine the 2 small blue flowers, so I had an odd number to work with for my bunch.  Once they were all on stems, I bunched them together then zip tied the stems in place. I used an empty can, covered with birch wood strips (held together with a rubber band) for my vase, so I cut the stems, so my flower bunch fit perfectly inside.

I also added a couple of twigs for interest and think it looks really bright and cheery for summer! Hope you like it too.... 😍

Your truly,

Julie 💝

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!