paper-to-petal-bookWhen it’s freezing cold outside, one of my favorite things to do is experiment with new crafts, and this weekend, I found a brand new obsession: crepe paper flowers.

I’m using a new book called Paper to Petal, and if you want to get a sneak peek, check out the January/February issue of Martha Stewart Living for a couple of projects and plenty of inspiring photos. You can also see loads of pretty flower pictures and sample projects on the authors’ blog.

For my first attempt, I chose the Water-Dipped Water Lilies project. I ordered my crepe paper from Castle in the Air, and I made do with other craft supplies that I already had on hand.

The basic process involves using a template to cut out two continuous strips of petals, the tips of which are dipped in water to give the flowers a cool color-bleed effect.

Then, you attach the center of the flower to floral wire, and cover the center with your choice of microbeads or glitter. I had to improvise at this step, because I didn’t have the recommended spun cotton center, so I made mine from polymer clay, glued them to the wires, and coated them in both clear microbeads and a variety of pastel glitters (both from Martha Stewart, which you can find at Michaels craft stores).

flower-petal-template

crepe-petals

flower-centers

crepe-flower-centers

For the stamens, I didn’t have any colored pips, so instead, I used white pips, which I bought at Michaels (they were in the wedding section) and painted them with regular craft paints. For cool effects, paint the stem portion one color, and paint the little pearl at the top a different color. For some, I even painted the pearl two different colors, and I loved the result.

colored-pips

The pips are then taped to the flower center and wire, and finally the strips of petals are wrapped around the center and secured with tape. I’ve never worked with crepe paper before, so I thought it was neat that you can curl the paper just like you would curling ribbon by running it between your thumb and a scissor blade. This will give the petals a pretty curled look.

I still have a couple more flowers to make to round out this arrangement, but here’s what I’ve finished so far.

crepe-paper-flowers

crepe-flowersMy mind is spinning with other possibilities, many of them inspired by the book. You can use decorative papers for some of the petals and leaves; you can make garlands and wreaths of flowers; you can use glitter, paint, or stamps on the petals; and you can use different objects–even candy–for the flower centers.

How pretty would it be to make one of these blooming monograms with crepe paper flowers? *happy sigh*

flowerLetter