giant paper flowers

sometimes it's just best to go BIG, you know?

i've been a retail visual merchandiser + display designer / stylist for over 45 years,

and have made a LOT of props in my lifetime...

and i learned that whether you're creating a window display

or an event display or a photo backdrop, large scale has the most impact.

making big things can get costly, tho - unless you use inexpensive materials

like paper, tissue, and repurposed/upcycled elements.

the flowers you see up above were created for use in an event entry display,

and are made from new cardstock paper -

but i've made similar ones from vintage book pages, too.

can't you just imagine flowers made out of repurposed MAPS?

old newspapers? magazine pages? gift wrapping paper?

yep, so can i!

i can also see them decorating a lovely Mother's Day brunch setting,
or as decor in a nursery or girls' room.

continue reading for a quick tutorial and loads of inspo...

up close, you can see that the flowers are made in layers...

from large petals in back to gradually smaller in front, with varied center details,

they all have their own personalities - and work together perfectly!

there are many ways to create the centers of the flowers:

make a tissue paper pom pom or pouf, cut a circle of paper,

create a raised 'cup' for the daffodil, or make a small spiral 'rose' as a center:

there are a few tips to make them turn out their best,

and while i'm just going to share the process for one bloom in a quick tutorial,

you can play around and have fun making other varieties!

you'll need some thick cardstock paper in your choice of color,
a pair of scissors, glue, and a small paper plate.

 yes, you can use old book pages or sheet music or maps, too!
just remember that thin paper won't hold shape as well as thicker paper will.

first we'll make the petals:

i cut TWO sizes of pink paper petals - 4 each - though you can use all the same size, too.
then fold them in half right up the middle of the petal.
cut about 2" up that fold, then cross the two halves over one another and glue together - 
this creates a dimensional effect on each petal, instead of them lying flat!

now let's attach them to the backing, then add details:

place two small petals on the side of one large one, and glue their sides together.
(you'll have two of these groupings, with two large petals left over.)

cut the raised edge off of the paper plate and discard.

glue one of the petal trios onto the paper plate, placing it just above the middle of the plate.
then glue the other one opposite the first, just below the middle of the plate.

i'm gonna' add a caveat here: you can stop there. 
OR you can add those two leftover petals on each side, between the two small petals.
that keeps the pattern of small/large/small/large going.

that's your large flower. now let's make a center:
(shown in the bottom row photos above)

cut and fold and glue eight more petals just a bit smaller than the other small ones.
cut out a circle that's @ 1/4 the size of the smallest petals.
glue four petals to the BACK side of the circle, with the petals curving forward.
glue the four remaining petals behind those, overlapping them.

flip this mini-flower over and use some hot glue to hold it to the front of the large flower - 
gluing the back of those small petals to the center edges of the large ones.
(OR you could hot glue a wine cork in the center of the large petals
then glue the small flower 'center' to the top of the wine cork - gives it height!)

here are two versions of the finished project:

on the left, the yellow paper circle serves as the flower center.
on the right, i taped on a curly ribbon bow for more texture. tissue would work, too.
and i taped the back of the flower to a yellow yardstick as a 'stem'.

what you CAN'T see is that deb messed up!
i didn't pay attention to my spacing when gluing them onto the plate - 
they weren't centered.  and several of the largest petals stood out.
ah well, mistakes happen! especially when you are photographing a tutorial as you work.
i cut off about an inch at the end of the four largest petals
and now all eight are the same length. problem solved!

after making all of the original giant flowers,

i used the scraps to create a few smaller blooms

and placed those inside vintage bird cages along with some fake flowers: 

...and they all came together to create THIS display
at the entry to a spring vintage show:

shoppers at the vintage show LOVED this display,

and many of them snapped photos of themselves sitting in the chair or leaning on the mantel.

(it really was a fun gig creating displays / photo backdrops for that show!

sadly, the Vintage Marketplace show has permanently closed).

follow my social media for more content...

related content:

#mayflowers art challenge recap

pretty paper posies for my Mom

neutral vintage book page flowers

recycled paper daffodils

shared online: 

creatively beth | team creative crafts linky party #145 

funky junk interiors | new upcycled ideas #677 

thank you for featuring my project, Miss Donna!

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