How-To Tuesday: Paper Flowers

Today my roommate/best friend had a pretty lousy day, and If I had tons and tons of money I would have gone out and bought her flowers, and completely decorated the house, and set up an elaborate dinner. But I don't and I didn't. However, anyone can use things around them to brighten someone's day. Even if they don't have money/time to buy a bunch of stuff. So here's what I did.

I have a bunch of art magazines that I read, and usually I tear out the pages I find inspiring and the rest I will use for art projects. If like me you don't have the money to buy a bunch of flowers, make some out of paper. They last longer too. Here are some great tutorials on how to make paper flowers:

rolled paper flowers
Paper Cherry Blossoms

I decided to vaguely combine elements from each of those tutorials to come up with these huge flowers.

The magazine I used was Sommerset Studios 

We didn't have an appropriate vase, so I used an old drink bottle, some brown packaging paper, and some ribbon to tie it all together. The "blossoms" I attached with florist tape to some branches from outside. 

Flowers on the mostly set dinner table.

Paper flowers are pretty much my new favorite thing. They are easy to make, cheap, beautiful and so easy to alter and individualize. If you don't have tissue paper or pretty magazine paper, try newspaper. If you think it is too drab, why not add water and food coloring to a spray bottle and give it a mist? It is so easy to throw something small together to make someone's day. Why don't you try it? if you decide to make something, take a pic and send it to me so I can post.