Thursday, April 12, 2012

coffee filter florals




A few weeks ago, I picked up a bouquet of my favorite flowers (ranunculus).  They were beautiful, but they only lasted a few days.  So I began to wonder if I could create something that looked similar,  but without the wilting.  
This is what I came up with, coffee filter flowers... I'm really pleased with them; they're inexpensive, simple to make (my 6 yr old helped) & look pretty as well.  We plan on making many bouquets for both May Day & Mother's Day.

Here's what you'll need:


+ coffee filters
+ food coloring
+ scotch tape
+ floral stems (available at craft stores)
+ floral tape (available at craft stores)



(1) For each flower, take 3 filters and fold in half.
(2) For the center of flower, fold filter over by 1/3...
(3) Then wrap center filter into cone shape.
(4) Loosely wrap the last 2 filters around the center.



(5) Pinch the lower portion of the flower and secure with scotch tape
(6) Spread the 'petals' and fluff the flower, by pressing your fingers down into the center
(7) Dilute food coloring into about 2 tablespoons of water.  For subtle colors use 1-2 drops, for vibrant flowers use 4-5.  Then dip the edges and allow the filter to wick the color up.
(8) Set on paper towel to dry, allow to dry for 4-5 hours

Notes:
+ As the flower dries, the color will wick up the filter leaving a subtle gradient.
+ If the color isn't as intense as you'd like, you can always re-dip the flowers until you achieve the color you desire.



(9) Twist floral wire around base of flower, and twist together to form stem



(10) Wrap base of flower and stem with floral tape.



Enjoy!









6 comments:

  1. I do these with my kindergarten class and use washable markers and a spray bottle. Very cute!

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  2. Looks so easy yet so beautiful... will definitely try this!

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  3. So simple and yet so beautiful. I will be making these with my daughter for sure.

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  4. Low maintenance too!

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