Paper Flowers

http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/09/how-to-make-tissue-paper-flowers.html

Flower Straws

http://multiplesandmore.blogspot.com/2011/02/crafting-with-kids-spring-flowers.html

Crafting with kids: Spring Flowers

12:00 AM

Spring is just around the corner.

Here is a beautiful bouquet of straws flowers you can make with your kids.

Items needed:

• Bendy straws
• Flower cookie cutter or stencil
• Assorted scrapbook paper – preferably card stock (this is a great way to use up scraps)
• Glue Stick
• Scissors

To make:

Trace around the stencil or cookie cutter with a pencil

Cut out the flower shape and cut out some smaller circles too - trace around a tiny glass on plain card stock (we used circles from Martha Stewarts Playground Multimedia Pad).

Next, glue the center spot onto the flower, then a grown-up will need to punch a hole through the center of the flower. Then have your child very gently push the straw from the bottom up through the flower until it is at the top of the bendy part. Bend the straw and the flower will stay there.

Now get them a special drink to try out their fabulous fancy spring straws.

Happy Crafting!

Tonya

Create-Celebrate-Explore

TUTORIAL: Wallflowers

http://todayscreativeblog.net/easter/

Great tutorial on making paper flowers from tissue.  Just changing the shape in how you cut the ends will surprise you.Looking through all her photos is like looking at your favorite magazine.  They are so clean, bright and consistent.

Now that we’ve done our Easter crafts and Easter decorations, it’s time for a bit of Easter food!

TUTORIAL: Wallflowers

I never seem to grow tired of flowers. And this version reminds me of being a kid, with a grown-up twist.

Did you ever make those tissue paper flowers in grade school? You know, where you fold them up like a fan and then pull the petals back?
Yep, that's what we're doing here! But by using paper napkins, instead of tissue paper, the flowers have a more structured hold. They almost look like fabric.
And the white ones look like real magnolias to me. So pretty.
These are very easy to make and add a lovely touch to any sort of Celebration or even your day-to-day decor.

Let's get started!

I used nice 3-ply, party-style paper napkins for this project. Of course you can make them with tissue paper as well but I wanted to see how it would work with napkins. You can purchase packages of napkins at most stores: Target, Walmart, Party City, Hobby Lobby, etc.

I purchased my napkins at IKEA because they usually have unique colors, such as the Chartreuse below. They usually only carry about 5 colors at any given time (and once they're gone, they're gone). So when I see a color I like, I buy a pack or two and keep it in my stash. At $2 each, it's worth it. That gorgeous blue below is currently in stores. So grab them!

You can use any size of napkin you'd like but I really liked the large over-sized look for a wall, so I used the largest size IKEA napkins (and some smaller ones for the centers).
Okay, no rocket science here. And there are so many variations you can do on this project. So, I'll show you the basics and you can run with it.

Grab about 4 Large napkins:
Unfold them and lay them on top of each other in a pile:
If you'd like to add a contrasting center to your flower, place a different colored napkin on top. It works better if the center napkin is slightly smaller. Or just take a large napkin and trim it down. ALSO, I realized this after the fact, but you may want to scallop the edges of your center napkin right now (but that will make more sense in a bit).
Now start folding your stack of napkins up like a fan, or accordion:
Just keep flipping it over and folding, flipping over and folding the next piece on top of that,
until everything is folded up like this:
Then pinch the center of your flower together and kind of smush it down where you're pinching together:
Then use string, pipe cleaners, staples, whatever you want to hold the flower together in the center. THE BEST THING TO USE is wire twist ties (the kind you find on bread bags or with garbage sacks)
Cut a small semi-circle at each end of your fan, so that the napkins become "scalloped":
Should look like this:
Then very carefully (so you don't rip the napkin), start to peel each layer of the flower up. You may need to carefully pull the petals out a bit at the center of the flower so that they come together better in the middle.
If you didn't scallop your center napkin, you can do it now. In fact, I always take a pair of scissors to each flower when I'm done, just to trim things here and there, for a pleasing look.
Shape your petals the way you like it, and you're done! You have a gorgeous over-sized flower to decorate a table, hang on your wall, or you may even downsize it and make a corsage.
VARIATIONS:

* Reverse Scallop and Tissue Paper look. If you cut the edge off of your napkin, you'll be able to peel away the individual ply-s of each napkin, so that it looks more like tissue paper:
And if you cut a reverse scallop on the ends.....
You get a cool spiky look:
* Stripes. It's fun to use striped napkins for the outer flower, or for the center. I varied the direction of the stripes:
and put a bright color in the middle:
Fun.
* Pom Poms - By pulling the layers all the way around to the back you can create a Pom-Pom look. It's cute to hang them from the ceiling or from an outdoor patio cover. (sorry, no photos but something similar to what Martha's done).

* Flowers on a stem. If you have left-over dowels from your No-Sew Flowers, glue a little napkin on there and stick them in a tin can. Simple. Place it on your desk!
* Magnolias. This is probably my favorite version of these flowers. Because of the thickness of the napkins, the petals look so much like a real magnolia. If I were as craft-minded 5 years ago as I am now, I may have made a ton of these to decorate my wedding reception.
Just follow the directions above and....
Blossoms are everywhere.
Of course to truly make them Wallflowers, you should hang them on the wall! Grab some twine, rope, whatever you'd like to use:
If you've made your flowers with twist ties, then just open the tie a bit, lay the rope down, and twist it back up:
String a whole bunch together and you have the perfect Wallflower Garland:
Or link your large wallflowers and hang them vertically. It's adds nice accent to a big plain wall:
They'll be a conversation starter when visitors come to your home.

In fact, when Casey came home and saw them he said, "Wow, they look elaborate".
Ahhh! My tactics are working. Mwah-hah-hah. A very simple sheep, disguised in wolves' clothing.
Enjoy!

http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-wallflowers.html

Streamers

These colorful streamers are so much fun to make, and are a great way to brighten up any outdoor space — they are completely waterproof! The girls had a blast, and we were left with very little clean up afterwards!

To make your own, lay down strips of inexpensive packaging tape with the sticky side up, and invite your child over to sprinkle bits of tissue paper on top.

This is a fun way to practice fine-motor skills, plus it is so bright and colorful!

Next, place another piece of packaging tape on top with the sticky side down. Press firmly along the strip. I cut each streamer into half width-wise, and then we decorated our backyard with these fun streamers!!

I love how they shine when the light goes through them!

The girls were so proud of their artwork!!