Thursday, August 06, 2009

Never Say Die


Anyone who happened to read the labels on my last post may have noticed the words "crafts" and "wedding." Because, in fact, the rose pictured was made from crepe paper, and will be used in exactly 5 months and 3 days (not that anyone's counting... *ahem*).



I discovered the art of making crepe paper flowers about a year or two ago, though I don't remember how I stumbled across it! Once the discovery was made, I was wild to try it for myself. The only problem is that crepe paper flowers went out of style several decades ago, leaving very few resources for those who want to save this lost art. (By the way, Martha Stewart has produced several crepe paper flower kits, which are great if you don't want to invest in large amounts of materials)

Fortunately I found a vintage 1930's book:



(complete with cover artwork, in which the lady pictured is using *the same book*, with her own photo on the cover:)



...a website that supplies crepe paper in a rainbow of colors:

D. Blumchen and Co.

(Check out their website for pages of delightful vintageness, from actual vintage flower-making supplies like stamens and leaves, to all sorts of trims, scrap pictures, and holiday decorations! I love this site!)

...and plenty of floral supplies from local craft shops:



The cost is unbelievably low -- a package of crepe paper measures 20 inches by 7 feet, for $1.35. Floral tape and wire is ridiculously cheap, and there are only a few other supplies needed (scissors, spray adhesive, glue stick, etc.). I plan to use flowers only for the bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets, which will keep the total cost well under $30 for four bouquets. I'm loving that.

But far more exciting than the cost is the pleasure of creating a flower from paper. Crepe paper is similar to tissue paper, but it has been "creped," giving it a flower-like texture. The biggest difference, however, is that crepe paper -- Oh, joy! -- stretches. This allows for cupped rose petals, fluted edges, and all sorts of crepe-y fun. It takes a bit of practice, but oh, is it worth it! Best of all, I can finish the flowers ahead of time, and not have to worry about fresh flowers close to the wedding. Plus, they last (practically) forever!

And ever since I found out that Martha Stewart carried crepe paper flowers at her wedding, I've felt a bit more confident. If Martha can do it, then so can I! *smile*

12 comments:

  1. Oh, those are so lovely! You did an excellent job on them!

    Blessings!
    ~Rachel~

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  2. That is super cute. I love the idea!

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  3. And they're so beautiful!

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  4. Those flowers are beautiful. You make me want to find some instructions for making crepe paper flowers and try it out myself!

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  5. Wow! I really thought that was a real flower! That is a splendid idea for your wedding.

    Enjoy crafting for your wedding!
    Sommer

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  6. How neat; that is something that I would enjoy doing!!!
    I thought the rose in your previous post was real; how beautiful!!
    I hope you enjoy this time preparing for your wedding, and that you have a wonderful day!!!
    God bless you!

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  7. What a great idea! Back in the 70's my mother was making her own silk flowers. :-)

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  8. Inspirational! I just headed on over to Bookfinder and ordered a copy of the booklet for myself.

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  9. Wow... I am impressed! :)
    Thank you SO much for sharing!!
    It is just LOVELY!!!

    Many Blessings~ Miss Jen

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  10. Beautiful! How did you achieve the dual tones in your rose? It appears to be a vanilla color but lightly pink around the edges? Is it single sided or double?

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  11. How lovely! I haven't tried the crepe paper flowers, but I did make dozens of tissue paper ones to decorate the gazebo for our little girl's birthday in June. Not as realistic as your rose, but they did look pretty.

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  12. Thank you all so much for your kind words! I'm thinking of putting a PDF version of my flower book up in my Etsy shop -- we'll see!

    YayaOrchid, most of the flowers call for something called "Duplex Crepe," which is basically two layers of crepe glued together. So that outer layer is indeed cream on top and pink on bottom! I'm so thankful for spray adhesive... ;-)

    Yours in Christ,
    Shannon

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