DIY: Chrysanthemum Paper Flowers

Cherished Bliss' blog tutorial on chrysanthemum paper flowers that we plan to try the minute we get home.  We love paper flowers in every variety.  Just think - you can make them whatever color / pattern you want, you can change them anytime, and they never die!  We love making them out of recycled paper as well!

Don’t you just love these colors? This is pretty easy to make. Your kids might even love to make this with you, it’s pretty easy!

{What you need}

- 2 pieces of scrapbook paper
- scissors
- glue
- paper circle cut out

{Steps}

one. cut out a bunch of strips I started with the bottom yellow layer of strips at 3 1/2” x 1/2” but this depends on the size of the flower you want. Then fold it in half and glue the ends together. The first layer of pink strips are 3” long and the inner pink strips are 2 1/2” long.

two. Start gluing your paper strips around your paper circle cut out. Mine was approx. 1 1/2” in diameter.

three. Keep going around with your different layers by filling the next layer in the spaces of the previous layer. I did two layers of the yellow, two layers of the pink, and then I filled in a few gaps with the pink in a 3rd layer of the pink (but this is only necessary if you fill you have a few gaps).

four. Add your center. For my center I took another 1 1/2” circle and cut it into a spiral then wrapped it around tight and glued it down in the center. You could also add buttons, rhinestone, or whatever suits your project

There you have it. A beautiful paper flower for embellishing all kind of projects!

DIY: Packthread Wrapped Vase

A wonderful upcycle tutorial from Sheepy Me!

Supplies:

1.) Double Sided Tape
2.) Packthread

3.) Scissors

4.) A used bottle!

DIY: Security Envelope Sparklers

We love these versatile designer sticks from The Ravenna Girls blog!  Make them for cupcake toppers, drink stirrers, appetizers picks, or anything else you can think of!

All you need is one or two security envelopes, scissors, bamboo skewers (cut down in length) and double sided tape. Glue stick would also work, as would toothpicks if you don’t have skewers around.

Cut down your envelope so you have one large rectangle of pattern to work with, then just cut on the diagonal into long thin triangles. You can also cut along the long length for a little variety.

Put some double sided tape or glue on the back side of the paper (the white side). I put about 1/2″ of sticky to get an attachment that held. Then, wrap the full triangle tightly around your skewer or toothpick.

Hold in place for 10-15 seconds, then gently unroll the paper and pull it away from the skewer. Voila! A little blue paper “sparkler” for your holiday decor.

Play around with the length and size of your triangles for a little varied effect. Then go to town!

Tutorial: Super Simple Paper Stars

Incredibly easy, but incredibly cute tutorial from AnneKata!  These wonderful simple paper stars would be awesome for party decoration, or just around the house!

Here’s how to make your own:

Materials: - origami paper or other square paper (mine was approx. 6″)
- pencil
- scissors
- glue
- string to hang hem
How to:
Just follow the directions in the picture tutorial below.

Turn the paper over and fold as in the picture below.


Mark with a pencil a little less from the border to the middle. Do it on all four sides.

Cut with scissors from the edge to your pencil mark on all four sides.


Glue every other side on the folded flaps.

Pull the unglued side over the glued side.

One side is ready, but you need one more to complete the star.
Repeat previous steps to make another star.

Glue as shown.

The glue is missing in this image, but this is the way to attach the 2 stars together.

DIY Wall Art: Bubbles

What an inexpensive and fabulous idea from Mr. Handsomeface.  This contemporary wall bubble art will make people think you spent hours, when it takes minutes!! Use up that tissue paper from present you get and make this a great upcycled project!

Check out their blog for more fun DIY art!!

Here are the supplies you'll need:

• a stretched canvas
• big paint brush
• scissors
• white acrylic paint
• Mod Podge
• tissue paper in primary colors

Stretched canvases can be purchased in any arts & craft store. If you buy a cheap one, and why the hell not, they're not as expensive as you think. You can often find the store brand canvases are bundles in packages of 3 for a cheaper price. Since you're buying a cheap canvas, you'll want to paint the whole thing with a nice coat of white paint first. Even if the canvas looks nice and white, it will look even better with a coat of paint on it!

Ah, that's better. Set that aside to dry and now here comes the only hard part in the whole project. Cut out 3 circles from your tissue paper. Get creative and play around with different sizes. Here comes the 'cheap' thing again, buy the cheapest, crappiest tissue paper you can find. You don't want that thick, expensive stuff because it won't be translucent enough. I got mine from the dollar store where they had a huge selection of colors for $1 each. Try to get bright colors that will pop against the white background, the 'red' in this trio is really a bright magenta.

Before you make anything permament, play around with the positioning on your canvas. The secondary colors that the paper make when you lay them on top of each other will look different depending on who's on top. Also, I think it looks cool when some of the bubbles goes off the edge.

When you figure out your arrangement, spread a thin coat of Mod Podge where you want the first circle to lay. Carefully and slowly lay the circle down while smoothing the air bubbles and wrinkles with your brush. It's easier to start from one edge and work your way across.

Once the circle is smoothed out and most of the wrinkles are gone, put another coat of Mod Podge on top. BE CAREFUL with this step because the paper is wet and will easily tear at this point. 

Repeat the same steps for the other 2 circles.

If you're amazing and more patient than me, you'll take your time to smooth it out perfectly. I kid myself into thinking it looks better with wrinkles.

But seriously, it's not the end of the world if there are still some wrinkles.

After all the circles are in place, add another coat of Mod Podge to make it look uniform.

I really like how this project turned out and I hope you like it too. Some other ideas: cut little squares or circles for a confetti look or change up the shapes for some variety.

DIY Ombre Pinwheels

We found an excellent tutorial on Wedding Chicks blog, which was created by Los Angeles event designer Yoleine Dumarsais  and takes us through the easy process of making your own ombre pinwheels.

Perfect for any party or celebration, this doable diy project will add a major touch of whimsey and some seriously cute eye candy. 

Read on for instruction on how to make your own ombre pinwheels.

A special thanks to Yoleine Dumarsais for this DIY Ombre Pinwheels tutorial.

Supplies
1. cardstock paper
2. glue gun
3. scissors
4. paint brush
5. watercolor paint in your favorite color
6. hole punch
7. watercolor paper
8. 36″ dowels (not shown)

Step One 

To create a colored wheel for a gradient look or an ombre appearance, paint half (or a little more then half) of your paper. Make sure to paint the end darker and go lighter on the half. Take a piece of napkin or washcloth and wipe the paint to the other half of the paper. Repeat this on multiple sheets to create 1 pinwheel fan. Note: All of your pinwheels do not have to be watercolored you can make some using this technique and some without.  For the water-colored pinwheels, I like to use Van Gogh water color paint, and water color paper (water color paper has texture compared to regular cardstock paper). But you can use any kind of water color paint.

Step Two 

Fold cardstock paper accordion-style into 1/2 inch folds. It’s good to have different size papers in order to form different sized pinwheels. So you can cut the paper in different sizes.

Step Three 

Fold accordion in half and secure using a glue gun for extra hold. This creates a part of the pinwheel. Repeat this 3 times. 3 fans equal 1 pinwheel.

Step Four 

Punch holes with a hole punch or cut holes about a quarter of an inch from the ends of the pinwheels.You can add as many or little to your pinwheel. This is to make them a bit different!

Step Five
Use the glue gun to glue your pinwheels to the dowel for extra hold since this will be fastened to your wall. There’s no systematic way to glue wheels. Glue wheels at different angles whether it’s to the dowel or to another wheel. Make sure to cover the whole dowel!  About 7 pinwheels will create a pinwheel dowel for your pinwheel wall. Repeat this whole process 4 times to create your pinwheel wall!

Upcycle DIY Junk Mail Notepad / Notebook

We love this DIY project from Crafting a Green World!  Who doesn't wish they could do something productive with all that junk mail?  Now you can!  Turn it into a fun little notepad / notebook and always have something handy in your purse to write on.  Make one for a friend or keep one at your work desk.  

We think that you could even get a customized stamp and turn these into neat little "calling cards" to give to people that you meet.  Put your website name, personal info, or even your Facebook URL on them for easy handouts!

How to Make a Notepad Out of Junk Mail

Materials

• About 7 security envelopes
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Stapler and staples

Directions

1. Measure, mark with pencil, and cut your security envelopes into 7 pieces that are 2.5″ X 5″ apiece.
2. Fold your pieces of paper in half, so each one is 2.5″ X 2.5″, then nestle them together so that
they’re all book-like.



3. To make your cover a little bit stronger than the other pages, you’re going to glue two pieces of security envelope together. Cut out your two pieces, and use your glue stick to glue them together right sides out. Fold this in half and nestle it over your interior pages.
4. Use a clothespin or binder clip to hold your pages and cover in place on one side, then open up your notepad and staple the spine near the top and bottom along the crease.




5. Of course, this leaves an unsightly staple on the edge of your notepad. We can’t have that! Let’s cover it up. Grab a scrap piece of security envelope, and cut it to 3/4″ by slightly shorter than 2.5″. Fold it in half, so that it’s 3/8″ X 2.5″, apply your glue stick over the wrong side of the paper, then nestle it over the spine, pressing down well to get out any air bubbles.


Voila! Toss your mini notepad into your purse, and you’ll never be without paper again.