BOUQUET OF RED PAPER ROSES
Roses are a favorite romantic gift. These paper roses make it possible to keep a bouquet around indefinitely (or at least until the paper fades).
I think Marie Osmond said it best when she lamented, “Paper roses, oh how real those roses seemed to be.” Seriously though, if you are old enough to remember that song, don’t start singing it now or you’ll never get it out of your head . . . trust me.
The project was excerpted with permission from The Art of Paper Flowers: Creating Realistic Blossoms from Ordinary Papers.
Step 1
Materials
red paper
green paper
card stock
stem wire (18 gauge)
thin wire (22 gauge)
aquarium airline tubing glue floral tape
Trace the Red Rose patterns on page 162, and cut out the designated number of pieces for each pattern.
Step 2
For each of the four petal pieces, curl each individual petal up in the center and down on the edges.
Step 3
Slide the locking disk onto a piece of stem wire, bend the tip back, and add a bit of glue to hold the disk in place.
Step 4
Poke a hole in the center of one petal piece. Slip the piece onto the stem. The locking disk keeps the petal piece in place on the stem. Fold up the four petals of this first petal piece to hide the locking disk. Hold the petals in place with a dab of glue.
Step 5
Slip the second petal piece onto the stem. Hold the second petal piece in place against the underside of the first piece with a small dab of glue.
Step 6
Repeat step 4 for each of the remaining petal pieces.
Step 7
Slip the second locking disk onto the stem, pushing it up to hold all petal pieces tightly together. Apply a dab of glue to keep it in place.
Step 8
Slip the calyx onto the stem and slide it up to cover the locking disk, and glue it in place.
Step 9
Slide the wire into a piece of aquarium airline tubing, and hold it in place with a dab of glue at the top under the calyx.
Step 10
Wrap the tubing with floral tape, stretching and slightly overlapping the tape as you continue down the stem.
Step 11
Fold each leaf in half and fan-fold it on the diagonal. Glue a thin wire along the back spine of each leaf, leaving 3" (7.6 cm) of wire extending off the bottom for the petiole.
Step 12
The leaf cluster closest to the flower consists of one large and two small leaves. Bundle the leaves and wrap the petioles together with floral tape to create this cluster.
Step 13
Nip a small hole in the rose stem’s tubing and slide the wire at the bottom of the leaf cluster inside the hole. Add a dab of glue to hold it in place.
The project was excerpted with permission from The Art of Paper Flowers: Creating Realistic Blossoms from Ordinary Papers.
