Flowers, flowers, flowers
"A wedding is a funeral where you can smell your own flowers." ~Eddie Cantor
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| One of my orchids in bloom! |
I don’t think a wedding is synonymous with a funeral, however, I can symbolically why they would be compared. I mean, you are starting a whole new life with a new person. The old version of you, while not dead, is definitely not who you remain. You can’t possibly remain unchanged and have a successful marriage.
Anyway, the reason I really chose this quote is because it talks about flowers.
Maybe this is most fitting.
Maybe this is most fitting.
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” ~Henri Matisse
Flowers are an essential part of any wedding. There are many varieties and colors. So many choices you could easily get lost in them all.
Generally, people pick flowers they like or base it on the seasons and colors. Myself, I’ve never been much of a cut flower girl. I love fields of wildflowers, spring fields of Easter lilies, bushes of lilacs and potted orchids.
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| I love the lilacs. |
I know you can get fake ones, there are some beautiful fake ones out there, too. The ones we held in my brother’s wedding looked so real and beautiful. They did a really good job preparing them.
So when I was thinking what flowers I wanted, well, it didn’t take long for me to decide on making my flowers out of a material I have in huge supply: newsprint. I’m known for using that stuff in everything — I even wrap Christmas presents, complete with bows, in the Sunday comics.
I know, I’m a dork.
It’s harder than you might think to find a way to make flowers out of newsprint. There’s directions for crepe paper, tissue paper, construction paper, and most any other kind you could think of. There’s even directions for book paper (I don’t think I could handle cutting up a book).
But no newsprint. I think it’s because the paper is a bit thin and the ink can be messy. It’s not impossible, but it is tricky.
Whatever you end up doing, remember, as with all the decorations, they are just decorations. The most important part is what happens after the day is over. It’s the start of your lifetime.
The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.
Chanakya
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| A glue gun, glue sticks and paper are just a few of the things you need. |
I started a few different ways; here’s what worked best for me.
With the stack of papers, cut out squares, slightly bigger than you might want. It’s okay to vary the sizes, as petals aren’t the same size. It streamlines the process if you have the papers cut to a more manageable size first.
Then, grab the wire. (The first round, I made the flower and then went back and tried to put wire through it; trust me, wire first is easier.)
To give it a bit more color, my flowers have beads inside. One of my many hobbies is making jewelry, so that wasn’t hard for me. That’s optional. I also twisted the wire to give it an interesting shape on the end and hold the beads on.
*Note, I found that it was also easier if I made twists under the beads, because the hot glue would hold the paper there much more easily than straight on the wire.
Taking the petals, trim the corners to a little curve. Mine were not perfect circles, they had some slight curves and flat edges. It’s good to play around with what works in your hand before you start hot gluing, so you have an idea of which you want first. And, pay attention as you go, so you can trim the petals along the way.
It’s kind of hard to say it, other than to say put glue on one side of a petal, wrap it around the wire and stick it tightly. Be careful of run away glue or you’ll find a fast burn.
Then, put a bead of glue under the beads, where you made the second twist, and slide the center petal to that spot. They should stick rather quickly. Each petal kind of curves and twists around. Make sure to keep playing with it before gluing it into place. It’s much harder to get a hot glued piece of paper off without ripping than it is to move it around a few times!
It takes a lot of patience and a lot of hot glue, but eventually, you have a floral creation.
For my bouquets, it took me a few tries to settle into the right color scheme, but I think I’m going to stick with those first beads for now. I might switch them out later.
I also painted a thin strip of purple around every flower. I initially tried to change that, but decided it was better to stick with one paint color.
I also used floral tape to shorten and strengthen the wire. You might have to hot glue it to the paper to make it stay in place.
After all that, step outside and spray the flower. I usually tape after, actually, but you can do it either way.
Anyway, if you want to make a bouquet, as I’m doing, you’ll need a base and something to hold the flowers. Being the thrifty (CHEAP) person I am, I used empty tulle rolls as the part of the bouquet that is held.
Get a whiffle ball or some other type with holes, depending on the size. For the bridesmaid bouquets, I bought a pack of the practice golf balls. Those were cut in half and glued on the empty tulle roll. Then, I put the flower-wires through. The hot glue works to hold them in place where you want.
With a lot of work and patience, you will have your own flower bouquet.
With the stack of papers, cut out squares, slightly bigger than you might want. It’s okay to vary the sizes, as petals aren’t the same size. It streamlines the process if you have the papers cut to a more manageable size first.
Then, grab the wire. (The first round, I made the flower and then went back and tried to put wire through it; trust me, wire first is easier.)
To give it a bit more color, my flowers have beads inside. One of my many hobbies is making jewelry, so that wasn’t hard for me. That’s optional. I also twisted the wire to give it an interesting shape on the end and hold the beads on.
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| Floral wire with beads. |
*Note, I found that it was also easier if I made twists under the beads, because the hot glue would hold the paper there much more easily than straight on the wire.
Taking the petals, trim the corners to a little curve. Mine were not perfect circles, they had some slight curves and flat edges. It’s good to play around with what works in your hand before you start hot gluing, so you have an idea of which you want first. And, pay attention as you go, so you can trim the petals along the way.
It’s kind of hard to say it, other than to say put glue on one side of a petal, wrap it around the wire and stick it tightly. Be careful of run away glue or you’ll find a fast burn.
 |
| A flower! Just add details to be complete. |
It takes a lot of patience and a lot of hot glue, but eventually, you have a floral creation.
For my bouquets, it took me a few tries to settle into the right color scheme, but I think I’m going to stick with those first beads for now. I might switch them out later.
I also painted a thin strip of purple around every flower. I initially tried to change that, but decided it was better to stick with one paint color.
I also used floral tape to shorten and strengthen the wire. You might have to hot glue it to the paper to make it stay in place.
 |
| Flowers on the ball and base. |
Anyway, if you want to make a bouquet, as I’m doing, you’ll need a base and something to hold the flowers. Being the thrifty (CHEAP) person I am, I used empty tulle rolls as the part of the bouquet that is held.
Get a whiffle ball or some other type with holes, depending on the size. For the bridesmaid bouquets, I bought a pack of the practice golf balls. Those were cut in half and glued on the empty tulle roll. Then, I put the flower-wires through. The hot glue works to hold them in place where you want.
With a lot of work and patience, you will have your own flower bouquet.
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