Have you ever noticed how those fancy trees in the department stores and boutiques are so amazing?
I know...dumb question.
For years, I would study those trees like nobodies business and try to figure out how to replicate it at home. Well, my trees are a far cry from those beauties, but there was one trick I learned.
Flowers. Big flowers. Lots of big flowers.
(Along with bazillions of other "stuff" but that's beside the point today.)
Back in the day when Hubs and I were a double-income-no-kids unit, buying those big, glittery flowers to fill up our tree wasn't a painful deal.
But now...well, let's just say I wanted the flowers without the price tag and that could only mean one thing...
a DIY project was comin' up!
I wanted some filler flowers for the white tree in our bedroom, so I tried to think of fabrics that would work with that color scheme...silver, grey, blue and white. I remembered a (yet another) stash of black and white plaid fabric I've been hauling around for a couple decades or so and thought I'd give it a go.
After some monkeying around and trying to figure out what would work, I was finally able to come up with a flower that made me smile and fit the style and color scheme of the tree really well.
Yippeee! Gotta love it when things work out.
Here's how you can make your own:
First you will need to make templates. I took a piece of paper and sketched out a simple petal shape, and then drew three more, getting smaller each time. I just used plain old note paper...nothing fancy here peoples, I have to work fast around these parts. The largest petal is roughly about 3.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. Make the petals just a bit smaller as you go. It really isn't too fussy as the shape and size will change with every petal as you go along in your project.
Next, cut out six petals of each size.
Here's what I used:
Six petals of plaid in the largest size,
six petals of fine white netting in the large size
AND six petals of white satin in the same large size,
six petals of plaid in the medium size
AND six petals of fine white netting in the same medium size,
then finally six petals of white satin in the small size.
The main thing you need to remember when choosing your fabric is...it cannot be a natural fiber fabric.
You need fabric that has plastic in it, so that it will melt when heat is applied.
Which brings me to the next point...you will be using an open flame to shape your petals.
Obviously common sense is needed when using fire!
For instance...don't put your petal in the flame then turn away to gaze at your adorable children playing and sharing oh-so-nicely together on the kitchen floor. The petal will catch on fire and things go downhill rather quickly from there. Don't say I didn't warn you.
PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Have I skeered you yet? Good!
Once you have your candle ready, hold your petal in front of the flame and watch it closely. Turn the petal so that heat is applied to all of the edges. The more heat applied, the more the fabric will curl up. It's important to remember to keep the heat coming from the back, as that will make the fabric curl forward as it melts.
Keep in mind that different fabrics will react differently to the heat. In my experience the satin curled and formed the easiest, more heat was needed for the plaid fabric, and the netting would melt extremely quickly. I suggest cutting out sample petals and testing it to see how the fabric will react first.
Here you can see how the satin is starting to curl forward.
Once you get the hang of it, it's really fun!
Lay out your six largest petals as shown in the picture, and glue together at the bottom with hot glue.
My glue gun is one of my best friends, have you noticed?
Then continue on with each layer of petals, making sure the petals are staggered with the layer under them. Make sense? You want the petals on top to be between the petals on the bottom.
Hmm...pictures are worth a thousand words...!
So to recap: Plaid petals, netting petals, satin petals, plaid petals, netting petals, satin petals.
Then hot glue a sparkly gemstone in the middle!
You could leave the flower as is now...or you could add a little glue the bottom layer of petals to bring it all together...
Like so...dab a little glue along the edge of the petal, pinch it to the petal beside it and...
Voila! The glue brings the bottom layer "up" and the flower will not be as floppy.
Stuff the flowers in the tree, then sit back and enjoy the customized prettiness!
These flowers cost somewhere around fifty cents each in supplies.
That sounds a lot better to me than $8 or more a stem! And I love that the black and white works so well with the tree style and our room!
Now...go forth and make some flowers!
Just...don't take your eyes off that flame!
: )
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