Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Coffee Filter Flowers

I made bouquets and bouquets of tissue paper flowers when I was young. I thought it was so amazing that you could take a square piece of tissue paper and make it resemble a flower: and they don't wilt, so my mom would have to hang on to those things until I had forgotten them (which, if you have kids you know, can sometimes take a long time). I saw these this morning and thought they were awesome. A new spin on the paper flower!


What you'll need:

  • Basket coffee filters
  • Water color paints
  • Water
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Green chenille stems (1 per flower)

How to make it:

  1. Flatten coffee filter onto work surface (place some scratch paper or newspaper underneath).
  2. Paint coffee filter with watercolor paint. Thin the paint more in some areas to make the color lighter. Use whatever combination of colors you like, we used two colors per flower. Let the filters dry completely.
  3. Cut about 2” off the end of a chenille stem and set both pieces aside.
  4. There are several different ways to make your flowers. You can fringe the ends in thin strips (leaving the center whole) to make the flower that resembles a pom pom. You can cut thicker strips, about 1” wide each, to make the petaled flower or don’t cut the filter at all to make the rose. 
  5. Insert the large piece of green chenille into the center of the coffee filter about 1.5” in. Hold onto the small end and turn the flower upside down so that the long end of the chenille is sticking up.
  6. Grasp the center of the coffee filter and gather it around the small end of the chenille.
  7. Twist the smaller piece of chenille around the gathered filter to secure the flower in place. Turn the flower back over and fluff the petals as needed.

Tips:

  • No two coffee filters will look the same. Thin watercolors to make lighter shades and use thicker amounts for bolder shades. 
  • You can speed dry the coffee filters by laying them in a sunny window or blow drying them.  
  • Make your own designs by experimenting with different cuts and shapes.
picture and directions taken off of kaboose.com

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