How to Make Crepe Paper Lilies

Paper flowers are usually made from tissue or origami papers. Crepe paper is a medium that can be used to make flowers, too. You can even make the more complicated lily blossom in a variety of colors with crepe paper. It will be important to make a lily in stages and allow drying time for the white tacky craft glue that you will use. The six petals are double layers of crepe paper folded over with a wire glued in between to make a pliable petal for the natural curve seen in a lily.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Crepe paper streamers or sheets
• Wire
• Floral tape
• Artificial floral stamens
• Scissors
• White tacky craft glue
• Acrylic craft paint
• Fine tip brush

1. 
    

   Study a real lily or a photo of one. Notice how a single petal looks and sketch a 5 or 6 inch long single petal on a piece of paper or cardboard. Cut out the petal with an additional 1/4 inch or so at the bottom. This is your crepe paper lily patternIf you want to have leaves to match the lily plant draw a second pattern for a 12 inch long single leaf.

2. 
    

   Place flattened crepe paper on your work surface. Fold 10 to 12 inch length of crepe paper in half. Place pattern with flat bottom of petal on the fold. Leave the fold in place it helps give stability when you floral tape the petal to the stem. Trace around the pattern with a pencil or simply hold it with your thumb and cut out the double petal.Repeat the same process with a leaf made from a 24 inch long piece of crepe paper folded in half if you are adding it in.

3. 
    

   Take a 12 to 18 inch piece of florist or craft wire and gently push one end through the fold between the two petal shapes. The wire should go up the entire center of the petal. Set aside and repeat with 5 more petals.Use an 18 to 24 inch wire for a leaf.

4. 
    

   Open up the folded petal unit. Run a line of white tacky craft glue down the wire. Run a second line of glue around the outside edge of one of the petals. Fold the top petal back over and lining the two, firmly press the edges together with the wire sandwiched in between. Set aside to dry thoroughly. Repeat with remaining petals of this blossom and any more you want to make for this project.

5. 
    

   When petals are thoroughly dry bend the wire to make the curved shape of a lily petal. Wrap the very bottom of the petal with floral tape to cover the 1/2 inch of wire nearest to the petal.

6. 
    

   Fold craft stamens nearly in half so that the stamen heads are staggered in height. Take a 5 or 6 inch piece of wire. Hold 3 pieces of floral craft stamens snugly against the wire and wrap tightly with floral wrap.

7. 
    

   Begin with one petal, floral wrap it to the stamen wire. Continue wrapping about 3 inches down.

8. 
    

   Continue adding petals and tightly floral wrap them in place. Make sure to firmly wrap the wires of the petals to the main stem.

9. 
    

   Cut the 6 wires at varying lengths and fully wrap the entire stem. If you have chosen to add in a leaf you will floral tape that to the finished stem then bend to shape as desired.

10. Refer to a photo of a real lily to see what the natural marking looks like. Notice that there are dots and lines. Paint lines and dots on petals using a fine tip brush and acrylic paint if desired. Blot on a paper towel first to make sure that the lines are fine.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful, as the wire ends are sharp. It is easy to get cut when wrapping floral tape around the stem.
• Do not try to bend or shape petals when craft glue is wet.

[showpup]

on 8/25/2008 Unique idea for flower decorations. Thanks! 5 stars