Exquisite Book of Paper Flower Transformations

Playing with Size, Shape, and Color to Create Spectacular Paper Arrangements

,

• Publisher: Abrams
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781419724121
• eBook ISBN: 9781683350040

In The Exquisite Book of Paper Flower Arrangements, artist Livia Cetti ups the ante with a host of grander and more intricate flowers and projects-more blooms, more petals, stronger stems, and bigger, bolder arrangements! Cetti will teach you how to play with size, shape, color, and texture to create 25 vibrant single stems in a variety of natural shapes-globes, spikes, bells, saucers, rectangles, cones, and arcs-including hydrangeas, coral charm peonies, honeysuckles, and paperwhites. Then, you'll use these elemental shapes to build the 15 bright, abundant arrangements, including bold wreaths, bountiful bouquets, fantastical gilded wall art, and blooming garlands. Introducing new, neverbefore-seen techniques for dyeing paper and creating moldable leaves and petals, this gorgeous guide is perfect for crafters of all skill levels interested in making realistic and unique home decor, gifts, accessories, and entertaining essentials.

SHAPE/GLOBE

01

ALLIUM

I love the whimsical magic of the allium bloom, which grows from the stalks of garlic plants. When I was younger, my family grew garlic, which we braided and sold at farmers’ markets in California. Once the plants went to seed, I would cut the geometric blooms that were left behind and fill vases around the house with them. In paper form, you can enjoy these oversize structural blooms without the odor.

DIRECTIONS

ALLIUM

FINISHED SIZE

Approximately 21" (53 cm)

GENERAL MATERIALS

• Scissors

• Green floral tape

• Assorted fabric dyes

• Wire cutters

• Fifteen 18" lengths 18-gauge reinforcement wires

FOR PETALS

• Nine 3" × 20" (7.5 × 50 cm) strips chartreuse tissue paper dip-dyed with bleach

FOR SIMPLE STAMEN CENTERS

• 50 double-headed orange filament stamens

• Fifty 9" (23 cm) lengths 20-gauge wire, pretaped with green floral tape

PREPARE MATERIALS

Trace or draw the Allium petal template on this page and cut out the petal shape. Cut fifty 3" × 3" (7.5 × 7.5 cm) pieces from the chartreuse tissue paper strips and place them in 10 stacks of 5 pieces each. Trace the template onto each stack of tissue and cut them out to make 50 petals.

Create 50 simple stamen centers with the orange filament stamens, following the instructions on this page.

SHAPE CONNECTED PETAL

Working on a smooth, low-friction surface, gently gather the bottom edge of the connected petal into a fanlike shape with your fingertips (A). Position the connected petal flush to the tip of one of the simple stamen center wires so that the stamens extend above the paper by ½" (12 mm) (B). Make sure that you don’t see any of the actual wire, just the stamen. Adjust the petal ends so that they are evenly spaced and overlap slightly at their base. Attach the connected petal with floral tape (C). Set this aside and repeat with remaining 49 petals and simple stamen centers. Bend each stem at a 60-degree angle 2½" (6 cm) below each floret (D).

ASSEMBLE BLOOM

Place 3 florets with their stems flush, positioning the angled point of the second and third floret stems 1" (2.5 cm) down from the angled point of the first floret’s stem and attach them with floral tape (E). Repeat with the remaining floret, placing them around the first two to create a ball shape (F+G). As you attach the florets, add in approximately 15 reinforcement wires to thicken and elongate the stem. To attach, place the reinforcement wire alongside the main stem and insert the top of the wire into the base of the bloom (H). When you are finished adding flowers, rearrange and bend the stems to create a global shape. Wrap it with floral tape the full length of the stem. Turn the flower upside down, cut the stem to your desired length, and wrap the cut stem end with floral tape to finish (I).

02

CHARM PEONY

Everybody adores peonies, and they’re one of the flowers I’ve been making since the beginning. My earlier peonies were much more stylized, but lately, I’ve wanted something different and more realistic. This version feels more natural to me, especially the petals. Before, I used scalloping shears to shape their edges. Now, I hand-cut the petals so I can vary the size and shape. When you make this flower, try to make an assortment of petals and mix them all together in one bloom. Make some blooms using a double-petal, some a triple-petal, or even just a single petal. You’ll see how wonderfully fluffy they are in the end.

DIRECTIONS

CHARM PEONY

FINISHED SIZE

Approximately 20" (50 cm)

GENERAL MATERIALS

• Scissors

• Green floral tape

• 18" (46 cm) length 18-gauge reinforcement wire

• Wire cutters

FOR PETALS

• Six 4" × 20" (10 × 50 cm) strips coral tissue paper, dip-dyed with bleach (see page 00)

FOR CENTERS

• Three 3" × 20" (7.5 × 50 cm) strips soft pink tissue paper, dip-dyed with water (see this page)

• One 3" × 20" (7.5 × 50 cm) strip burgundy tissue paper, dip-dyed with water (see this page)

• 18" (46 cm) length 18-gauge pretaped wire

FOR LEAVES

• 19" × 25" (48 × 63.5 cm) sheet green Canson paper

• Hot glue gun

• Hot glue sticks

• Two 9" (23 cm) lengths pretaped 20-gauge wire

• Two ½" × 2" (12 mm × 5 cm) pieces light-green tissue paper

PREPARE MATERIALS

Trace or draw the Charm Peony Large Petal template and Small Petal template on this page and cut out the petal shapes. For the large petals, cut twenty 4" × 5" (10 × 13 cm) pieces from 5 of the petal tissue paper strips. Divide them into 2 stacks of 10. Place the Large Petal template on 1 stack so the top of the petal is at the bleach-dipped edge of the paper. Trace the template onto the tissue. Repeat with the second stack. For the small petals, cut five 4" × 1½" (10 × 4 cm) pieces from the remaining petal tissue strip. Trace the Small Petal template onto the tissue. Cut them all out to make a total of 20 large and 5 small petals.

Trace or draw the Charm Peony Center Petal and Fleck Petal templates on this page and cut out the shapes. Cut fifteen 3" × 2¾" (7.5 × 7 cm) pieces from the soft pink tissue paper strips. Divide them into 3 stacks of 5. Place the Center Petal t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• The Geometry of Nature
• Getting Started
• Part 1: Flower Construction Basics
• Part 2: The Projects
• Templates
• Resources
• Acknowledgments