The Assignment
It is time for part two of my November reveal with Pages from the Heart, the little scrapbook store with a big heart, or so the motto goes. The assignment this month for the DT was to make something for a holiday celebration and I chose a Thanksgiving centerpiece with pumpkiny goodness.
 |
| Paper Pumpkin Centerpiece |
When I finished my set of five pumpkins, it still looked a bit incomplete as the centerpiece. I decided to dress up the brass candle sticks that usually reside on my dining room table. I didn't want a permanent decoration in case I change my color scheme or want to decorate for a different holiday. I decided to make a removable wreath that just tied around the candle stick using a strip of ribbon I save from a gift.
The Reveal
Title: Candlestick Wreath
Featured Collection: We R Memory Keepers' Autumn Splendor
Dedicated to: Flower Lovers
 |
| Candlestick Wreaths |
 |
| We R Memory Paper |
Supply List:
Patterned Papers: We R Memory Keepers
Wired Ribbon: Kirkland
Stamen: JoAnn Crafts
Ink: ColorBox Chalk
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks: Imaginisce
Candle Holder: Baldwin
Other: Candle
I wanted to think of another project to use the 6 x 6 paper pad I received and decided to fold some kusudama flowers. This is an ancient Japanese paper model translated as "medicine ball" or "healing sphere" which was traditionally used for incense, but are now decorative. Here are some examples.
 |
| Kusudama |
I didn't want to make the ball, but liked the flowers so I researched how to fold the origami flowers. I used a kusudama written tutorial from Folding Tree for reference. If you prefer videos, YouTube has some folding tutorials also.
 |
| Kusudama Flowers |
There are five petals in one bloom. Each petal is made from one piece of 3 x 3 paper. So each sheet of 6 x 6 paper can be cut down to make 4 petals without any wasted material. After folding five petals, I hot glued them together to create one flower. You can vary the papers per flower or use all the same paper as seen above versus below.
 |
| 5 Petaled Bloom |
The Nitty Gritty
Some variations I made were:
- I chalked the edges of each mini-sheet of paper.
- I added some stamens to the centers of the flowers. These are purchased from the floral section of a craft store. I just hot glued them in the center prior to gluing on the final petal.
- I hot glued each finished flower onto a wired ribbon. This way, the flowers are not permanently attached to the candlestick but can be easily taken off if I still want to decorate the candlestick for another holiday, like Christmas.
- I tied the ribbon around the candlestick and curled the bottom of the bow.
Other variations and tips:
- The paper I used was pretty stiff so I used a bone folder to crease the paper along each fold. But in the end, the flowers seem very durable. If you use a thinner paper, it will be easier to fold, but may not hold up as well over time. So the choice is yours.
- You can cut the paper in different sizes to make bigger or smaller blooms.
- You can use a border punch or decorative scissors along the edge of the paper before you fold it to change the shape of the petal, like more of a scalloped look.
- You can just make one flower for an accent piece on an item, like on a present instead of a bow, on a headband or back of a pen. Or you can make a whole bunch to make the hanging decorative sphere or an actual whole wreath. These are pretty substantial flowers so I wouldn't use them on 2D projects, like a layout. But they pack quite a punch on 3D projects.
 |
| Completed Centerpiece |
Take care and happy scrappin',
