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Hey there! I totally realize that Valentine’s Day is over a month away, but it’s not too early to start thinking about craft ideas is it!? Of course not! This weekend, while I was taking care of a sick little girl, I put together some crepe paper flowers for a topiary that makes a great Valentine’s day craft idea. Here’s how to make your own!
You’ll need at least one roll of crepe paper. If you use anything larger than a 4″ styrofoam ball, I would get two rolls of crepe paper. Here’s all the supplies I used for this crafty project:
- 1 – 5″ Styrofoam Ball
- 2 – rolls of crepe paper (from the dollar store!)
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Optional supplies may include band-aids for all the hot glue on your fingers unless you are a super skilled hot glue crafter! And maybe a glass of wine for “wine and roses”! har har  :)
To make a crepe paper flower, first tear or cut off a strip of crepe paper. I made my strips about 2 feet long. Â Smaller strip = small flower and vice versa!
Fold the paper over about 1/3 of the way like this for the entire strip of paper.
Starting at one end, begin rolling the paper a few times with the folded edge on the outside.
After rolling a few times to make the center of the flower, begin twisting the paper and wrapping it around. You only need to twist it a 1/4 turn, wrap, twist another 1/4 turn, wrap some more… keep going!
I continue to hold on the center part while I’m twisting the paper around. This gives me something to hold on to the flower.
After a few wraps around, you should start seeing something like this.
Don’t worry if it doesn’t look like that picture. Let me tell you that this is the first time I’ve done this. The first 2 or 3 flowers I made looked like wads of crepe paper and well, they didn’t make it. :) Just keep practicing!!
One you get to the end of your strip of paper, just add a dab of hot glue and wrap the end under the flower to attach it.
Then attach your flower to the styrofoam ball with hot glue. No need to skimp on the hot glue here! You don’t want it to come unraveled. But be fore-warned – My fingertips are still a little blistered from the hot glue! :) Okay, maybe not blistered, but I think I still have hot glue on my fingernails!
Keep filling in until you have a complete ball! I had to make a few smaller flowers to fill in gaps here and there. This craft does take some time, but it’s easy enough to do while watching your favorite TV show (who has time for TV?) or during nap time! When I first started this, I thought it would take me forevahhhh, but once you do a few and get the hang of the it, it goes fast!
I’m planning on making a couple more in different sizes and colors for Valentine’s Day decorations. These would even be great for wedding or shower decorations or just because! I plan on attaching some ribbon to this one after the holiday and hanging it in our daughter’s room.
Oh and just ignore those empty bookshelves in the background! We just got those for our dining room this weekend and put them together. Styling bookcases is on my list of things to do this month as well! :)
Have you started thinking about Valentine’s Day?
Do you do any special activities with the family to celebrate?
Have you ever made crepe paper flowers before?
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