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How-Tuesday: Elegant Parchment Flowers with Jeffrey Rudell
Story by HeyMichelle, jeffrudell, missbatch, objecked
Published on June 23, 2009 in How-To

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This week's How-Tuesday comes from Jeffrey Rudell, a paper artist, inventor, and engineer who has an eye for simple, beautiful projects and a knack for sharing his marvelous creations. This project makes a remarkably simple and beautiful flower that can be used to make a bouquet, a boutonniere, a brooch, or just about any flowery thing that starts with the letter B.   

Materials Needed:

  • White vellum or parchment  — the exact vellum shown is white ink on white vellum, made by US Silkscreen, available from New York Central Art Supply
  • pH Neutral Glue
  • Scissors or Xacto knife
  • Straight edge
  • 18" of pre-cut, straight lengths of floral wire
  • Floral tape

Elegant Parchment Flowers:

Step One:

Begin with a 3" disc of paper, parchment, or vellum. You can use a 3" hole punch, a compass, or trace the rim of a cup.

_01-pdf.jpg

 

Fold the circle in half, into quarters, and finally into eighths, until you have a little triangle.

Once folded, use scissors to round out the the top.

 

 

Step Two:

Remove one and one-half petals as indicated and glue flap A to the underside of petal B. This gives the blossom a bit of realistic dimension.

Step Three:

Crimp the edges of each petal — as indicated by the dotted lines — between your thumb and forefinger.

 

Step Four:

For the stem, begin with a straight, 10" to 15" length of floral wire. Use needle nose pliers to curl  a 1/4" loop  in one end of the wire.

_03-pdf.jpg

 

Cover the wire loop with a small length of floral tape to create the pistil of the flower.

Gently thread a wire stem through the center of each completed paper blossom until the pistil is seated snugly within the hollow of the flower.

Take another small length of tape and wrap the top of the stem just under the blossom to keep it in place.

Step Five:

Wrap the remaining portion of the stem with an equaling length of floral tape. Pinch the tape at the top under the blossom and while holding the tape taut with one hand, slowly rotating the stem between the thumb and forefinger until the stem is covered.

 

Step Six:

Lather, Rinse, Repeat, for as many of these gorgeous flowers as you need, and then arrange them as you see fit. Maybe just a few for a boutonniere or for a gift bouquet for a special someone you are hoping to woo. Make a whole bunch for a full bouquet for your wedding or to brighten up any room any day!

 

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Tags bouquet, boutonnier, bridal, bridal arrangement, crafting, Craftstylish, decor, fake flowers, faux flowers, flower, flower girl basket, Handmade Weddings, How-To, HOW-TO, How-Tuesday, How Tuesday video, Jeffrey Rudell, jeffrudell, paper arts, Paper Goods, pdf, projects, tutorials, video, Weddings
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86 comments     Login to add your own!

June 23, 2009 at 4:31 p.m. VintageZen

Lovely!

June 23, 2009 at 4:33 p.m. PAINTINGSBYSAM

Very Cute. ~ Thanks :)

June 23, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. VintageBookStore

Those are gorgeous. great idea!

June 23, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. IceCreamCandy

this is so much fun!!! i love flowers:)

June 23, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. ffflowers

Gorgeous - such a simple idea and so effective :)

June 23, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. beautifulbridget

That looks like fun!!

June 23, 2009 at 4:39 p.m. missindie

Ooooh I can't wait to make these! So cute! :]

June 23, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. satellitedaisy

paper is one of my favorites!
i can't wait to try these!

June 23, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. uncharted

so lovely!

June 23, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. AlisonRuthDesigns

Oh, soooo lovely! Looking forward to trying these.

June 23, 2009 at 4:43 p.m. foamywader

I declare! Beautiful.

June 23, 2009 at 4:54 p.m. JeweledAmbrosia

gorgeous!!

June 23, 2009 at 4:58 p.m. SteppingStones

Lovely!!! Love that DSBrennan!!

June 23, 2009 at 5 p.m. KOALACaddie

These are exquisite. Thanks so much for the tutorial, and for pointing us in the direction of etsy sellers making such lovely flowers when we are too busy to make them ourselves.

June 23, 2009 at 5:03 p.m. FancifulForm

Beautiful Flowers!

June 23, 2009 at 5:03 p.m. travellingcircus

Oh what a lovely article. Definitely something to try...thanks so much:)

June 23, 2009 at 5:06 p.m. PearandPeacock

Lovely! What a great video! Thank you!

June 23, 2009 at 5:06 p.m. baconsquarefarm

Love flowers thanks for the wonderful article.

June 23, 2009 at 5:11 p.m. LilPeasandCarrots

How fun! I'm going to give it a try!

June 23, 2009 at 5:22 p.m. bylynnkrestel

i love 'how to tuesday'!!!
look forward to it...
thanks for sharing!!

June 23, 2009 at 5:31 p.m. adoreneko

Thank you for the beautiful and easy to follow instructions, Jeffrey!

June 23, 2009 at 5:33 p.m. EJPcreations

Look how pretty!!! thank you !

June 23, 2009 at 5:44 p.m. yaelmiller

quitesparkly and stjudescreations flowers are stunning

June 23, 2009 at 5:47 p.m. terrygraziano

I love Jeffrey! He was my upstairs neighbor when I first moved to NYC and it is so great to see him here!!! Incredibly kind, amazingly talented and a fantastic project!!!

Hi Jeffrey :)

June 23, 2009 at 5:56 p.m. MGMart

Wow,loved it!! Can't wait to try it with the kids tomorrow.
Thank you Jeffrey and Michelle :)

June 23, 2009 at 6:02 p.m. CollectionObsession

Beautiful!!!

June 23, 2009 at 6:11 p.m. sleepyking

so awesome! I loveeee tuesdays!

June 23, 2009 at 7:17 p.m. polkadotsoup

pretty! how tuesdays rock!

June 23, 2009 at 7:53 p.m. patriciacha

How very nice i will get started on my bouquet very soon! thank you!

June 23, 2009 at 8:06 p.m. bijougirldesigns

Too cute!

June 23, 2009 at 8:09 p.m. CabinOn6th

Beautiful flowers !

June 23, 2009 at 8:27 p.m. madebykeli

Who sells these? I'm too lazy to make them? :)

June 23, 2009 at 8:31 p.m. HeyMichelle

I loved this project, and Jeffrey was great! Such a talented and funny guy, with an encyclopedic knowledge of showtunes (that one is Bye Bye Baby from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). And, nice work Eric (cameraman/director/editor/coordinator/rad dude)!

June 23, 2009 at 9:29 p.m. madeinlowell

Wonderful tute! Jeffrey is charming :)

June 23, 2009 at 9:35 p.m. BeadinBabe

How cool! Thank you! :)

June 23, 2009 at 9:55 p.m. lobby62

Winter school holidays are about to happen here and I think this will be a great rainy day project to do with my daughters. Great.

June 24, 2009 at 12:03 a.m. capitalcitycrafts

thanks for the demo! so simple and fun!

June 24, 2009 at 4:50 a.m. kinzaw

Wonderful How-Tuesday! Thank you Jeffrey and Michelle :)

June 24, 2009 at 5:46 a.m. evihan

SUCHA A GREAT PROJECT...THANK YOU FOR SHARING:-)

June 24, 2009 at 7:02 a.m. MademoiselleG

Wow so great! Was a bit suspicious with paper flowers, but must say that those are gorgeous!

June 24, 2009 at 8:03 a.m. lovelygifts

Very nice!

June 24, 2009 at 8:12 a.m. JoDyer

Wonderful!!

June 24, 2009 at 8:20 a.m. SeaPinks

Oh wow, those are so pretty!

June 24, 2009 at 8:24 a.m. lenoreeightyfour

this was great!

June 24, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. pinkracoon

I love this! Great idea!

June 24, 2009 at 9:48 a.m. tldgrainwear

How simple and fun! Thanks for the tip!

June 24, 2009 at 9:55 a.m. Morado

I LOVE flowers.....im a lil flower pot!

June 24, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. babook

Red and Pink Romanc I love it I love it !!

June 24, 2009 at 11:07 a.m. staceylyndesigns

Great instructions! Can't wait to give it a try!

June 24, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. DeconstructTheWorld

How simple and pretty! Perhaps my lady friend will get a bouquet of these...

June 24, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. Knittingchair

lots of awesome ideas

June 24, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. BLinkDesign

super cute! I'm going to make some right now!

June 24, 2009 at 3:22 p.m. weirdwolf

Love this How-Tuesday! Nicely done.

June 24, 2009 at 4:08 p.m. CutieDynamite

Super cute! Can't wait to try my hand at these...

June 24, 2009 at 7:07 p.m. DanceInMyGarden

Gorgeous!

June 25, 2009 at 1:39 p.m. ToScarboroughFair

Very beautiful and different.

June 25, 2009 at 11:26 p.m. daniellexo

Adorable! Nice lil outtake at the end there too :)

June 27, 2009 at 8:43 a.m. sisply

I LOVE this flowers!

June 27, 2009 at 7:31 p.m. samsstuff

Cute! It reminds me of all the paper flowers I loved making as a kid. Hmm, it was a lot of fun...I'll have to make some soon!

June 28, 2009 at 3:13 a.m. atom76

What in god's name is on her head?

June 29, 2009 at 12:08 p.m. jeffrudell

I just wanted to THANK everyone for their great comments. I love creating simple things that look great and, judging from the response these flowers have garnered, I take it the Etsy audience likes the same thing. I appreciate so many of you taking time to share a few words of support and encouragement: what a great community!

June 29, 2009 at 7:56 p.m. madetogether

LOVE THIS! Umbra makes these fun metal flowers that give a similar modern elegance, but truthfully I like the clean fresh feel of these better! THANKS!

~CHelle

June 29, 2009 at 11:42 p.m. mishpot

what the heck is she wearing on her head? ahaha cool craft though

July 1, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. RiverBird

So fun I'm gonna make some!

July 7, 2009 at 5:48 p.m. crystalgray

This is awesome! Love it! Thanks so much for sharing!

July 15, 2009 at 3:53 p.m. design7

soooo beautiful!!! thank you!!!

July 19, 2009 at 1:17 a.m. DuBuhDuDesigns

What a gorgeous post! I just made my first doll using a paper dress and flowers. I can easily use this tutorial to create fantastic accessories on a smaller scale. Thank you:)

July 20, 2009 at 7:44 p.m. mykonos

I love flowers!!

July 21, 2009 at 8:33 p.m. SusanKJewelry

fun ..fun..fun

July 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. KelpCottage

Beautiful! Thanks

July 22, 2009 at 9:09 p.m. ModFarmgirl

I LOVE THESE!!! I am so going to try this!!!!... I think I'll make some right now! Thank you Jeffery and Michelle for the great how-to video!!

July 23, 2009 at 5:41 p.m. supah

lovely! but hey ... WTF is on her head?

July 24, 2009 at 9:40 p.m. ArtyPam

thank you !! lovely

July 29, 2009 at 7:02 a.m. danielabesso

wow!!! love that thanks !

July 30, 2009 at 2:55 a.m. cutecraft

So simple but so lovely! Thanks for the video :)

Aug. 2, 2009 at 5:16 a.m. treeforyou

This was really fun to watch!! Thanks for the video x x x

Aug. 3, 2009 at 5:04 p.m. clothpaperstitches

Thank you for the tutorial. Cool project!

Aug. 5, 2009 at 12:58 p.m. Beadsforpeace

Oh wow! Great alternative to fresh flowers! I'd like to make a bunch as presents! Thanks jeffrey for sharing!

Aug. 5, 2009 at 11:53 p.m. shizendesigns

Cool project!

Aug. 8, 2009 at 9:07 p.m. Nikifashion

Great tutorial!

Aug. 9, 2009 at 10:45 a.m. MeghanT

Beautiful. Great Summer project!

Aug. 9, 2009 at 1:56 p.m. babook

i love the video so cute they're !!! And so much thanks for guide of the flower paper DIY it totally easy to got it ; )

Aug. 10, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. pambigreetings

thanks for that, really make it look easy and so effective.

Aug. 10, 2009 at 7:45 p.m. LovelandShadeTree

So fun! man I made tons of those big tissue paper flowers when I was a kid.These are a bit classier though.This video brought back so many fun memories.
Thanks

Aug. 13, 2009 at 9:04 p.m. Joliet

These were simple, inexpensive, and lots of fun to make. However... did everyone else's stems remain indefinitely sticky? I'm wondering if I used the wrong floral tape or something..

Oct. 21, 2009 at 2:01 p.m. stjudescreations

thank you for featuring my flowers on storque!

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