diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge
06/10/2013
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160 DIY
by Kate Pruitt
DIY PROJECT: GIANT PAPER FLOWERS FROM RUCHE
FIND DIY BY DIFFICULTY * ** *** COST $ $$ $$$ MATERIALS Acrylic Dye Beach Towels Brass Ceramics Cork Fabric + Felt Furniture Glass Grommets Leather Lighting Metal Paint Paper Plants Plywood Recycled Materials Ribbon/rope/yarn/thread Tape Thread Vintage Objects Wire Wood Wool Yarn
You may remember the wedding of our lovely D*S contributor Brittany Watson Jepsen. Her huge paper blooms made such a splash that she started selling them in her shop, and just recently Brittany wrote a great article for Brookly n Bride about the paper flower trend. I’m thrilled that this is a growing phenomenon; I adore any thing made in exaggerated scale, so I feel that the more giant flowers and plants there are in the world, the better. This particular giant-flower DIY project comes from the creative team at Ruche. They decided to make these giant fantasy flowers for their spring lookbook, which is aptly titled “Enchantment.” Read below for the story of how this project came to be, and find the full tutorial after the jump. Thanks for sharing this awesome DIY, Ruche team, and thank y ou, Brittany , for being on the forefront of such a cool trend :) Enjoy ! — Kate Our creative team brainstormed ways to turn our spring lookbook, Enchantment, into a daydream. When the idea of oversized flowers came about, we couldn’t wait to make them a reality! Josh, the CFO of Ruche, used his engineering background to design the stems, and with the help of additional Ruche team members, they created them by hand at our warehouse. Surrounded by tissue paper and scissors, our talented set-design interns designed and created the rest of the flower pieces at our warehouse. Once they were finished, the whimsical daydream came to life. — The Ruche Team
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Read the full how-to after the jump! Materials plastic cups cement approx. 5” wide stucco corner approx. 20-gauge tie wire gloves and wire cutters tape, glue, and scissors tissue paper dried moss zip ties Instructions Making the stem: 1. Determine how many flowers y ou’re going to make and pour cement into the corresponding number of plastic cups. Let harden.
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2. Purchase stucco corner (sturdy wire) from y our local hardware store. The pieces we used were 5” in width. 3. Cut the wire into desired stem lengths. We varied each stem from 3 to 8 feet high. Remember to protect y our hands with gloves!
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PAST & PRESENT: NAUTICAL FLAGS + DIY BEACH BAG 4. Use the cement cups as a base and mold the wire into stems.
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5. Cover the wire stems with tape for a smooth surface.
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6. Glue lay ers of tissue paper onto the surface until the entire stem is covered.
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Making the leaves: 1. Purchase approximately 20-gauge tie wire from y our local hardware store and cut into desired lengths. Remember to leave extra length at the end (to attach to the stem later). 2. Twist pieces of wire together to form the leaf base.
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3. Cut lay ers of tissue paper into leaf shapes.
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4. Glue the lay ers together around the wire base.
5. Poke the leaves into the stems.
Making the flowers: 1. Cut lay ers of tissue paper into petals of various sizes.
2. Form the smallest petals into a bouquet. Tape the bouquet’s stem to keep the lay ers together.
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3. Add the next lay er of petals and tape and repeat until y ou have reached the desired size.
4. For the flower centers, cut circles out of tissue paper, scrunch the edges, and glue two lay ers together.
5. Glue moss into the center of the circles.
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06/10/2013
6. Attach the center to the petals, and the flower is complete.
7. Use zip ties to attach the flower to the stem.
You’re done!
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CATEGORIES diy / diy projects RELATED No related posts. POSTS
160 COMMENTS http://www.designsponge.com/2012/02/diy-project-giant-paper-flowers-from-ruche.html
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge
06/10/2013
Beautiful! MOLLY
February 29th, 2012
So lovely i will try this some time PATRICIA
February 29th, 2012
terrific! Thank y ou so much for showing us this magic. I am still thinking about that lookbook day s later! Beautiful! AMANDA GURNEY
February 29th, 2012
Great project! But what I really want is that dress! HALEY
February 29th, 2012
These are so pretty ! So romantic! ANGIE
February 29th, 2012
Absolutely Magical! Bringing my favorite Alice in Wonderland scene to life! TASI RIPPEL
February 29th, 2012
These are so great for a wedding backdrop, pretty and magical, very alice in wonderland! REBECCA
February 29th, 2012
Very beautiful!!! Seems easy to do. Very romantic. SILMARA
February 29th, 2012
Wowza!! I would love to make them, but definitely don’t have the space to make them or any where to place them! Umm if the D*S office hosts a giant flower making event, I’ll be there :P MF
February 29th, 2012
Wow! These are amazing! Perfect for fun interiors, bridal showers or weddings! Gorgeous! Totally inspiring a craft night. =) STACY
February 29th, 2012
These are beautiful…a perfect display JESSICA
February 29th, 2012
How stunning! I love the first shot. Gorgeous ;) AMY W ALTERS, ADESIGNDOCK
February 29th, 2012
SOo beautiful! She looks like a fairy in a lovely wonderland – love the colours and the idea. Thanks! BHAVANI/AMEANDERINGMANGO
February 29th, 2012
LOVE the way these can softly dominate a room. I may try to hang them in clusters in a corner like pictures. EXACTLYDB
February 29th, 2012
Absolutely fantastic! Great tutorial, thank y ou D*S! SURYA
February 29th, 2012
Those are so gorgeous!!! RITA W RIGHT
February 29th, 2012
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So cute! I had a huge flower similar to this when I was y ounger. I think I got it from some fair. I think it would be fun to try to make one of these! CORI
February 29th, 2012
Beautiful, what clever people! CARLA
February 29th, 2012
I really , really want to make oodles and make a forest of them in bedroom! SIERRA
February 29th, 2012
These are beautiful!! KATE
February 29th, 2012
I really need that dress for an alice in wonderland themed wedding. Where did it come from!??? NINA
February 29th, 2012
Ladies, the dress is from Ruche : http://shopruche.com/just-a-kiss-one-shoulderdress.html#NP=db5b929e09a221899163e077a6b0ca68 JEN
February 29th, 2012
Wowwwwww,so beautiful!!!!!!lovely !,love the pics to!thanks!!!!! DINA
March 1st, 2012
Is there a template for the leaves, petals, etc, as well as quantities? I also would like to make several of these to decorate a space. SONJA KAT
March 1st, 2012
this is so beautiful!!! if only we can make them cat-proof…. GABRIELLE
March 1st, 2012
LOVELY!!! It would be an awesome photo booth backdrop for a wedding… SU
March 1st, 2012
I love these – thanks for the tutorial! PATRICIA SHEA
March 1st, 2012
I can’t wait to make these. Few questions first: Any online recommendations to buy lovely shades of tissue paper? What ty pe of glue did y ou use to adhere the tissue to the stem? Thank y ou! LENA
March 1st, 2012
I want to recommend chicken wire – it would work well and be cheaper! KATIE
March 1st, 2012
Fantastic tutorial–thank y ou! MANDY BEHRENS
March 1st, 2012
These flowers are fabulous in a BIG way ! Thanks for sharing the details for how to make them. MEL MCCARTHY
March 1st, 2012
I adore these. Only thing I’m wondering is if there’s a more attractive way to attach the flower to the stem other than zip ties. Looks great from the front, but what about the back?
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge
ANNA
06/10/2013
March 1st, 2012
Love this it brings me back to the tissue flowers we made when we were kids but better! SELENA
March 2nd, 2012
What size tissue paper did y ou use? How many cut lay ers for each petal size? ANNA D-B
March 2nd, 2012
I love, love these. Thanky ou for sharing! I’m going to make them for my Spring dinner party on the tree house patio . They have these giant flowers within the rain forest in Martinique and y ou have given me the tools to bring these to life in my own home. Thanky ou! JAINE EDW ARDS
March 2nd, 2012
Oh! I love this! I wish I had an occasion to use it! I suppose I’ll just have to create an occasion, then :) ABBY GRACE
March 2nd, 2012
Anna y ou could just cover up the ties with extra tissue paper! :-)) KRIS
March 2nd, 2012
So many questions: what kind of tape did y ou use? Did y ou have to order the tissue paper from somewhere or would the kind y ou find for gifts be acceptable? Any particular kind of hot glue/wax? ELIZABETH DEAN
March 2nd, 2012
These are stunning. I would love to cover my bedroom wall with them! KELSEY @ PINEGATE ROAD
March 2nd, 2012
Wow, love it TATA
March 3rd, 2012
SO adorable and absolutely magical! A great project for teens to brighten up a corner of their room – thanks for sharing. KIM@POPCOSMO
March 3rd, 2012
I would also like to know approx. how large each petal is & how many of each size y ou used per flower. (Just to get a rough idea of how much tissue paper to order) And what kind of glue that is. Thanks! Beautiful project! AGNES
March 4th, 2012
I adore these. I’m thinking a few over the headboard of a bed would be a great way to add some whimsy to a bedroom. I’ll have to try it! Thanks for the tutorial! CLAYTON MATTHEW
March 4th, 2012
wow I love this…. and the dress! LUSTERNYC
March 5th, 2012
Soooo beautiful!! KAY MICOLA
March 6th, 2012
These are gorgeous flowers! It will definitely make a wedding more romantic1 Plus it’s cost effective! Love! Love! Love! ANNABELLA MERLIN
March 6th, 2012
IF my daughter ever got married, I’d love to make these for her wedding….or at least for a gorgeous shower!! JERIE ARMENTROUT
March 6th, 2012
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Awsome!! DAVINA NUGENT
March 6th, 2012
These are awesome! If my daughter ever gets married (she’s 29), she would love these! BONNIE
March 6th, 2012
Wow! love that! thanks for info. ROBBIE
March 7th, 2012
Simply , beautiful, charming and delightful! One day I’m going to try and make them. LAVETTE
March 7th, 2012
Love these! I’m making them for an upcoming spring soirée ! LAUREN
March 7th, 2012
I tried this project with chicken wire like someone had recommended. The stem is too flimsy and doesn’t stay upright and definitely can’t hold the weight of a flower. Instead of restarting I inserted a dowel rod all the way from the top to the stem base. It still wouldn’t stay straight up because the dowel rod shifts the weight over. I have to somehow secure the rod to the cup. Still working on that. I may have to scratch this and buy stucco corner. Home Depot did not have it. Hope y ou all will have better luck than me. DEEPA
March 9th, 2012
My friend and I are working on making these right now in shades of teal and green. We’re using them for the background for my engagement photos. Thank y ou for this beautiful idea!. EMMA
March 13th, 2012
love it! thanks for this very detailed tutorial… TN-W ALLPAPERHANGER
March 14th, 2012
I’m also working on this right now to use in my studio. I bought diamond mesh from Lowe’s, so I hope it works. I also bought Aleene’s tacky glue. I think that is the glue in the photos posted. ELEONORE
March 14th, 2012
I have been making a bunch of these with 5th and 6th grade kids for our spring concert decoration… it does work with chicken wire but y ou need to wrap it round a bunch of times to get the strength… I cut 14inch wide piece for a 5ft flower stem and then wrapped it round and round to get the stregth to hold up the flower head! They are looking amazing… incidentally if y ou are doing this with kids… I found the chicken wire stem bit the most difficult and did that bit my self and let them do the rest! LIV
March 16th, 2012
Thank y ou! Looks amazing. MATABIRU
March 17th, 2012
Ooh, I have no idea what reason I’d have to make these, but I’ll come up with something. They are stunning for photographs, that’s for sure! LAUREN
March 18th, 2012
the flower heads look great. GARETH
March 19th, 2012
Hi there :) My friend and I made these and used them for the first time the other day … link below :) http://www.designsponge.com/2012/02/diy-project-giant-paper-flowers-from-ruche.html
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http://scottiemagro.blogspot.com/2012/03/flower-power-ruche-diy -flowers.html Thank y ou so much for the diy SCOTTIE MAGRO
March 19th, 2012
Who’s the model? THE GROOM
March 19th, 2012
I am making 26 of these for my wedding in May . I started last night and with 8 of us we got about half way done… I am having trouble making the leaves so if any one has any suggestions I would love to hear them. I ABSOLUTLY LOVE these flowers though! So excited to see them totally finished! LEAH VANDERZW AAG
March 22nd, 2012
I had trouble finding the stucco corner, but Home Depot has a 6″ by 25′ roll of Kwikmesh in the roofing section that seems to work… AMY L
March 23rd, 2012
I made these I used double sided tape made it muchhhhh easier and I used the Diamond Mesh, I first tried with chicken wire and I DO NOT recommend it! Also, buy the white duck tape it was super sticky and made the stem smooth. The flowers I cut the petals 8 of 4 different sizes lay ered biggest to smallest taping each lay er with double sided photo tape (the kind y ou use to scrapbook) once finish I flipped the flower smallest on the bottom now pinched and twisted, stapled it. I had trouble at first doing it the original way so I hope these help!!!! HOLLY
March 26th, 2012
its lovely ! thanks for the information :) RAW AN SI
March 28th, 2012
Perfect! So romantic!!! PAPEL
March 29th, 2012
I have all the same questions as others, can someone answer for us please? Where did y ou get beautiful colored tissue paper? What kind of tape did y ou use for the stem? Can y ou give us an approximate size for flower pedals? Who is the model in the picture? CRYSTAL HILL
April 1st, 2012
So cool! KAMUFLIRT
April 2nd, 2012
How much is this project costing people? I’m just curious because it seems like the expenses could add up quite quickly . JULIE
April 2nd, 2012
Bellisimas. Saludos desde Costa Rica. FANNY FENNELL
April 4th, 2012
This is awesome.Would like to give it a try some day . PRATIMA KAPOOR
April 9th, 2012
The creative workmanship and detail of these flowers are Romantic and Beautiful!!! MELIKA
April 10th, 2012
Absolutely am in love with this concept! What a wonderful, whimsical idea! LAURA
April 11th, 2012
Oh, I wish I had known about in September! I was given the task of helping a y oung woman decorate the lobby of the theater our community theater group uses. The play was “Alice in Wonderland”. Two aisles go off from the lobby into the seating area. The director asked us to represent “bigger” on one side and “smaller” on the
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other. We used some of the techniques shown here to make giant flowers but the overall effect wasn’t nearly as pretty …we just couldn’t find a good way to make the blossoms! Sending a link to this site to my friend. You never know what the future holds! Beautiful work! TRUDY
April 12th, 2012
Tissue paper can be found at Papermart.com. They are well priced and arrive quickly without folds in the paper. We are making these as part of a teacher appreciation day and can’t wait to see the results. MICHAELE
April 13th, 2012
I can’t wait to make these for my Wedding and Event Design Studio. They will be display ed with a dessert table. Thank y ou for giving me the instructions. MELISSA
April 16th, 2012
Hey … I’m in the process of try ing to make these Fabulous flowers… Did any one have problems with the tissue paper on the flower stems ripping? Like, during transportation? If mine turn out, I’m going to donate them to my daughter’s school carnival… and they can may be raffle them off as an extra fundraiser. I’m thinking if the the tissue paper wants to rip, perhaps I should mod podge strips of tissue paper on? Does any one have tips??? SUZANNE
April 16th, 2012
Use fabric instead of tissue paper on the stem (especially if y ou want to re-use the flowers) same goes for the leaves. You could use modpodge to give it a papier mache effect but this will increase the weight despite being the sturdiest option. To make it lighter and more portable y ou could also replace the wire in the stem with cardboard of intermediate thickness (the kind used for support envelopes-or just reuse the envelopes). Any kind of double sided tape will do or y ou could use glue tape (comes in a dispenser and works like double sided tape). Hope that helps. THEPERFECTNOSE
April 17th, 2012
Thanks for the tips… !! I have not decided quite what to do… have to think some more. In the mean time… my cement is hardening and my stucco corner is ready … :) SUZANNE
April 17th, 2012
Beautiful flowers! I am looking forward to start on this project! VIVI
April 18th, 2012
Thank y ou! I do windows for our family -owned boutique & am alway s looking for ideas. What a perfect way to welcome spring &/or summer. I am in the process of making 30 of these right now. Can’t wait to see them in our windows! KAREN
April 18th, 2012
I’m halfway through making ours, we used newspaper to cover the mesh wire and so far its looking fab! Just making the leaf, we also used wet sand to weigh down the paper cups as h2b thought it would be heavier than concrete, feels pretty weighty so hoping it will work. Hoping the flowers aren’t too tricky to master, this is my first wedding DIY! So desperate to share with my friends and family but want it to be a surprise on w day ! Good Luck every one, if I can do it, any one can!! KATIE
April 19th, 2012
Liked nice creative artistic designs. RAJA
April 23rd, 2012
I have been looking for what seems like forever for either a pattern or a diy article for “good” paper flowers and here it is. I NEVER thought I’d find one for flowers this big. What a wonderful bonus!!!! Thank You! DIANA LIFORD
April 28th, 2012
How did u size the petals? Im assuming the first lay er is a whole sheet, but what about the other 2 sizes? Just making sure I get this right :) I was thinking to turn just the flower into center pieces for a family reunion coming up REALLY soon. Hope to get some feed back thanks!
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge CINDY
06/10/2013
April 29th, 2012
Hey every one, I just did this awesome craft project for easter at my church. I have some helpful hints at my blog (http://diy andfy i.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/diy giant-tissue-paper-flowers/). To answer some of the questions I see on here…hope that helps! @Sonja, Anna, Agnes, and Cindy – The number of petals and size is up to y ou! I used 4 large, 6 medium, and 4 small. And my large petal was half a whole sheet. My flowers turned out about almost 3′ wide. The bigger the petals, the harder it will be to keep it together and without it getting heavy . @Cry stal – I used masking tape. I used tissue paper from Target (they have lots of vibrant colors!). @Julie – I made 3 flowers. Total cost was $20. Breakdown: Each 10′ stucco corner piece was $3.40 each. My Home Depot had a 8′ size too. I imagine this is a pretty standard building material so be sure to ask an employ ee before assuming they don’t have it! @Suzanne – I inserted the stems and flowers on-site so I didn’t have to worry about pieces bending and ripping. Doing on-site is better too because there may be site issues y ou aren’t aware of until y ou arrive (for example, there was a short wall where I was setting up, which forced me to insert my stem on the side opposite of the short wall. CHRISTINE AT DIY+FYI
May 3rd, 2012
Beautiful. Thank y ou. ELISABETH
May 25th, 2012
Genial! :) MARINA
May 26th, 2012
How long did it take to y ou to make it? I want to make this for my niece’s Christening in June. EDELYN
May 29th, 2012
Im curious about the diamond mesh vs. the kwikmesh. Any body have luck with one or the other? It seems like the kwikmesh might be flimsy over a few feet tall. ERIN
May 30th, 2012
This is amazing! Pinned and shared. :) ~Laura LAURA
June 1st, 2012
Awesome! The huge size makes these stand out from all others. JODIE HICKMAN
June 1st, 2012
LOVE these! I am going to make some this weekend and see how they turn out. I love flowers I don’t have to water every day :) AMY
June 2nd, 2012
Stunning project! ELISABETH
June 10th, 2012
Awesome! Thumbalina themed wedding any one? ANGELA
June 12th, 2012
Interesting that I stumbled upon this. Earlier today I saw an identical flower in the window display of a photography studio. I didn’t know it was a trend. hmmm. PAPERAEROPLANE1334
June 14th, 2012
Thank y ou so much for the tutorial. I made these for an event I was having. Here they are before transportation. http://pinterest.com/pin/246994360784233290/ Could not have done them without y our post. Thank y ou so much JAYLIN
June 22nd, 2012
so cool! http://www.designsponge.com/2012/02/diy-project-giant-paper-flowers-from-ruche.html
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so cool! June 28th, 2012
LIZ
This is amazing. I’m going to try this for my wedding! Big thanks to those involved in the project, and for posting it online for others! July 1st, 2012
ELVEN MOUNTAIN BRIDE
I recently looked at large flowers to purchase, saw the price and decided not to. Ha ha I can my own now. thanks July 1st, 2012
PAT BRIGGS
I saw some large flowers the other day , thinking of buy ing a few, NOT when I saw the price, now I can make my own. Thanks so much. July 1st, 2012
PAT BRIGGS
Instead of the chicken wire y ou can cut a large branch and set it inside a piece of log with a hole drilled out for the branch. Then cover the stem in green and add the flower. Or paint the branch green. July 8th, 2012
KATHY
wowzers! these are stunning…very fairy tale-ish! July 12th, 2012
AMBROSIA
Gorgeous! And now I HAVE to make some! Thank y ou for sharing! SARAH JANE
July 13th, 2012
Hi I want to make a giant ruche flower just like this one! but i dont know where to buy all these materials…do y ou know where y ou bought y ours? It’d be a great help if y ou can help me locate that specific stucco corner, the tie wire, dried moss, zip ties, and the cement. I know michaels doesnt sell any of the things in the material list, except may be tissue paper and scissors. thanks ! CAROLYN
July 16th, 2012
These are fantastic. Love the comment re using a long branch and covering/painting it green. This will cut the cost even further!!!! The would look great placed in tin buckets. I’m going to make some for my garden party . Thank y ou s much for sharing y our idea :) CHEZ
August 18th, 2012
I wish i had enough time left to make this for my sons wedding…but we are having a reseption later and y ou bet y a I will be making this for the entrance to the room so thankfull i found y ou pics… thanky ou so much for sharing y our talent BRENDA
August 24th, 2012
Absolutely amazing.My pal is getting married next y ear and i do believe that the bride and us bridesmaids should definitely give this a go….Wish us luck. CORAL MUIR
September 4th, 2012
Absolutely amazing.My pal is getting married next y ear and i do believe that the bride and us bridesmaids should definitely give this a go….Wish us luck.I’ll leave another comment if we pull this off.Thanks for sharing. CORAL
September 4th, 2012
These photos were copied without credit at what Google translate tells me is a Chinese blog to make their own DIY of sorts. http://www.duitang.com/people/mblog/20192306/detail/ SARAH
September 19th, 2012
thank sarah- i’ll see if i can send that blog an email. grace GRACE BONNEY
September 19th, 2012
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We are doing a great project and want to use y our giant paper flowers. A few questions. What is the size of the largest flower in inches. How many lay ers I see four. Is this correct? Is it good to use Crepe paper instead of tissue? DIANE
October 10th, 2012
There are several sites that sell tissue paper in a great variety of colors. Office Depot, Nashville Wraps, and Paper Mart are three that I have bought from. The largest sizes that I have used are 20 x 26 and 20 x 30 inches. MARIA
October 14th, 2012
thanks for this beautiful thing. it is really amazing. i love it. lots nd lots of thanks……………… PALLABI
October 27th, 2012
So I made these for a party last week. based on the other photos people are posting, we all had the same issues and I suspect mine come closest to the originals. I really wanted the meandering stems and the height of the flowers. I made 12 of them, vary ing in heights up to 10 feet. Here are my suggestions: 1. I could not find stucco corner. i too, used chicken wire and suggest it would be fine, however make sure the gauge is heavy enough. Too light and the stem will fall under its own weight. 2. 5″ is rough. Go with something like 7″ instead. As y ou cut through the wire, do so haflway through the diamonds, wearing gloves, and then to marry the two sides of the “tube” that creates the stem, loop an open end of the wire through a diamond on the other side and bend it back to lock it there. 3. Cement: fill the cups COMPLETELY with cement. The heavier the cup, the better. Fill to top and level off so they sit well. I used a quick setting cement. 4. Now, duct tape the base of the stem to the cup by just going around and around with it. If y ou’re going to use dowels (and I did) duct tape the dowel to the cup. 5. I used paper tape, which requires water to activate the glue. Don’t use newspaper, its hard to cover, we’re not paper mache-ing here. I cut off a piece of paper tape, used a spray bottle to wet it and then wrapped it around. Use all tape at an angle to go “up” the stem. If y ou hit a weak point in the stem, use more paper tape. Even if its over the tissue. Just tissue back over it. The tape basically helps reinforce strength. 6. I didn’t bother with glue, i used spray mount. Saved HOURS of time. Tear or cut the tissue paper into lengths, hold in air, spray and then wrap it around the stem. 7. leaves: didn’t require the internal structure they used. Simply made the outside shape, leaving enough “tail” to wrap around the flower. Spray the tissue paper, put the wire down and then wrap the tissue around it. boom. Once its one the flower stem, y ou can add more tissue around the stem to mask the tail of the leaf. Make leaves low enough to not interfere w flower. 8. Flowers: the shape they used didn’t work well, the bottom too narrow. I used the same basic shape, with a more wide base and that made the petals stand out more. I used 12 petals per flower, four of each size. I skipped the raffia in the middle and used gold tissue paper cut into strips (leave it folded up, cut 1/8 off the end, it makes perfect strips). It occurred to me, y ou could use paper napkins for the flowers and centers. Do NOT mess around with the taping each petal part or they ’ll fall apart. 9. Didn’t require the ziptie, just used a bit of tape. the outside leaves fall outward, so they cover every thing any way s. 10. Do NOT attempt to move flowers much. they ’re not super sturdy no matter what y ou do. October 31st, 2012
AMANDA BLUM
I love them have made paper flowers but y ours are really lovely . SHIRLEY
November 8th, 2012
I just made my own version of these super cool giant flowers for my daughters upcoming wedging, they turned out great ! I used PVC pipe for the stem instead of the wire. I put the PVC pipe into quick dry ing cement and then glued green tissue paper to the pipe. DENISE ADAMS
November 10th, 2012
Gathering supplies to make these for a little girl’s fairy birthday party . They are going to love them! ALLYSHA
November 26th, 2012
Muito Show!! Com certeza vou fazer no quarto das minhas flores Isis e Susan.
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge
SUZY
06/10/2013
December 8th, 2012
Very beautiful!!lovely ,the lady and flowers RAUL R.B. RODRIGUES
January 7th, 2013
Wow these look great! Very creative! TRACEY HOSEY
January 10th, 2013
Love this one. It is inspiring and helpful. I am planning to make big sunflowers like this!! Love this one. It is inspiring and helpful. I am planning to make big sunflowers like this!! CROCHET JEW ELRY
January 23rd, 2013
Thank y ou so very much! I just finished making these for a my twin girls’ fairy birthday party ! It took a few hours, but the end result was incredible! APRIL
January 24th, 2013
Interesting. I might do this for my daughters birthday party . JADE
February 18th, 2013
Any suggestions on where to purchase the stucco wire online, it does not seem to be available any where in my area. Or what ty pe of wire could y ou use instead of the stucco wire? Thanks in advance!! STEFANIE
February 20th, 2013
Hi, lovely flowers. But how do y ou store it? What is the best way to store the already made flowers after display ? Like if its needed for an event 3 months later. BLUSETTE
February 25th, 2013
blusette y ou’ll want to wrap them in bubble wrap and place them in a plastic (or air tight) storage container (try one of the tall ones meant for gift wrap). y ou want to keep them free of dust and safe from getting banged up. grace GRACE BONNEY
February 25th, 2013
Im in Canada and want to make these for my wedding but I am having a really hard time finding the tissue paper in bulk in specific colors without a huge shipping fee. Any one have any suggestions? Thank y ou VANESSA CAREY
March 5th, 2013
I made these for my women’s church group this week and they were a huge success! Every one loved them and I even have a few friends who want to make them too. LISA RICHARDSON
March 14th, 2013
I also used stucco lath instead of the corner wire because it was easier to form. It is available at Home Depot or Lowes or most home improvement stores I would think. I used more zip ties to hold the edges together instead of wire. LISA RICHARDSON
March 14th, 2013
Try Papermart.com for bulk tissue. LISA RICHARDSON
March 14th, 2013
Creating an “environment” for the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s event, “Finding the Forest,” March 30th. These will be perfect; mahalo! NAI`A
March 14th, 2013
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge
06/10/2013
How do these stay up without falling over? SUE
March 22nd, 2013
They are so cute I made 50 of these for our Christmas party at my nanas house and gave them to all of the guests MOLLY
March 23rd, 2013
these would be perfect for our unbirthday party Mad Hatter’s Tea. Great tutorial. JUDY
March 31st, 2013
I many thanks for sharing this comfortable information. I alway s want and love reading quality contents. Keep sharing. Best wishes for y our own further efforts. ADULT TOYS REBUILD MARK IIB
April 26th, 2013
Did y ou use plain old tissue paper or crepe paper? TAMMIE
May 3rd, 2013
After not being very creative in y ears, I made these big pink flowers to decorate the inside of a tent for my daughter’s bridal shower. They looked so pretty ! Thanks so sharing y our instructions :) JULI OMAR
May 7th, 2013
Making one of these for my mom for Mother’s Day :D BRI
May 10th, 2013
Are these transportable? Does any one have any that they ’ve made that they would want to sell? I would love to have these for my wedding but it looks too complicated for me to make! CYNTHAI
June 7th, 2013
Cy nthia, I am in the process of making my first flower. print out the directions and follow precisely . Read the comments of people above. Study each direction and it will take shape in y our head. The only part I had trouble with was the size of the petals. I will post those precise dimensions later if that will help y ou. Believe me it is not complicated when y ou do one step at a time. If y ou look at all the steps at once, y ou will be overwhelmed. These flowers are worth the effort. They are dazzling. I am making a dozen of them for guests at an upcoming formal dinner, and I am making each flower in the favorite color of each of my guests. Improvise where necessary as tape can work magic in holding things together, using any tape…all tape sticks. I am using spray glue, but any glue will do…I will tell y ou more when I complete my flower which I will post on Pinterest. You go, girl! RUSTYBW ILSON
June 15th, 2013
these are the dimensions I used to make the most lovely flower, much prettier than zi imagined. 5 or 6 large petals: 14 to 15 inches at the widest part at the top, 11 to 12 inches at bottom across, 18 to 20 inches high 6 or 8 medium petals: 11 to 12 inches across widest part at top, 8 or 9 inches wide at bottom, 15 to 17 inches high 4 or 5 small petals: 4 inches wide at bottom, 7 or 8 inches across widest part at top 9 to 11 inches high These size petals give y ou a flower measuring about 2 feet in diameter, not too heavy and it does not fall unto itself. The flower is full and can be shaped into a lovely blossom. When making the flower, start with the smaller petals, then the medium, then the large. I simply bound the paper blossoms one at a time in my hand, just clutching the ends of the petals, continually turning it in my hand so that the flower petals were evenly distributed. When all the petals were added, I then tightened my grip on the end stock of petals, and snapped on a snap tie. Pull that snap tie until it is extremely tight. I never used glue. If y ou snap tie the stock base of the petals tightly , no glue is necessary . The snap ties that I bought are approx 8 inches long. I also bought several color
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge
06/10/2013
snap ties so that if I make an orange flower, I have an orange snap tie disguising the snap. The snap ties are very cheap at Lowes or Home Depot or Value Hardware. I hope this helps any one making the petals because the instructions did not even give a clue to their size. Lastly , y ou can make the stem of the flower as long or as short as y ou wins. Before putting on a snap tie, while the flower stem is in y our hand, grip it higher into the flower and the try gripping lower at the stem until y ou decide where y ou want the stem to be snapped. There is a lot of flexibility in making this flower, do what makes y ou happy when y ou are making the flower. If y ou want more petals, add more. It’s y our call to make. This is a great project, and when they first posted directions on how to make this large flower, they took for granted too many things that were left unanswered. Nevertheless, this is one of the best ideas on flowers I have come across. If I can help any one further, leave a post here and I will do what I can to remove doubt and present more clearer instructions. RUSTYBW ILSON
June 15th, 2013
For the people concerned about transporting these flowers, I have a simple solution. When making the stalk or stem out of the corner stucco wire, do dot seal or close off the top of the stem as shown in the instructions. Leave the top of the stem open, forming the wire into a circular shape at the top. Do not squish the opening tight. Now, aboutvthe flower. When y ou make y our flower, make sure y ou keep a long enough stem in y our hand as y ou make the flower. After y ou are finished adding all the petals to the flower, tighten the stem of the flower and use a snap tie to hold the stem in place. Then tape (whatever tape y ou use) the stem of the flower and wrap the stem of the flower with the tape to make a nice handle out of the stem. Make sure the stem is at least 4 to 5 inches long after y ou snap-tie the stem. Now y ou can insert the flower stem into the hole at the top of the stucco corner wire that y ou molded. When y ou travel, simply remove the flower and put it safely aside in y our vehicle. The wire stem can then be lay ed down in y our car or van. When y ou arrive at y our destination, insert the flower into the stalk wire. If need be, bend forward the flower stalk until y ou find the desired position for the flower. I am doing this and it is a perfect solution. RUSTY
June 25th, 2013
mama likey =) CHRISTIE
June 27th, 2013
I have one last suggestion. Rather than making leaves, go to the craft store and buy a cluster of large leaves. Snap each leaf off the cluster of leaves as y ou need them. What a great solution because y ou do not have to fabricate each leaf….the part of this project that gave me the most trouble. Now, I just tape the leaf to the stalk. Wow! I bought a huge cluster of big leaves at Hobby Lobby for $11 and I must have at least 15 leaves in the cluster. RUSTYMARIE W ILSON
July 4th, 2013
absolutely beautiful .. thanks for sharing the info. I’m going to try and make these for my daughters 13th birthday DONNA
July 8th, 2013
Wow made one of these for my girlfriend and she loved it! Thanks for the tutorial DAN
July 23rd, 2013
Amazing project! LADY H
July 31st, 2013
I can’t wait to make these. Few questions first: Where did y ou get beautiful colored tissue paper? Any online recommendations to buy lovely shades of tissue paper? Can y ou tell me how much it is the thickness of the tissue paper? Thank y ou! JEEB
August 14th, 2013
Specifications Tissue paper thickness 1.Gram weight: how much ? 2.Size: What size ? can y ou tell me more information for this tissue paper? thank y ou~
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diy project: giant paper flowers from ruche | Design*Sponge JEEB
06/10/2013
August 14th, 2013
JEEB: y ou buy regular grade tissue paper, don’t really know the gram weight as all tissue paper, to my knowledge, is standard weight. You can order it on line at Amazon or y ou can find it in abundance in the Party Store. You can buy it in half size sheets or full size sheets. Both will be sufficient to make a large leaf. These are truly beautiful flowers when done. I receive so many compliments on them. If y ou care to view one of the flowers I made, y ou can go to Pinterest under Rusty Marie Belanger Wilson, go to my board called Paper Flowers – How to Make, y ou will see the flower I made, about 5 ft tall, taken with my granddaughter (to illustrate size). You will find that after y ou make y our first flower, it will be easier because there are so many way s to improvise to create lovely flowers. This is really the best flower craft I have ever made. Hope this helps y ou. RUSTY
August 24th, 2013
Sorry for my english… Where can I find what is glued in the middle of the flower : the brown texture ? I’m in France, so that would be easier to find this on internet. Thany y ou ! MATHILDE
August 29th, 2013
I made “palm trees” y ears ago for a Luau sty le party I threw for the parents of my after school program. Similar to pvc pipe I used large cardboard rolls, I cannot remember If I made them or I got them from a carpet store or similar. Any way , I covered those in brown paper and made giant palm leaves using a wire hanger I shaped and covered with green paper, then I cut the sides of the paper to shape and fringe. the ends of the leaves, wire hanger, I secured into the top of the tube/pipe. I stuck the trunk in a white bucket the contractors use and I filled it with sand/dirt..I covered the bucket, y ou could use fabric, paper, or whatever y ou can think of to cover it, or place it behind other decorations. You could even use led white lights for deco. Those palm trees were borrowed many times by other site directors wanting to put on a Luau for their parent nights. We also used them for a play . The trees lasted a long time, with some small repairs here and there, when I left the job, I left the trees behind to be enjoy ed as long as possible. LINDA
September 3rd, 2013
Mathilde, the center of the flower is made from a handful of dried moss…y ou buy this moss in craft stores or a store that carries flower crafting supplies. If y ou cannot find the moss in La Belle France, use shredded dark colored paper, or any thing that y ou can make that is shredded. Slap that with glue, and stick it in the center of the flower. Adieux! RUSTY
September 5th, 2013
Ok where can I buy TAMIKO
September 22nd, 2013
Tamiko, y ou buy moss at Hobby Lobby , Michaels, JoAnnes, Walmart, Or flower supply stores. Most major stores have a flower or craft section. Hope this helps. RUSTY
September 28th, 2013
In the process of making these right now for my wedding next weekend Oct. 5th ’13! We actually paper mache’d the stems and are using thicker newsprint (plane) paper.. painting the petals. I’m an artist and so completely appreciated these creative pieces… my friends have helped and have dibs on them afterwards for their homes! Thank y ou for y our wonderful idea! LISA RYMAN
September 29th, 2013
Lisa, would love to see a pic of the flowers y ou made for y our wedding…. I’m planning to make some for my wedding next May . NINA
October 2nd, 2013
I saw these made in our local village shop. I was amazed. How can I use them for a Great Gatsby night ??? It is my brother’s birthday and they live way out in the Australian country side I could take every thing with me but I need some ideas about the flowers for The Great Gatsby theme CLAIRE JOHNSTON
October 4th, 2013
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