By Adrianna Zampieri

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming. Snow white daises. Lipstick red roses. Royal purple verbena. Whether they’re growing around campus or in your own backyard, these colorful plants can brighten even the gloomiest of days. Bring the joyful power of flowers into your home with a few simple tutorials.

paper flowers Paper Roses

Have a brown thumb? For roses that will never wilt, look no further than this tutorial from “iCreativeIdeas.” These paper flowers are a breeze to make, and in no time, you’ll have bouquets of everlasting blossoms sprouting around your home. Experiment with different papers, color combinations, and sizes. For an extra, romantic touch, glue rhinestones to the very center of your roses or tie a ribbon around the stems. Either way, you’ll never have to remember to water these flowers.

What You Need:

  • Colored card stock or scrapbooking paper
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Hot glue gun
  • Floral stem wire

How to Do It:

  • Cut your card stock or scrapbooking paper into a circle. The larger the circle, the larger the flower, and vice versa.
  • Starting at the outside edge, cut a spiral towards the center. Slightly scalloping the edges will create a more natural and imperfect looking blossom.
  • Roll your spiral tightly starting from the inner point.
  • Allow the paper coil to loosen slightly, creating a rose. Adjust if needed to create the look you want.
  • Use a hot glue gun to secure the flower in place, dabbing a dot of glue on the bottom.
  • Lastly, attach the paper blossom to a floral wire stem with a dot of glue as well.

pressed flowers Pressed Flowers

The art of pressing flowers has been around for centuries, and thanks to the 20th century invention of the microwave, it’s evolved into a quick process that creates visually beautiful results. You can arrange them in an elegant frame or place them between the pages of a nature journal. Normally pressing flowers the traditional way distorts their natural color, but “Nostalgiecat” provides a tutorial that will help the petals retain their vibrant hues.

What You Need:

  • Flowers
  • 2 pieces of cardboard/headboard, approximately 20×20 cm square
  • 5-6 rubber bands
  • Some paper sheets for “filling”
  • 3 pieces of absorbent paper to fold the flowers into

How to Do It:

  1. The preparation of the flowers remains the same as with traditional flower pressing. Make sure your flowers are clean and dry, trim any bulky leaves off your specimen, and dissect your flowers so that they lay as flat as possible in your press. Tip: Keep the flowers in the fridge while you prepare your press.
  2. Lay one piece of cardboard down and cover with 3 pieces of absorbent paper. Then layer your prepared flowers in a fold of paper, cover that with 3 pieces of paper, and finally place the second piece of cardboard on top.
  3. You can do several folds of flowers in one parcel, but make sure they are all of a similar size and thickness. Take care that the flowers inside your parcel doesn’t slide around, but stay put where you folded them in. You don’t want the flowers to lie on top of each other, as they will stick together when pressed.
  4. Wrap the rubber bands around to hold your parcel together.
  5. Place in the microwave on medium heat for 1 minute. When finished, allow the parcel to cool.
  6. Check to see if the flowers are fully dry and flat. If not, then pop the parcel back in the microwave for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Keep repeating until you are satisfied the flowers are completely dry, but be careful not to overcook, as the flowers will burn. You might have to experiment with the timing and settings on your microwave oven, as some are more powerful than others.
  7. Remove your beautiful, fragile pressed flowers very carefully from the paper fold.

flower letter Floral Letter

Add some Spring to your home décor with a charming floral letter. This project from “the sassy life” is the perfect way brighten up any child’s room, display your Greek pride, or replace the faded wreath on your front door. Easily personalized, choose a selection of your favorite flowers in your favorite colors, so your delightful floral letter can be a reflection of your unique personality.

What You Need:

  • Silk Flowers, medium-sized and small
  • Paper mache letter
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun

How to Do It:

  1. Cut the silk flowers off the stems as close to the flower as possible. The closer you cut, the flatter the flower will lay down on the letter.
  2. Arrange the silk flowers according to your preference. Start by arranging the large flowers. Spread out similar looking flowers if possible so that there is more texture to the letter.
  3. Once you’re happy with the placement of the large flowers, start adding the small flowers. Use these flowers to add more variety to the arrangement and to fill in most of the gaps on the surface.
  4. Now glue the flowers in place. Take a photo of the arrangement before starting, so that if any flowers are knocked out of place, you can match them up to the photo.