December 10, 2008

Paper flower ornaments

I was trying to think of other ways to make easy ornaments from paper and created these last night while watching CSI reruns. They're made from cheap copy paper you get at Office Depot or such places. How to:

1. Cut one piece of 8 1/2" x 11" paper into 1" strips (oriented landscape so you end up with 11 strips).

2. Stack them and staple them once in the center, then fold the stack in half to form a little book.

3. Put a little piece of double-stick tape at the tip of the first "page." Then bend it inward toward the center and stick it down. Repeat for every "page" until you have a circular flower shape.

4. Hang with invisible thread. (Yeah, there is such a thing! You can buy clear thread at a fabric store.) Of course, you can hang them with anything.

And yes, I had to do an orange one.

60 comments:

Pherenike said...

This is perfect, just what I have been looking for. THANK YOU!

Becky said...

Oh this is cool! I work at a printing company, and our Christmas tree is from all recycled paper, so this is perfect! Thank you! You're very clever!

Venus de Hilo said...

Oh, those are so pretty! I have a stash of colored papers in the office closet I hardly ever use, (and I think there's a roll of double-stick tape in there, too). And I've got a roll of nylon thread somewhere...

J for Jendetta said...

so cute!! they look way more complex than they are!

zobars said...

they look gorgeous...excellent project to do with your kids too.

Nicole said...

Awesome! I need to make some of these for our tree. Most of the ornaments are handmade, but I decided that it is looking a little bare. Thanks!

Andi said...

Very clever. They look great!

megan dean said...

WOW!

I'm going to make these to decorate around my wedding/reception in January!!!!

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Casey said...

Awesome! I needed some embellishments for my sister's birthday present...this worked perfectly!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/caseydukes/3098324525/

kickpleat said...

ooh, these are so pretty! i hope i have some time to make these as i'd love a whole string of them around our dining room!

Rachael D. said...

wow. how simple. how lovely. and it uses both "C" words....

Classy and Cheap.

Thank you for your creativity!

Happy Holidays Jessica!

Sara said...

so simple and so beautiful...a great way to fill in my christmas tree :)

all over the map said...

love these. BHG Australia has a whole bunch of paper ornaments to make this month. so easy and so pretty with all the different craft papers. i like the orange one best! :)

Genevieve Gail said...

Great project, they remind me of ribbon candy! Thanks for sharing :)

Lyz said...

These are perfect. Could you be any more crafty or classy?

Melissa said...

cute idea.

tammy said...

That is totally adorable!

Geez, all I ever do when I watch CSI is put my hands over my eyes and go "Ew! Oh, ew! Oh man, don't pick that up! EW!!"

Patricia said...

Amazingly simple and they look great!

katy said...

brilliant!

Janet said...

OH I LOVE IT!

Geta Grama said...

These ornaments are gorgeous !
I think I will put my quilts away and I will make some ! Thank you !

SallyF said...

ooh I love these, might get the little boy and dad involved in this project - we're having a big xmas paper making extravanganza over the enxt week so it's perfect to throw into the pot! thank you.

Livia Kizli said...

this is awesome!!! i love this idea, i'm going to make them for sure!

Freshly Found said...

Very Clever!

H is for Home said...

Wonderful - this solves my dilemma about what to put on the top of our tree instead of a traditional fairy!

Kirsty said...

Seriously and completely amazing. I especially love the fact that they're not overtly festive - perfect for a Christmas grouch like me! Thanks for sharing.

Kelly | Purple Lemon Designs said...

Very cool idea, Jessica. You are so creative!

The Baroness said...

I love your blog. Thanks so much for this project.

DesignDoll said...

Love this project! I'm going to try making these in a very large size and using them as wall decor...

Anna said...

How fun is that?! And easy too, which is right up my alley. I think I might make some of these for my daughter's princess party next year :)

Baba said...

I love these. So pretty and easy to make from paper! Thanks!

Trina said...

So creative! I like this idea and I love CSI :).

Kat said...

Perfect for a wedding shower I will be throwing! Thank you!

koffiekitten said...

that's such a nice idea, thank you for sharing

sideoats + scribbles said...

Neat-o!!!! Love them!!! :)

Renee said...

These are great! I love the simple projects that look like they took forever to make! Thank you for sharing!

Leslie said...

I love, love, love these! Thanks for sharing. I'll be making some this week.

Aubrey Scott said...

such a cute, cheap, and easy way to make ornaments. I think I will try ribbon instead of paper. We'll see how that turns out.

ellencrimitrent said...

these would be great as gift toppers too!

Jessica said...

On the two-color ornaments, how did you avoid 2 petals of the same color in a row??

Jess said...

You're right; you get one extra red and one extra white. I cut off the duplicates very close to the staple.

Jessica said...

Nevermind - I figured out a cheat on my second flower. :)

Jessica said...

Wow, you answered so fast! I cut it off about 1 cm and then looped the other half over the stub to hide it.
While we're at it - I'm usually a lurker, but I love your site!

Ashlee said...

I have some old-timey, thin scrapbook paper. This will be a perfect use for it. So cute.

ismoyo said...

These are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea. I especially love the two-colored versions. Got to give them a try!

Condo Blues said...

They look very retro on that swanky silver tree!

kelly said...

Thanks for this cute project. I sat at my desk and made one this afternoon instead of grading papers... ha. But, it went together oh so fast and I went back to my grading.

pacegirlno3 said...

Another use for the paper flowers...gift box decorations. I was in need of a box topper and the flower worked perfectly! Again, thanks for the idea. It's so cool and easy.

http://whatididoversummer.blogspot.com/2008/12/wrapping-without-ribbon.html

~D Spack~ said...

Thanks for the idea! I made 7 of them and it was fun.

bliss said...

Way and totally cool!

Although orange hovers near the bottom of my favorite colors list, I have to say that your blog rocks. :o)

Thanks again!

Tiff said...

I have just the paper to make those with! Thanks for the tutorial!

help a family very dear to my heart have a memorable Christmas. It only takes a stamp!http://www.three-peas.com/2008/12/operation-christmas-card.html

s a n s k u :) said...

Love these too! Love the silver & orange combo! Thanks!

Kate said...

This is so great!! thanks for the tutorial!

Sun said...

now i have the PERFECT decoration for my gift boxes, parties, table settings, you name it! you're so fabulous :) if i'm ever in the midwest again i have to look you up :) thanks again!

Bonny said...

I made some! Check out my blog for pictures. Really...not the best pictures but oh well. Oh and I love your silver tree.

Good-Grace said...

Oh my gosh! These are so pretty and delicate looking... and who would have guessed they were fairly easy to make? Thanks for the great tutorial!!

Web Designer said...

They are so beautiful and very colorful

charlestin said...

very nice.... the color and designs also need some ornaments on paper, i ve tried to search the same in google too.. found a site called www.virtual-enchant.com, but there is no option to buy in australia... can any one suggest me like that to buy in usa.

Anonymous said...

Best instructions on web. Its been 40 years since I've made these. Thanks for the refresher.

Johanna said...

These are so beautiful and easy. I was inspired by the bright colors. I made some to hang from the ceiling for my daughter's birthday. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial.