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 computer paper. 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. (If the strips are too long for your stapler to reach the center, either trim them a bit shorter or swing your stapler open and staple the stack on a magazine or cutting mat. Then bend the staple closed.)
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 I had to do an orange one.
This is perfect, just what I have been looking for. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteOh 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!
ReplyDeleteOh, 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...
ReplyDeleteso cute!! they look way more complex than they are!
ReplyDeletethey look gorgeous...excellent project to do with your kids too.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! 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!
ReplyDeleteVery clever. They look great!
ReplyDeleteWOW!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to make these to decorate around my wedding/reception in January!!!!
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome! I needed some embellishments for my sister's birthday present...this worked perfectly!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/caseydukes/3098324525/
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!
ReplyDeletewow. how simple. how lovely. and it uses both "C" words....
ReplyDeleteClassy and Cheap.
Thank you for your creativity!
Happy Holidays Jessica!
so simple and so beautiful...a great way to fill in my christmas tree :)
ReplyDeletelove 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! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat project, they remind me of ribbon candy! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThese are perfect. Could you be any more crafty or classy?
ReplyDeletecute idea.
ReplyDeleteThat is totally adorable!
ReplyDeleteGeez, 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!!"
Amazingly simple and they look great!
ReplyDeletebrilliant!
ReplyDeleteOH I LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteThese ornaments are gorgeous !
ReplyDeleteI think I will put my quilts away and I will make some ! Thank you !
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.
ReplyDeletethis is awesome!!! i love this idea, i'm going to make them for sure!
ReplyDeleteVery Clever!
ReplyDeleteWonderful - this solves my dilemma about what to put on the top of our tree instead of a traditional fairy!
ReplyDeleteSeriously and completely amazing. I especially love the fact that they're not overtly festive - perfect for a Christmas grouch like me! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteVery cool idea, Jessica. You are so creative!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. Thanks so much for this project.
ReplyDeleteLove this project! I'm going to try making these in a very large size and using them as wall decor...
ReplyDeleteHow 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 :)
ReplyDeleteI love these. So pretty and easy to make from paper! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo creative! I like this idea and I love CSI :).
ReplyDeletePerfect for a wedding shower I will be throwing! Thank you!
ReplyDeletethat's such a nice idea, thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteNeat-o!!!! Love them!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThese are great! I love the simple projects that look like they took forever to make! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love these! Thanks for sharing. I'll be making some this week.
ReplyDeletesuch 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.
ReplyDeletethese would be great as gift toppers too!
ReplyDeleteOn the two-color ornaments, how did you avoid 2 petals of the same color in a row??
ReplyDeleteYou're right; you get one extra red and one extra white. I cut off the duplicates very close to the staple.
ReplyDeleteNevermind - I figured out a cheat on my second flower. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, you answered so fast! I cut it off about 1 cm and then looped the other half over the stub to hide it.
ReplyDeleteWhile we're at it - I'm usually a lurker, but I love your site!
I have some old-timey, thin scrapbook paper. This will be a perfect use for it. So cute.
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea. I especially love the two-colored versions. Got to give them a try!
ReplyDeleteThey look very retro on that swanky silver tree!
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
ReplyDeleteAnother 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.
ReplyDeletehttp://whatididoversummer.blogspot.com/2008/12/wrapping-without-ribbon.html
Thanks for the idea! I made 7 of them and it was fun.
ReplyDeleteWay and totally cool!
ReplyDeleteAlthough orange hovers near the bottom of my favorite colors list, I have to say that your blog rocks. :o)
Thanks again!
I have just the paper to make those with! Thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDeletehelp 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
Love these too! Love the silver & orange combo! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is so great!! thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDeletenow 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!
ReplyDeleteI made some! Check out my blog for pictures. Really...not the best pictures but oh well. Oh and I love your silver tree.
ReplyDeleteOh 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!!
ReplyDeleteThey are so beautiful and very colorful
ReplyDeletevery 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.
ReplyDeleteBest instructions on web. Its been 40 years since I've made these. Thanks for the refresher.
ReplyDeleteThese 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.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! You're welcome to link to the project and use an image or two, but I'd ask that you don't lift and reprint the entire article. Thanks for checking!
ReplyDeleteMy children and students will LOVE this!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm linking to this amazingly cool and simple craft from 10 Awesome Christmas Paper Craft Ideas. Of course, you are one of the ten. Thanks for sharing this idea.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute idea. Have many places to go wtih some downtime in between. What a clever little project to take to spend the time. Love it and your site. It's awesome.
ReplyDeletei tried 2 but they look uneven and dont join in the middle, any tips?
ReplyDeletei luv these things their easy fun and im making them 4 a mothers day card :)
ReplyDeleteTHIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you hang stuff like this with if you want to hang from a ceiling to not leave a mark?
ReplyDeletelove these, so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous. Can't wait to make some. Thank you for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteOoo, I bet they would look good using leftover wrapping paper or Christmas cards.
ReplyDeleteI made these last year but didn't know to staple them. That is a fabulous way to fix what went wrong with mine! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI used them as bows on my gifts.
looks for cool. im very excited to try. :)
ReplyDeleteThese are really beautiful!!! I wanted to let you know that I am featuring these in a post about ornaments and linky party on Wed. of this week. Hope you can come by and check it out! http://nap-timecreations.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeletenow to recover the stapler from my kiddlets room... or maybe just buy a new one...awesome!
ReplyDeleteThis is great, going to try one myself. I am also going to try one with a paper punch design, punch each strip before assembling to see how that looks as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is fabulous! Thank you so much, I can't wait to get started! Especially while my husband is watching Top Gear...again!
ReplyDeleteI used clear, lite weight fishing line with a metalswivel fishing line attatchment. This weights the flowers (as long as they're not too small or too large. Also you could tape them to a clean ceiling with transparent tape. The possibilities are only limited by your own imagination. I'm going to make red and green one to hang on my Christmas tree and pastel ones to hang on a white painted branch for Easter. Thank you soooo very much for your idea which gives me inspiation and more crafts to work on as I am a shut-in senior. LOL
ReplyDeleteThank you! I live in a Senior Apartment building, and like to decorate the bulletin boards there. This is one more great idea to help me along this year.
ReplyDeleteI love this!
Can you share your strategy for the red/white one? Wouldn't there be two reds and two whites next to eachother? Did you cut one half of each color off?
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, I think I cut off half of something at the end to keep the colors alternating. You're right.
ReplyDeletethank you for the great tutorial.
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome to see my version.
:)
http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/net/viewentry.aspx?r=1&EntryId=2611072
THANKS so much!!! i have been looking everywhere for something like this!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow do you make them so even? I tried it too, but they stand quite uneven.
ReplyDeleteHow big the piece of double stick tape should be?
Please, give a quick answer. :-)
would this work with ribbon?? they look sooo pretty! Thank-you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, it would if the ribbon was stiff enough to keep its shape. If it's not, you could maybe experiment with a fabric stiffener on it. One brand is Stiffen Stuff. Other companies make a product like that, too.
ReplyDelete