D.I.Y Corner: Paper and duct tape roses for Valentine’s Day

D. NIKI BERNETT

Whether you lost track of time or cannot afford to order a bouquet of flowers for your loved one, have no fear. With the most love-filled holiday nearing, you still have time to create a cute and inexpensive handmade bouquet for your special someone.

Handmade gifts are always more personal and meaningful. This year, why not give your significant other something they can treasure for many years to come? Send your valentine some special love with handmade flowers; even a single flower could brighten someone’s day!

This project allows you to be creative by using a variety of different materials. Create your own custom flower with streamers, ribbons, duct tape or an assortment of paper products.

I decided to try this craft with newspaper pages, but it also works with colored copy paper or even hand colored printer paper.

Paper Flowers

Supplies needed:

-Paper of your choice for petals

-Scissors

-Hot glue gun, regular glue or scotch tape

-Green pipe cleaners for stem

Directions:

1. Cut your paper into a circle.

2. Begin cutting the circle in a spiral-like pattern until you reach the center, leaving a small circular shape at the end of your spiral. The bigger your spiraled line is, the taller your flower will be.

3. Tightly roll your spiral from the tapered end, where you began cutting, until it is rolled to the end of the remaining circle.

4. Tape or glue down the tightly wound spiral to the circle at the end of your spiral. This creates a leaf-like effect under the flower petals. As you let go, some of the spiral may become a bit loose, but this creates what will become the open flower.

5. To create the flower’s stem, use the metal end of the pipe cleaner to poke through the center of the flower.

Duct Tape Flowers

Supplies needed:

-Green duct tape

-Roll of duct tape (color of your choice)

-Scissors

-Plastic drinking straw

Directions:

1. Wrap the green duct tape around the length of the straw covering it completely.

2. Cut a piece of your petal colored tape about three inches long, fold it almost in half, leaving a strip along the bottom half of the adhesive side visible so that it is still usable to stick the petal to the straw.

3. Cut a rounded shape along the top of your folded piece of tape to get your desired petal shape.

4. Next, apply the adhesive strip remaining on your petal to the straw all the way around. The first petal will resemble a rosebud.

5. Continue adding and shaping petals around the tip of the straw to create a flower as big as you would like, but let some of the petals pucker out to create a more open flower.

To create the full effect of real flowers, spray your roses with your favorite fragrances before you give it to your Valentine’s Day sweetheart!