The lowly coffee filter. Cheap, thin paper. Most kitchens have some hanging around in a cupboard somewhere. A every day thing that you pull out of the cupboard when you need it, add to the grocery list when you run out…
Necessary for things like filtering coffee grounds. Did you every think that something so beautiful, and crafty can be make out of such a ordinary item? I had no idea…but oh the colors, the soft muted tones that just work so perfectly with these easily dyed filters…they make my heart sing. It’s easy to make these with just a few crafting items. I was thinking of what you could create with these oh so cute paper roses. And I came up with a few things to do with them. If you have any more ideas be sure to mention it in your comments. Just in time to craft for Mother’s Day, they would make a nice gift for Mom. You could:
- Slip a wire into the flower as a stem, bundle them into a gorgeous hand crafted bouquet.
- Garnish a gift by gluing them onto the gift wrap, adding a piece of silky ribbon for texture, to serve as leaves.
- Glue them onto a handmade tags or cards, for a soft, rustic look.
- Thread a string through them to hang by the petals for a lovely floral bunting that is cuteness personified.
- Use the smallest filters to make mini roses, glue them onto a photo frame for a unique, and personalized gift.
- Craft into a wreath by gluing them onto a styrofoam form.
If you have read my blog for a while you might have read a similar post from last year. I had linked to the original pin that I found on Pinterest. This time I have reshot my photos so they show up brighter, and clearer. And it’s such a cute project that I thought I would write another post about them for all of you who might have missed it before. You can find the link here to the original tutorial written by Salvaged Whimsy.
You will need the following to make these gorgeous paper roses.
- White circular coffee filters, the largest were the easiest to use
- Food coloring
- Plate to lay filters on
- Glue gun, or white crafting glue
- Wire for stems
- Florist tape for sturdier stems
To get the softest pastel shades dampen the filters by laying them on the plate and allowing them to slightly soak up the water, remove and add food coloring, one drop at a time. Then re-soak the filters for a moment. For more vibrant colors add food coloring first, and then add filters. You can dye a few layers at a time in order to keep the colors the same shade. Lightly shake over sink, or wring them out gently and hang to dry. Once they are dry layer 4 to 6 filters together, and starting at the outside edge cut in a spiral shape working your way to the center of the filter. Leave a small tab in the very middle of your spiral. The more layers you have the harder it is to work with but the fuller your rose will be. Keeping a consistent width as you cut out the spiral will make all the petals the same size. If some areas are wider then others, you can trim them up later. Roll the spiral cut coffee filter tightly, starting from the area of your first cut on the outside edge. Keeping the paper as tight as possible it will be easier if you roll it between your thumb and finger. Once you have rolled a few inches add a dab of glue to the bottom of your rolled tube, holding it together as tightly as possible. When you reach the end of the spiral fold the tab over to cover up the bottom of your flower. Optional, add wire before the glue dries if you want to have stems. The wire could be wrapped in florist tape for a sturdier looking stem.
Repeat until you have enough flowers to create your masterpiece.
