Taking Paper Floristry To New Heights

It has not crossed my mind that paper floristry could be a possible route I could embark on. After all, I picked up this new hobby to satisfy my desire to enhance my own home decor and perhaps arrange some flowers for personal gifting. It is a far cry to compare this genre of delicate paper craft with jewelry making which I am so in tune with. But one thing for sure, I love both kinds of craft because blending pretty colors together makes my day a little better and worth the time spent completing what I set out to do. It also (always!) gets a hundred times better when people out there notice my work and have faith in my skills. I am very thankful for the opportunities.

My first order were for a few stalks of paper flowers meant for photography background props. For props, the colors considered had to be fairly neutral which should compliment and not dominate the picture. For variety, I made a light pink cherry blossom branch, a pair of white magnolias (probably not a variety seen locally) and baby's breath. 

My second order that came through was for a 10" floral wreath for a wall decor. A lush pastel theme concept was decided and this took me approximately a total of 7 hours to put together, spanning across 3-4 days. 4 days, you ask? Well, I also had to attend to jewelry orders and priorities at home. There was also no doubt that I made some paper blunders here and there which required me to re-do some of the process from scratch. Hence I am grateful to be given the space and flexi-time to work on this particular order. For a handmade artist, we thrive when given sufficient time to work with our inspiration so that we can produce our best.

A mock up of a halfway arranged wreath for my client to see if she was happy with what she was seeing so far.

And the final product!

More recently, a request to make potted garden roses came through for a birthday gift. I considered the home decor of the recipient's before embarking on this style. "Minimalist and functional" was what I gathered so a color blend of peach with light pink hue roses would brighten up the home and of course, most importantly, to put a smile on the recipient's face.

Having only dabbled with paper flowers just a few months ago, it has been a great start for me to receive these few orders. And I think I am ready to begin my journey with paper floristry service! 

What are my prices like?
I can't tell you enough that it is something hard to put a finger on, just like my handmade jewelry, because it's so hard to price time which is the crux of it all. Considering the amount of time spent painting the colors -> to cutting petals in shape -> curling the individual petals -> assembling and taping each petal together -> purchase suitable sized vases (if any) -> style an arrangement, I am ascertain many would be able to appreciate and be willing to invest in the entire process that's made with much love and care.

As I am still a budding artist and building up my paper floristry portfolio,  I am currently happy to work on orders by a given budget which I could then advise you what I can offer to make based on that budget. It works very much like how you would walk into a florist and tell them your budget for a customized bouquet of flowers. So think along this line of the prices that a florist would quote you for a floral arrangement.

If you are considering a unique and lasting gift anytime soon for occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas or just something to brighten your personal space or someone's day, do connect with me! If your budget permits when a suitable occasion arises, do also consider adding a handmade jewelry gift with a bouquet. Adeline's Loft will now house 2 of my crafts - jewelry and paper floristry. Email me with your requests! oon.adeline@gmail.com.
 

Till the next post, have a wonderful day!

Absolutely Me,

Crepe Paper Flower Craft

I have been an avid follower of Julie from Paper Play Design on instagram for quite a while. She is a very friendly, talented paper artist who makes super-duper-awesome-pretty paper flowers. Such are the instagrammers I follow that make my day even more beautiful and inspiring every time they post a photo. Check out her recent feed!

So gorgeous, isn't it?

Needless to say, she inspired me to try my hands on making paper flowers for myself since I am quite impossible with managing real plants at home. I felt it would be most ideal to "grow" paper flowers from scratch and gather myself a nice pot of mixed flowers for home decor. And better still that it's absolutely allergen free!

Here's my very first trial flower. 

Then I got a little bit more confident and painted the petals on my second stalk. The reason why I paint them instead of getting ready made colored crepe papers is because I prefer to make it look more natural. Moreover, I cannot afford to store so many colored crepe papers in my limited crafting space! So I figured the best is to get white and I can paint whatever color I want. A little tedious but it's all worth it in the end.

Subsequently, I made a tiny bunch of flowers to brighten up my father's niche and a bigger bunch of flowers that was meant for a gift. But I was too pai-seh (embarrassed) to gift it in the end because I didn't know how my friend would react to receiving paper flowers. I think it may be a little bit odd in our Asian culture.

What would you think if you received a bouquet like this?

I spent about 6 hours over a span of 3 days to get this bouquet of flowers made.

Just a few days ago, my daughter asked me to make a a flower wreath that she can paste on her room door. (I think its just the sweetest thing she has ever asked me to make for her!) So I obliged!

I am still "growing" my flowers whenever I find the time away from jewelry work to make them. I never would have realized that making flowers would be very therapeutic and inspiring for me. So when the time comes, I hope to show a very beautiful pot of flowers that will enhance my home decor. 

If you too, are keen to try out making paper flowers, you may like to check out several tutorials I have pinned on my pinterest feed. Give it a go... maybe?

Till the next post, have a wonderful day!

Absolutely Me, 

Adeline