By Libbie Summers
Assisted by Candace Brower

An adorable AND affordable bouquet for Mother’s Day or to brighten any day. Add in a lunch and maybe you’ll win the Best Daughter or Best Son award…I didn’t.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

3 rolls of crepe paper (I used hot pink, light pink and orange)
Colorful masking tape (who cares if you see it…I’m not trying to pretend these aren’t paper flowers, so I used bright yellow)
30 (8-inch) sticks cut from the yard (you could also use paper straws, floral wire, bamboo skewers, pencils…whatever. I love the sticks…especially with a few leaves left on.

Directions:
•Working with one color of crepe paper at a time, unroll a length of the crepe paper and begin wrapping it around itself. Start tight and then begin to loosen up as you go around. You can also “burnish” one edge of the crepe paper to make more of a ruffled effect before you start wrapping it. Continue until you have the flower that you love. Some of mine in this video are very tight “rose” looking flowers. Others (the ones Candace was working on) were ending up more like a carnation. Nothing is wrong, they are all beautiful.
•If you can, gently push the stick up through the middle of the flower (through the bottom until about half way through the flower). If you can’t do that, no worries, just pinch the bottom of the flower tight so it looks a bit like an ice cream cone, then you can just press it up against the stick when taping.
•Cut off a 2-inch piece of masking tape and cut it in half lengthwise giving you 2 skinny pieces.
•Starting from near the bottom of the flower, start wrapping the tape around the flower affixing it to the stick. Continue wrapping with the other pie of tape if needed. Boom…your bloom is finished.
•Continue until you have blooms on all your sticks.
•Drop in a vase, and step back. Nice right?!