A Posey Project
As I write this post, I'm looking out the window of our hotel room and I'm thankful for this sunny day and the flowers that are still in bloom. The realization hits me that it is now the middle of August and summer is racing towards its end. Soon we'll be welcoming the season of pumpkins, harvest, and unfortunately, the end of some lovely posies.These beauties provide the color and the life that is summer and I always want to bring it into my home and savor it as long as I can. I do love fall and all its gifts, but roses don't bloom in autumn and I find myself missing them terribly.
I thought I'd share with you a quick and easy project that I recently discovered through a fellow blogger that inspired me to try it as well. Full instructions are on my blog for how I made mine.
http://theartfullife-tina.blogspot.com/2010/04/fakey-floral-fun.html
The first thing I did was to find instructions online at good ole Martha Stewart's website (info also on TheArtfulLife blog) and then gathered all my supplies which included a package of cone shaped sturdy coffee filters. Our local grocery store had them for less than 2 bucks for enough filters to create 6 lovely posies.
Martha's instructions included printable patterns for each layer of petals that are easily assembled with wire and floral tape. This project develops quickly and the satisfaction of instant results keeps you going.
What you end up with is a fluffy, white rose where it's hard to believe that, just moments ago, was intended to filter coffee.
When I got to that point, I spent the next few days admiring my completely white bouquet of lovely roses, before I followed on with the final steps of taking a chop stick and curling the edges of each petal around it to create the realistic shape of a rose.
I could have lived with it just like that, but curiosity got the best of me and I just had to move on to painting them. Yes, feeling a bit like the red queen from Alice in Wonderland, with some thinned water based acrylic craft paint, I painted the petals gently with a light pink and then just touched and lined the edges of each one with a stronger pink, almost red, color.
Once they are dry and arranged in a great container, it's difficult tell they aren't the real deal until you get close enough to want to sniff them.
They make wonderful decorations on a gift box instead of a bow. I've thought about creating enough to cover a large Styrofoam ball for a unique display for a topiary or wedding decoration, or shrinking down the pattern on a copier to make a pin, a floral accent for clothing, to dress up a hat, or a handbag.
This project is easy, inexpensive, and a very good one for those of us who crave the look and feel of flowers after the petals have fallen to ground and the plant goes dormant for the winter. I hope you enjoy creating full bouquets now in all your favorite colors to enjoy all winter long.
Happy Creating,
Tina