Today we have a project for you that will make flowers bloom in your home ALL YEAR LONG!!

If you are anything like me, then you probably also have tons of magazines laying around your house…  You don’t want to throw them away because you are sure that the minute you do, you will need to use them.  So what do you do? Keep sticking them in the closet or are they piling up on the coffee table?  Well, we finally have a solution for you!  This is a fun project that will turn those unwanted pages into fun flowers!

MATERIALS

• Magazines or Catalogs (the size doesn’t matter, I am using a mini catalog)
• Paint — Any Color
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Paint Brushes
• Glue Gun

First, take one of the pages… I don’t like using the cover because most of the time they are thicker and a little bit harder to fold, but it can be done!  Now, cut it in half, hot dog style works best.  

Then, fold one half in half hot dog style.

Open the fold and fold each half inside again, hot dog style, making sure to not cross over the first center fold. Please look at the photo below for reference.

Once the outer edges are folded in, and the center fold is also folded, you are going to fold the whole thing over one more time.  I like using the end of the scissors to help make the sure the crease is as flat as possible and the paper won’t unfold while I’m working with it.

So once you are done folding, I like to take the piece in my hands and stretch/fold it a little bit so that it is a little bit more flexible.  It makes it easier to wrap and glue in the next steps.

Just for reference, this is how mine look when I’m at this point.  With the ends a little curved and ready to start making flowers!

You can use the handle of one of the paint brushes, or a pencil if you want the flower to be a little smaller in the center.  You use the paint brush handle as a base to start the center of the flower and as a guide in the beginning to start wrapping your paper around.  Put a dab of hot glue at the beginning of the first paper strip and wrap it around the paint brush handle.  Wait a few seconds for the glue to dry before you continue wrapping the paper around.

Keep wrapping the paper around the center that you just made trying to make sure it is as tight as possible.  Once you have the base you can remove the paint brush.  About every second or third pass, put another dab of hot glue.

Depending on the size of your paper strips, and how big you want the flower (it can be as big or little as you want it to be), you can leave it as it, or you can continue with the next paper strip in the exact place the last one left off.  Don’t overlap them or you will have a bump in the circle.

I usually make one large circular piece to use as the base of the flower, and then various smaller circles to go around the base.

When you have all your rolls ready, you can start making your flower.  Glue the smaller circles around the edge of the larger base circle.  You can glue them close together or leave spaces in between the “petals”.  It’s completely up to you!

Once all the “petals” have been glued to the base, paint your flower whatever color you want.

OPTIONAL — I like to give my flowers a little bit of a vintage look, so once I’m done painting them I take brown paint, getting rid of the excess so there is just a little bit on the brush, and I go over them lightly with the color.

As the last step, I cover the whole flower with Mod Podge (or clear glue) so that it keeps everything looking nice. They end up smooth and plastic looking.

You can glue magnets to the back, pin them to a pin-board using tacks, make super big ones and use them as place mats or center pieces, or as wall decorations.  I also like just leaving the paper without painting it a different color,  I like the way it looks naturally with flecks of different colors.

Here are some project ideas that you might like!

With this one I used clear tacks that were the same size as the center circle of the flower and tacked them to the wall.

Glue magnets on the back and they can be used on the refrigerator or at school to decorate the blackboard.

Place mats or coasters that add a fun twist to your living room.

This project has many possible uses!  I would love to hear some of your ideas!  How would you use these flowers in your home, school or office??  Tell me in the comments below!  Do you have suggestions, comments or questions, just put them in the comments below and I will be sure to get back to you! Please share this project with others so we can continue to have fun and help the environment at the same time!

GET CREATIVE!

SofiaE!