Mixed Media Flower Power

Hey Blogaholics…

I interrupt my dryer sheet collage paper post to sneak in another post that’s been keeping my creative juices flowing.  Promise to get my dryer sheet tute out.. (ya, ya, Judy, they’ve heard it before)  really, I’m working on it today.

I’ve been playing around with coffee filters.  Used and unused.  I’ve seen many demos on how to make flowers from them.   I’m not doing anything new here.. these crafts with coffee filters have been around for eons.   Soooooo…… I decided to give it a go myself and add my own twistaroonie to it.  What a fun I had for hours making these.

Ok, let’s Flashback for a minute……….. As a young girl, I remember making flowers out of tissues, the kind you blow your schnoz with.  You take a tissue and folded it up like an accordian fan.  Fold it in half and open up the layers of tissue to make a flower.  Did any of you do that?  It’s funny how you come full circle sometimes, isn’t it?   I also remember going to ceramic classes as a teen and now I love polymer clay.    One time I had this wart on my…. wait.. screech… stop… never mind… you don’t need to know that.  Damn memories.  Sorry, back to the post…  Anyway, did anyone ever make these flowers:

The bold flowers I’ve made below, are from unused coffee filters.  I sprayed them with Color Mists that I purchased from Outside the Margins. (Aileen also has a YouTube channel where she demonstrates the mists).   Then, I scrunched them up, dried them with my heat gun and manipulated them into some kick-ass (can I say that?) flowers.  Of course, I have to add my touch of polymer clay to them, so I made the centers from my handmade polymer clay buttons and embellishments.  Added touches of glitter glue and secured the centers down with a glue gun.

This picture shows the flowers and a gift I wrapped with a decorative napkin and added the flower to the top.   I’m trying to recycle what I have to make wrapping paper, decorations, etc.  Not only do the recipients appreciate the gift inside, but the wrapping is something to talk about… and in the end, it is appreciated when you recycle.

This weekend was my great niece, Riley’s, dance recital and instead a buying her the usual bouquet of real flowers that will die in a week, I decided to make her a handmade bouquet that will last forever.  I wrapped copper wire around the excess “tail” of the flower and created the long stems.  Twisted all four stems together and created a wrap for the gathered stems out of tissue paper I had.  Hearts and pinky.. how dorable.   I truly believe anything handmade has so much more love in it that purchasing a quick gift on the way to an event.   Here they are:

These flowers can be cut down to make smaller flowers or you can use cupcake papers for a more paper/crunchy feel.  The coffee filters have a more fabric/softer texture to them.  Put them in your journals and mixed media work.. glue a magnet on the back, glue it to the top of a pencil or pen, glue to an elastic hair band.. and you know what I’m talking about.  How about a small flower glued to a flip flop.   How cute.. awe.   Feeling any love yet.. yes? no? a little?

To use a used coffee filter, lay the filer on a flat surface and spread out the grinds to the ends.  Let this dry completely and then brush off the coffee.  Now you have a stained filter.

Here is a used coffee filter flower I made.  I enhance the stain by adding a walnut spray to it, some gold glitter spray and then put alcohol ink around the edges.  Looks like a little purple snuck in there too. The final touches were glitter glue around the petals and then a vintage pearl brooch for the center.

I hope you enjoyed the flower power love.  Have fun.. be creative.. make it your own and remember, it’s your world.

Thanks for stopping by.

Judy ♥