Spring Wreath - Paper Napkin Flowers

Welcome Spring...Welcome Friends!

 I started this Spring Wreath in February and it kept getting pushed aside for other things... and then Spring arrived, and I still had a naked door! Egad! Well, I can happily report that my door has been appropriately decorated for a couple of weeks now, so I thought I would show you what I made. It was a new thing for me!

I made paper napkin flowers! I've seen scads of posts and tutorials on how-to make flowers using everything and I really liked how the paper flowers looked delicate like a real flower, so I chose to use paper napkins to make mine. 

My wreath is a mix of two different styles of flowers. I'll show you how I made what ended up being my favorite flower by the end of the wreath. I used napkins that I purchased at the Dollar Tree and some I had left over from another, now forgotten occasion. 

To make the biggest flower on the wreath,  I folded the napkin like you would if you were making a fan. 

Then I attached floral wire in the middle of the napkin. 

 

 
Next, I started peeling the napkin layers toward the center where the wire was attached. First, one side and then the other, until the flower had bloomed! 

Finally, holding it by the wire, I pull the napkin flower up and I squeeze it tight. Then I re-fluff it until I like the look. This process crinkles the paper more and makes it appear more realistically flower-y.

Once I had my flowers finished, I trimmed the wire ends off and hot glued the flowers to a  grape vine wreath I already had on hand.

Finally, I had a wood banner from an old wreath that read "Welcome Friends" and I decided to add it to my wreath. Of course, I had to spruce it up a little first! I freshened the paint with colors that matched my paper flowers and it looked great. [There was nothing I could do about the crack in the wood, but I didn't think it mattered that much anyway.]

This project really did not cost me anything except a dollar for the napkins and that was some time ago. I don't usually use pastels, but I love how this wreath captures Spring for me...bright and cheery! 

http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-wreath-paper-napkin-flowers.html

http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-wreath-paper-napkin-flowers.html