Cream Colored Day

Spring is near. But... We've already had a few summer-like days this year in Massachusetts. What to make of this weather???

I still sort of entertain hopes of seeing one more daring dash of snow before the winter officially ends on the 20th of March, but seeing blooming spring flowers in the parks near my home sets those hopes to the dark corners of my soul.

So, Spring it is!

Still,... who's to say that steel-colored mornings (yesterday, and this morning, for example), and beige-like sky canvases stretching above my city, are not winter-like. 

For those few fleeting moments before the day turns more sunny, I see ghosts of this warm winter and those short flurries of snowflakes we had a on a few lucky mornings. 

So, there it is. 

I say my goodbye to winter with ghost-like paper flowers in pale vanilla, beige, cream, whatever you want to call it... 

 

Silver Belle - paper flower, restructured...

Some of you may remember the Silver Belle inked paper flower I already blogged about some time ago.

Well, this flower is a version of that, only fluffier, richer in petals.

I used the same lovely silver brocade over taupe paper for the petals, cut one by one and inked, then folded and glued to form this shape.

A single bead adorns the center.
Wire at the back for easy hanging on the wall (or on top of a pretty gift box).

Blue Gold Wall Flower

I have always liked the colors Blue and Gold together, and this paper wall flower is the result of experimenting with light blue paper and this vintage gold ink that I had in my collection.

When used on plain white paper the gold yields a pretty saturated effect, but layered on the blue it looses some of its kick and mutes to something that looks a little antiqued.

Quite interesting... Depending on the light, the petals shine from shimmer gold to pewter to brown bronze.

See for yourself :)

It's snowing today

It's cold outside today and there's great white stuff everywhere. Finally!
We've been waiting for this snow for months!

I'm drinking a hot cup of cocoa, and watching the snow from my Boston-facing window. It sure looks gloomy, this winter light, but I feel sunny on the inside.

These paper beauties below?

They are the white wall flowers I've been working on for a photographer who contacted me through Etsy. Three are done, 15 more to go...

RED and WHITE - Wall Flowers

I created these Red and White paper flowers as wall decorations for a client's show room installation in Australia.

Materials:

• Paper,
• Pearls,
• Wire, and 
• Glue.

Pretty simple as far as materials go, and yet the results are quite charming.

Paper wall flowers also in RED, WHITE and TAUPE.

RED, TAUPE and WHITE - - - Wall Flowers

There is something very comforting in this lovely palette, like a smooth delicious desert when you most need it: Strawberries dipped in Cream over Graham Cracker crust. Yum!

In this case, I used the colors RED, TAUPE and WHITE to create paper flowers which can be hanged on the wall of a favorite room (like so).

Two versions of this flower can now be found in my Etsy shop:

- White, Taupe and Red,

and

- Red, White and Taupe.

Paper Wall Flower with Crystal Bead

I have this amazing taupe paper with silver brocade flowers printed on top that is just perfect for fall/winter palettes.

So far, I've made little 2" paper roses from it, 3" daisies and the latest creation - a bigger than your palm wall flowers with stunning crystal bead centers.

I love the little silver accents the light brings out from folded paper petals, and having the edges inked in a darker shade of taupe only makes them more special :)

This one is a flower for hanging on the wall or decorating a gift box with, but I can't wait to put the rest of the flowers on stalks and give them leaves. They would look lovely in a vase, I'm sure.

Red Pearl - White Ruffles

This paper flower featuring white ruffled petals and a dramatic red pearl, is a part of my collection of wall flowers.

Pretty on walls, pretty on gift boxes, as a centerpiece, a corsage and more.

White Ruffle Paper Flowers - Lightly touched by ink

Forever exploring the perfect way to make a flower that can serve as a centerpiece, a wall decoration and a gift topper, I came up with this latest shape of countless ruffled petals, folded and lightly touched with orange ink.

The largest flower is as big as a salad plate, while the smaller ones are like pretty little companions.

Dirty Gold Peacock Paper Flower

There is something carnal about this flower.

... Or maybe that's just how I see it.

Dark shades of grey, black intertwined with white stripes give the sort of wild background to flashes of peacock feathers in green and gold and the occasional golden bronze swirl.

The paper was manipulated by punching, inking, distressing, folding, creasing, gluing, until a sophisticated shape emerged and a flower was born.

It can be hanged on a wall, perched on top of a gift box, tied on the wrist as a corsage, worn as a pin, and anything else you can think of.

Stripes and Hearts and Smarty Pants

Not my usual sort of flowers... These blue/beige takes on the hanging wall paper flowers were inspired by pajama-like stripes and memories of dad's favorite tie.

Brown + blue buttons and inked petals for the final touches.
Wire at the back.

Blue Flowers, Blue Butterflies

While I'm creating roses and other flowers for a few upcoming summer weddings, I also feel the need to indulge myself in making a few other flowers on the side.

All from from paper, of course.

And what would flowers be without butterflies?

Here are the latest blue paper butterflies with crystals, wired and ready to hover over beautiful blooms.

Bright Sunrise Paper Flower w/ Vintage Button

A touch of warmth of a cold gray day.

... this flower is part of my series of paper flowers as gift toppers and wall art...

hand-sewn paper butterfly - part II

I recently made a lilac paper butterfly and used a pretty red silk thread to stitch the pattern on the wings.

This butterfly is the smaller 5-6" version.

The idea is the same: paper-piecing, silk thread and wire to create the body of the butterfly.

It is painstaking work to create such prettiness, but I so love the final effect that I had to make this double as a wall art piece.

A small wire loop was attached at the back to allow the butterfly to land on your favorite wall piece, picture frame, or a paper flower you happened to have hanging around... :)

More From Paper Flowers, Wall Flowers, Gift Toppers

Here's a more detailed look at my recently made paper flowers which can be used as gift toppers or hanged lovingly on a wall as paper art pieces.
:)

These are similar to my paper mums, made some time this fall.

Pretty and delicate as they were, I had to give them the extra dimension by constructing a wedding paper bouquet out of their flower heads in peacock colors such as, blue, purple, gold, and gray.