Making paper flowers is a wonderful hobby, a great way to make some extra cash and create beautiful gifts for your family and friends. Now if you are thinking that making a paper flower is difficult you could not be more incorrect it is so easy that small children can make them and they actually enjoy it, which is a wonderful rainy day activity!

If you think you may be interested in making paper flowers then you should pick up a paper flower making book it will give you a complete list of all the supplies you need most of which you already have hanging around the house or garage. Then you will need some crepe paper, which you can find easy and affordable which you can order online. You may need to make a trip to the craft store to pick up a few items such as green floral wire and tape, and clear drying glue.

You might just be amazed at all the flowers you can make using crepe paper not to mention the gifts, centerpieces, bridal and wedding party bouquets and decorations, holiday arrangements and decorations. Don’t be surprised at the amount of different flowers you can quickly and easily make some examples include almost everyone’s favorite flower the rose, orchids, sweet Williams, star flower, daises, carnations and even amaryllis those are just a few of the flowers you can create with a good book, few supplies and crepe paper.

Many people have asked us do they look fake. No! Is the quick answer the ironic thing about crepe paper flowers is that it is often difficult to tell the difference between crepe paper flowers and fresh flowers that is until the fresh flowers start to wilt! The only care that paper flowers need is an occasional dusting!

You can also make any color flower you want with paper flowers too unlike with fresh flowers you are stuck with what nature provides and unfortunately if your favorite flower is the rose and your favorite color is purple mother nature isn’t going to be able to help you put a gorgeous overflowing vase of purple roses on your dining room table but some crepe paper will.

Does someone special have a birthday coming up someone that already has everything and then some? A crepe paper flower centerpiece made out of their favorite flowers and colors is the perfect gift for them. Chances are they will love it even more knowing that you took the time to make it just for them and to their liking.

You can also earn a little extra cash or a lot of extra cash once you are an expert paper flower maker you can start a small side business making flowers for weddings. Brides love to keep everything they possibly can from their special day and what better item to save than the centerpiece that sat on your head table the day you said I Do.  It can be placed in the bride and grooms new home and will be a conversation piece for years to come and it might get you some extra business too. Making paper flowers has a lot of benefits!

There are two ways to really make a paper flower shine. One is to wax the paper flower and the other is to lightly spray the paper flowers with hair spray or a glossy spray for paper.

First, we will look at how to make a paper flower shine with the hairspray or glossy spray because it is much simpler and quicker. The most difficult thing about using the spray is making certain that it does not contain any water you do not want the color in the crepe paper flowers to run and some types (not all) crepe paper will run.

So first do tests on a small piece of scrape paper for every color you will be spraying. Usually if the hairspray has water in it, it will say so in the ingredients list on the bottle or can. However, you cannot always trust what you read so it is better to be safe than sorry and try it out first. Spray each scrape piece of crepe paper five times allow the paper to dry in between the sprays.

Once you are certain your spray will not cause the crepe paper to run you can spray the flowers four of five times with a very light coat of the spray stand back a few feet so you mist the flower rather than drench them in the spray. Once you are finished, your flowers will have nice shine to them. If you want less shine, spray them a fewer times. You may want to avoid scented sprays if you plan to spritz the flowers with a scent.

The other way to make your flowers shine is to wax them. We will be honest waxing the flowers can be tedious especially for a first timer. The wax will be hot after you melt it in a double broiler. You will need to dip each flower individually and allow for it to dry before you make your bouquets, centerpieces and other floral arrangements. You will also need a crepe paper flower making book that provides specific instructions on safety measures that should be taken, supplies needed and how to dip the flowers in the hot wax.

You do have two options for waxing the flowers you can hand dip them or you can brush the hot wax on with paintbrushes but know that once the wax cools to much it will drop off the flowers instead of sticking to them. You will need something to stick the stems in to allow the wax to dry on the flowers we recommend a thick large piece of square Styrofoam. This will hold the flowers up right if it is thick enough so the wax does not drip off, and you also need to be careful that your wet flowers do not touch one another or they may stick together. Waxing a paper flower really is not as difficult as it sounds it just takes a little getting used to so if you have the time and extra supplies you could always practice with a few extra flowers.

These are the best two ways we know of to make a paper flower shine. The spray will give the flowers a porcelain shine and the wax will give the paper flowers a nice semi-glossy shine. Have fun!