Crepe Paper Flowers

Way back in the olden days, high school homecoming floats and bridal party cars were decorated with crepe paper or tissue paper flowers, also known as pom poms. Hundreds were made for these events and girls could probably make them in their sleep.

On a recent trip to a craft store with a coupon burning a hole in my pocket, I found this kit to make 10 crepe paper flowers. They aren't anything like the ones I made in high school or for weddings but they caught my attention and triggered a memory. I chose the white kit with absolutely no intention of leaving it white.

I used Tombow water based markers to color the petals, thinking the colors would bleed and blend when I spritzed them with water.

There were 4 sizes of petals plus the brown center for each flower. Three of the sizes are shown here with the marker experiment.

Once those were dry, the color was more subdued but not more blended. I decided to try something else. I used Dylusions ink sprays and one a "mist" product in a color called Pale Ale.

I placed the petals, usually one formation at a time, inside a box and spritzed away. In the arrangement below, the flower in the lower right looked terrible while in separate layers, but I liked it more when assembled. The flower on the lower left is the Tombow colored one, and the one behind it started out plain white until I sprayed the assembled flower with a color called Pure Sunshine.

Do you like my temporary vase? It is a roll of paper towels.

This was a happy experiment and they will in my bedroom until they either fade (not sure how the color or paper itself will endure) or until they get too dusty. I would do this again, but with a larger, deeper box so that the spray could be more of mist falling on the paper, or maybe done outside on a windless day.