Thursday, June 18, 2009

Coffee Filter Flowers by Laura Bray

Something Old, Something New

June is the month of weddings & anniversaries. Why not celebrate with the environment (and your budget) in mind? I created these lovely, sepia-colored roses using coffee filters! The used filters give the roses an antique look and all you have to do is drink a cup of coffee. These roses would make lovely centerpieces at a wedding shower or even a wedding. You can even match the glittered edges to the wedding colors. (The Vintage Glass Glitters particularly lend themselves to this project. Luckily, Art Institute Glitter offers their vintage glass glitter in a wide selection of colors!) If there is a Silver or Gold wedding anniversary celebration coming up, I would recommend using Rich Gold or Silvery Moon Shard Glass Glitter for the project.

Coffee Filter Flowers

Supplies:
Used coffee machine filters (round)
Art Institute Vintage Glass Glitter in color of your choice
Art Institute Designer “Dries Clear” Adhesive
Floral Wire
Floral Tape

Instructions:
• Rinse coffee grinds from coffee filter. Smooth flat and leave out to dry.
• Once filters are dry, fold the outside edge of the filter approximately ¼” all around the filter.
• Fold the filter in half.
• Starting at the edge of the filter, (with ¼” folded edge facing out) loosely roll the filter.
• Twist the bottom of the rolled filter to hold it.
• Take a piece of floral wire and hold it against the rolled end. Tape around the rolled end of the filter, attaching the floral wire in the process.
• Arrange the coffee filter petals to look like a rose by gently pulling them apart and arranging them in a pleasing manner.
• Pour your glitter into a small bowl. Apply adhesive to the edges of the petals and lightly roll the rose in the glitter bowl. Tap the rose on the edge of the bowl to release excess glitter.
• Your coffee filter roses are now ready to be used to create a stunning centerpiece.

Extras!
• Dye unused coffee filters with water and a few drops of food coloring to create colored flowers.
• Add leaves to your flowers. Simply cut-out leaf shapes from colored paper and attach to stems.



About Laura Bray

Laura Bray is a professional artist, designer and crafter. She lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter and their dog, Jack. She loves having a career doing what she loves and she shares her business knowledge with other artists and crafters so that they can do they too can live and work creatively. For more information about Laura and to sign-up for her free newsletter, visit her website at www.katydid-designs.com.

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