newspaper flowers for my sisters wedding

i know i said that i was not going to make these flowers for my sister's wedding...

but that was before the last week of preparations hit and i didn't have a better method.

so, i worked very hard to make enough for my sister's bouquet and all six bridesmaid bouquets as well. 

i couldn't stand the feel of newspaper by the time i was done.

they did turn out beautiful though, and i am very glad that i was able to help her get what she wanted. the wedding was beautiful. lots of handmade, artistic touches. so many shared family bits, tablecloths, lace runners, vases, candles, baskets, flowers (all of the flowers came from my mother in laws house... garlic flowers from the garden and beautiful blue hydrangeas), mason jars, picnic tables. it all came together from so many different people, yet it still represented my sister and new brother in law perfectly. 

i wish i had some photos from the wedding to share, but i was so busy visiting with family that i completely forgot that i even brought my camera along. 

one of my favorite bits about how this wedding came together is my sister's dress. she looked and looked and looked for so long (mostly used... which of course is a bit harder). she turned down everything that wasn't perfect. it was three weeks until the wedding and we were all feeling a little nervous for her. she visited a local "pay it forward" store. in a "pay it forward" store everything is free... in exchange for what you take you try to bring something in to replace it. anyway, she walked into the store and found her dress... the one... and it was EXACTLY her measurements. she didn't need to alter a stitch. it looked so beautiful on her. it was the only one that was perfect, and it didn't cost her a dime. she had bought a back-up dress right before she found that one that really wasn't right for her, and she brought that one to the store to replace what she took.

back to the flowers for a bit...

in case anyone is interested in making newspaper flowers in this way. i used the book "paper to petal" and the flower pattern that i used was the japanese paper peony. it was the only flower that was made with paper instead of crepe. so i thought it would probably work best with newspaper. i simplified it a bit by leaving out the pip and fringe center and sticking with just embroidery floss. i also used less petals than the book. i used about ten pairs of the smallest petals, then 4-6 pairs of the next size up, and i didn't use any of the other two sizes. 

i will definitely be taking a bit of a hiatus from paper flowers... maybe i will turn back to them in the winter when i'm missing the summer blooms... but for now...

 i'll turn to the real blooms just outside my door.