Herringbone in the technique of Iris folding

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3. Shall cut strips of paper in three colors. Strip width should be twice larger than the pitch, plus the allowance of 2-4 mm. For our step width of the strip is obtained by 22-24 mm. The very first strip should be slightly wider, since they cover the outer contours of the Christmas tree. How much should bands at once is difficult to calculate. Better to cut them during the work.
   
4. Fold each strip in half lengthwise.
   
5. Cut out five bars for the trunk of different shades of size 35h20 mm. Fold them in half.
   

towel paper

Cutting and folding tissue roses

Set A Simply Elegant Table With Paper Roses!

You won't be surprised to hear that I'm very often in charge of centerpieces at our women's Rosh Chodesh gatherings. Fortunately the event hall is right next to my house, so after all the hours of effort, at least I don't have to shlep my creations very far. And you won't be surprised to hear that I do centerpieces for pennies, (whoops the currency here would be agarot, silly me) or at least I try!
My latest idea was to make giant paper roses using the same spiral technique I used to make tiny felt flowers. The only difference is that you start with a circle about 24" in diameter and make a much larger spiral.  And you'll need a lot more hot glue! A really simple idea with amazing results! And you can make these roses in a bunch of sizes and use them in so many ways. The main thing is finding the right paper. I used some old pattern-making paper that had yellowed from sitting around too long, perfect! In fact the shopkeeper gave it to me for free just to get rid of it. Then the only problem was I really didn't have as much as I would have wanted, and now I can't figure out where to get more! I even thought of tea-staining regular paper, but that didn't work....In any case you'll need something a bit thicker than tracing paper and on the creme/beige side, good luck!

Large single flowers look great in pedestal vases or simply set on the table. Wouldn't these be great for a DIY wedding or sheva brachas? (In many Jewish circles the newly married couple celebrates with friends and family for a week, with a festive meal each day, which is called sheva brachas, seven blessings. A truly beautiful tradition that also unites the families and friends of the new couple.)

Place a bunch of flowers on a cake stand, or single delicate blooms on each plate.

Or turn wine glasses upside down and use them as pedestals.  (Attach flowers with a small piece of double sided tape.) As you can see at the top of this photo, in some cases I hot-glued creme cupcake liners to the completed flower to provide some strength at the base. The large flowers definitely need an additional base piece— I was in a hurry so I slapped on a few cupcake liners, but you'll probably want to cut a nice circle from creme cardboard, since you have the luxury of planning ahead!
Note: the larger the flower the more glue you'll need to use as you are creating the spiral. The large pieces need anchoring either to a base or to the previous round. Start with a tight coil, but try to wrap loosely on the outside for the most beautiful results.
Enjoy, and please do me a small favor and click on the stumbleupon button on the right side of this blog, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Folded Paper Flowers For A Simply Festive Centerpiece!

You may have a hard time believing that I actually used these pink and gold flowers for Bar Mitzvah centerpieces last week, but I did! As I always say, who says pink is just for girls? And since the only other alternative to the pink paper was a tacky dark green, well, I think you'll understand why I went with the pink! And I should mention that I actually thought the paper was something closer to purple when I bought it!
That said, the centerpieces were a hit and added a shot of joyful color to an elegant yet simple affair. And the best part is, now I have half of what I need to decorate tables for a women's Purim party next week, as well as something to share with you!
Here are a few quick photos I took at the actual event, but was too embarrassed to spend time styling them, so they're not the greatest photos, but you can see how I lucked out with the centerpieces somehow matching the tablecloths and natural wood chairs really well! And in case you're wondering, the pots are plastic from the dollar store, and spray painted silver. (I'll show those to you another time)


If you've been following the blog for awhile, you may remember these flowers when I first wrote about them at Succos time. Those original flowers however were all one color, whereas in this version I've not only used two colors but also added a small piece of fabric or paper for the center. That center piece was pre-cut, before being accordion folded together with the two layers of paper. I used the same idea in the photo below showing how I made some additional filler flowers from disposable tablecloth material and some scraps of gold paper.