The Flower Deconstructed

I probably should have taken photos while I was making this flower. But, by this point in the room re-do, I was only focused on getting it done rather than picture taking. So, I've tried to reconstruct my how-to.

For the flower leaves, I copied The Nester's idea for her sunburst mirror found here. I wanted my leaves to look more flowerish, so I made them wider. Also, the poster board I bought (Walmart) was as thick as cowhide. It was beyond a nightmare to cut. If you attempt this project, I would suggest the really nice, thin, parchment-like poster board you can buy at the Hob Lob.

I started by cutting all the leaves I would need. I also made sure they were creased down the middle really well. (I ran the flat side of a ruler over the fold on both sides of the leaf).
My center disc is actually a wooden frame. I found it in the craft isle at Walmart. I spray painted it with high gloss white. I knew I wasn't going to use the center opening where you would normally put a picture, so I just painted over it.

Once I had the leaves positioned, I turned the wooden frame over and started hot gluing. Start with the smallest leaves first and work outward. I used A LOT of hot glue to make sure nothing was going to fall apart.


For the fluffy center, I used white cupcake liners. I found them at my local grocery store. I used one package. Scrunch the liner over a pencil and put hot glue on the top of it.


Start by placing the cupcake liners in the center of the frame (the opening where the picture normally goes). Work from the center out. Hold the pencil in place for just a few seconds to make sure the hot glue cools a little before letting go.

By using a frame, it gave me a nice perfect circle to follow. I just simply filled it in with cupcake wrappers. As you glue more and more wrappers, it just fluffs itself out. I just worked to make sure everything looked even.

If you attempt this project, wear rubber gloves. The cutting gave me a major blister that eventually tore open, and the hot glue ended up on my fingertips more than once. Good Luck!