Weddingbee Blog

I’ve wanted to share these for long time, so here they are:

I divided the process in two, because I’m not buying the buds for the flowers. Instead, I’m making my own and I’ll show you how easy this is. In case you don’t want make them, you can buy a 5 pack for around $4.25. I found this store here that carries the kind I wanted.

All of these materials happened to be around my house, so I was really happy.

You will need:

• Wire—I’m using normal wire, but you can use the kind that comes already covered in floral tape. That makes things a little bit easier.
• Normal masking tape
• Pliers, to cut and twist the wire
• Cutters—you can even use a knife. You’ll use them to shape the buds.
• Styrofoam
  

First I cut squares (you can make them as big as you need).

Then with a cutter, shape the squares until you get this kind of shape. I basically just cut the edges. (If you are going to work with small roses, it’s better to soften the buds a little with sand paper.)

Cut two pieces of wire and twist them just like I did here (I did this to make it thicker, because it looked weird being too thin). After it’s ready, poke the wire into the rose core.

After that, to make sure the buds won’t fall off, tape everything together.

You’ll get something like this. Now you see the reason why I’m NOT buying them, as these are just the first ones and I’ll need a LOT.

Now, on to the most fun part!! For this, you’ll need:

• Cutter
• Acrylic paint
• Clay (I’m using a super light one that doesn’t need to be cooked)
• Metal ball tool (Not really needed, but it makes it easier to shape the petals)
• Toothpick (this is like a magic tool)
• Popsicle stick

First you need to color your clay. In my case, I’m making purple roses. Play with the color until you get what you need. I learned that after the flowers dry they tend to get darker. I didn’t use gloves, and usually you don’t get a lot on your hands, but if you want to make sure you don’t get any on your hands, it’s better to use gloves. After it’s all mixed up, you’ll no longer need them.

Roll a long piece and divide it by the number of petals you want your rose to have. After you cut it, it’s better to store the pieces you’re not going to use in a sealed bag, just to make sure it stays fresh.

I’m working with 500g bags of clay. I divided that into 5 pieces first, then divided the 100g pieces into 50g pieces, and rolled the 50g pieces out. The 50g pieces are good for 1 1/2 roses.

Roll a ball with the first petal material, and after that, mold it until you get the thickness of the petal you prefer.

Now remember that the first petal goes all the way around the bud. Keep adding petals and with the toothpick, softly roll the outside to give the flowers a more realistic feel. I also used the Popsicle stick after the toothpick to shape the outside of the petal (this is what I used before I bought the actual tool to do that, but I would recommend to just use the Popsicle stick, because it works just like the the metal ball tool if you do it softly).

Make as many petals you want. My roses are not so big, so I’m using 7 to 9 petals only.

I’d love to see your roses if you ever attempt to make them!