Monday, February 7

Best Creation Flower Blog Hop.

Welcome to my part of the Best Creation flower blog hop. You should have arrived here from Julie Walton's blog, but just in case you came across this part way through the hop, be sure to head back to the Best Creation blog to join in from the very beginning for you chance to win great prizes.

We are having our First Blog Hop of the new season today and our theme is "Creating Handmade Spring Flowers" On each blog you will find lots of incredible projects and ways to create and use spring flowers that you can make yourself! In order to win our Grand Prize be sure and collect the kinds of flowers made on each blog and send the list to teresa@bestcreation.us. Also be sure and leave comments along your way on each of our DTs' blogs and especially on the Best Creation blog at the end of the hop. Be sure and check out www.bestcreationinc.blogspot.com for the list of prizes you are going to win.

I love handmade flowers of all kinds, but today I am sharing with you my very favourite one. These are called Kusudama flowers, and they are a form of Japanese origami. I must make it clear that this is not something that I invented. Japanese paper artists are far more clever than I am. I will however take you through the steps to creating this flower. Something to keep in mind is that this is a very bulky flower when finished. It's not really all that suitable for layouts, but is perfect for beyond the page projects and display items, as you can see on my finished frame.


For this flower I used Best Creation Basic Glitter Dot paper. Becasue the paper is so nice and thick, some of your folds will be a little bulky, but well worth it in the end. The key is precision. The better your folds, the neater your final flower will be.

Step 1:Begin with 5 squares. Mine are 3 inch/7cm.
Fold diagonally in half.

Step 2: Fold each of the bottom corners to join at the center point.Step 3: Take one side and fold back in itself in half. Repeat on the other side. Step 4: Open out the flap you just made and flatten down., to create a kite shape. Do the same on the other side. Step 5: Fold over the top of the kit shape. Be sure to get a neat sharp edge here as this will be the part of the petal you see most.
Step 6: Fold the side flap back onto itself towards the middle. It will start to become quite bulky now.
Step 7: Now gently bring the two inner sides to meet and glue. be sure not to crease the outer shell of your petal. I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry adhesive as it dries fast so I am not hanging around holding it in place. Do make sure it is completely dry before moving on.Step 8: Now repeat the process until you have 5 matching petals. One at a time, glue together along the long edge of the petal. Continue until you have one whole flower. Keep the petals tight together while drying. Because the glitter paper is so thick, you are unlikely to get all the centers meeting up exactly and may have a hole through the center of your flower. You can leave the flower is, or as I have done, finish off with a smaller paper flower, or even a button.All that is left now is to attach is to your project.








A bunch of these flowers can be joined to make a ball decoration. They could also make a great garland.

I hope you enjoyed my little share with you and feel inspired to give it a try for yourself.

Next on our floral journey is Nicole Wise. You can find her lovely blog here.

Now to be in the running for great prizes, be sure to follow these steps:
* Leave a comment here (and I'd love to invite you to become a follower if you are not already)
* Leave a comment on each of the other DT blogs, including the Best Creation blog.
* Take note of each of the flowers you have seen today and email a list of them to Teresa at teresa@bestcreation.us
* be sure to check out our Facebook page for extra chances to win.

Thanks for playing along.

74 comments:

Sandy Ang said...

What a stunning photo in your beautiful frame. cheers from another origami-loving crafter

Irit Shalom said...

I just love it!! Great tutorial!

Unknown said...

simply beautiful!!!

Sarah Mullanix said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this flower and your frame is gorgeous!!

Karen said...

First that little girl is SOOO Cute and I love the black and white photo. THese flowers are AMAZING!! a must try! Thank you for sharing these wonderful flowers and I hope you have a great day!
{{hugs}}

Karen

Just Me said...

Ok wow I am blown away! the frame is fabulous and I am so trying these flowers!!
TFS!

Anonymous said...

wow! those flowers are gorgeous, I love the way you altered that picture frame!!
That photo is so priceless love it!
Thanks for sharing the tutorial
-BK

Megan said...

Wow....these are so pretty

Teresa said...

I love what you did with all the flowers to make this frame! It is sooooooo cute and I love the folded flower, and can't wait to try it!

CheckerBeads said...

Wow! Love how 3-d these flowers are. Thanks for sharing!

Anne

pysselpetra said...

I am totally amazed by that flower - I couldnt have figured that out.
Great project ♥♥♥

Ashly Margritz said...

wow!! these are beautiful!! Seems easy enough so I think ill give it a try :) thanks for sharing

Queenie said...

WOWZERS!! I love love love the BEAUTIFUL paper and the fantabulous FLOWER!!! I can't wait to try this on my own! Your project is super GORGEOUS!!! Great work TFS!

EstherT said...

Your flowers are beautiful - they would make a great topiary!!!
The step-by-step instructions were clear and easy to follow.
~Thanks, Esther

Christa said...

Leisha, these flowers are so intricate and lovely. Thanks for sharing.

Teresa Jaye said...

OH, this flower is so cool! Agreed it won't work on a layout but is perfect on your adorable frame! Thanks for the tutorial!

Britt said...

I love your style, girlie!! These flowers are adorable!!

Gisèle said...

great flower, looks easy with your pics to help:-)

Debbie Garcia said...

Oh My those are fabulous flowers

Becky said...

Wow these are beautiful! And I love the frame you made! Thanks for sharing!

JuliesAddiction said...

O my....wowers!!! Definately gorgeous, definately somethng to try! I have to laugh, because while in Hawaii last month my daughter and I picked up a book about folding dollar bills into all different kinds of things.....we laughed and tryed to create one whole night....and we did end up with a fish!

Leah's Crafty Life said...

Alicia these Kusudama flowers are absolutely gorgeous. I'll definitely be trying this out in the future!

LisaM said...

Oh my! These are stunning! TFS!

Eve said...

Alicia your little flowers are divine ..your work is impecable i love it all

Bethany said...

How clever! Thanks for showing this to us!

Kim said...

Super cool flower tutorial!!!!!

Carrie said...

These are really beautiful. I love em!

Karen AKA Soccerboyzmom said...

Those are really pretty and definately would look nice on altered projects.

Tricia said...

Adorable! Can't wait to try it!

Susie said...

Beautiful flower....Looks difficult to make, but instructions are very clear....I will have to try. TFS

Julie Wasson said...

so fancy! Love it.
Thanks for sharing.
juliewasson@yahoo.com
tidbitsnscraps.blogspot.com

Joanna said...

Very cute flowers. Love me some origami.

Tracey Taylor said...

WOW!!! Another beautiful project.

Tina McDonald said...

These are just gorgeous!!! what a fabulous project!

Ann said...

How patient of you to photograph every single step to making this lovely flower. Your project is stunning.

Jona Panesa said...

wow, that is really gorgeous. I have to print this tutorial.

MariLynn said...

Alicia, I love your origami flowers. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.

Lisa Watson said...

Lovely flowers!!

Catherine said...

These are so pretty and I love the idea of grouping a bunch together to make a "ball" decoration.

Michelle McClure said...

Thanks so much for sharing. I had seen these flowers on a Melissa Spinks wreath and had no idea how they were made. Your frame and color combination is gorgeous.

nicole said...

I have always loved these flowers. And you're right, when they are made into a ball they look gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.

Michele N said...

Love it! May just have to use these when I make decorations for my daughter's room.

KerrynF said...

Awesome flower Leish xoxox and just adore you page.

Debbie said...

Gorgeous work, as always!
Wonderful tutorial - will have to try these soon.

JAVAGIRL said...

Just totally gorgeous

Elizna said...

Another one I will have to try...love your photo frame!

Tifany said...

Thanks for sharing!

-Tifany
http://inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com

Auntie Ang said...

fabulous this are so cooooool

GinniG said...

WOWWOWOWOW!!! GORGEOUS!!!

Laurie said...

AMAZING!

Jules said...

Wow these flowers are amazing love them and TFS the easy to follow instructions.

ScrappinAnn said...

That picture frame is incredible! And of course the flowers are too!
Thanks for sharing with us.
I am a new follower. I hope you will visit my blog too.
ScrappinAnn@gmail.com
annlenth.blogspot.com

Jodi said...

Absolutely LOVE your flower tutorial!!! Just amazing!!!

Kelly C said...

I love this one and will definitely be trying it!

Carolyn Wolff said...

These are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Mona`s Bittelille Scrappekrok said...

Incredibly gorgeous flower. I will have to try this one too. Thanks for sharing. Hugs...Mona

Darcy said...

all I can say is "wow!"

Gladys said...

beautiful! love it!

Maggie Lamarre said...

very pretty.
Don't forget to add this project to our linking party this week, to showcase your work to our readers.

http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/02/valentine-valentine-last-minute-gift.html

Have a great Valentine,
Maggie
http://passionatelyartistic.com

pghgirl said...

I love this flower! I never did origami before, now I have a tutorial to help me learn. The flowers are beautiful on the frame. TFS!

joybear said...

Oh so pretty!!!

Rhonda Van Ginkel said...

Loving this flower and I'm so excited someone made an origami one!!! I'm sooo doing this one!!!

Do you mind if I link you up on my blogroll for unique handmade flower tutorials??

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Ooh wow they are really impressive!

Lillian Child said...

Hi Leisha! What a fabulous tutorial on these unique flowers! Love 'em! And I am already a follower! Great blog!

Ms. Tina said...

How pretty! I LOVE it!!!

Dara Lynn said...

The tutorial is fabulous on how to make these gorgeous flowers!!!!

Aimee Kidd said...

Cool flowers!! And they are pretty! Thanks for the tutorial!!

ruth said...

Oh I'm going to need to try that one! :)

Karen Denson said...

Wow, I have wanted to learn this flower forever. I have seen the balls made from this flower and they are beautiful. I love the picture frame you did. All the other flowers just kind of tie into it. Beautiful!

Ana Márquez said...

I love your flowers! Your work is really, really insipirational. Thanks for sharing it with us :-) Greetings from Europe!

Marcy Smith said...

OMG what an alround stunning amazing project , the photo is spectacular as are your flowers thanks for sharing. I went looking for aussies on helmars DT and gofound your blog I will be sure to follow now thank! :)

michele said...

My niece loves origami-type things. I will show this to her.

flowers delivery mumbai said...

Lovely flower. Thanks for sharing this enjoyable trick.

Anonymous said...

I am so impressed; professional and inspiring.