Monday Makery - Tissue Paper Flowers

On Sunday 1st July Sessi woke up and was six, just like that. We had been doing a countdown following our birthday traditions, making numbered paper chains, sticking home made lined envelopes on the bedroom door filled with special messages, wishes and notes, we had celebrated Sessi's last day of being 5 and with so much anticipation of the big day the day itself was finally here. As part of the birthday celebrations I had been secretly making giant tissue paper flowers to hang all over the house. Hiding them wherever I could so as not to be seen until her birthday morning.
Birthdays are a big occasion here, and so there is always plenty of decorations and surprises. We hung the birthday bunting across the sitting room and the kitchen was full of cheeky characters from a selection of Japanese paper balloons. There wasn't a place in the house that wasn't full of colour and joy. 
So, on Sunday Sessi woke up to discover giant flowers filling her bedroom, the sitting room and hung all the way down the hallway. 
I love all their bright colours and the transformation of the home was beautiful.  Two weeks later they are still hanging, only now as requested they are mostly in her bedroom.
As with all our Monday Makeries they are simple to make and they're great for any occasion, be it rich colours at Christmas, co-ordinated party colours, birthdays, Easter or even just to cheer up a room. 

Here's what you'll need:

• tissue paper
• scissors
• string

Here's how:

1. Take your chosen coloured tissue paper and stack a pile of them together one sheet on top of the other. I used 10 sheets for the large flowers and 6 for the smaller ones.
2. Fold over the shorter edge about an inch and press firmly along the fold. 
3. Turn over the pile of paper and fold back again another inch. Keep going creating a consertina of folds until you reach the end.
4. Take a piece of string and tie the folded strip together in the centre to create the centre of the flower.
5. Cut a curved petal shape at the each end of the paper.
6. Open up one end creating a fan and then pull up each sheet of paper creating the layers of the flowers.
7. Do the same for the other end until each fold of paper is opened like petals.

You can vary the size and shapes of each flower by using different lengths of tissue paper, by folding along the shorter or the longer edge, by cutting curved or pointed ends, and by how many layers of tissue paper you use. I made some into fully rounded flower balls and others with a flat back.

You can choose colours to match a theme or all of your favourite colours together. You can layer different colours in the flowers by staking alternate colours together, or create a different coloured centre with a few sheets of stronger colours at the beginning. To hang them from the ceiling I used cotton thread tied around the centre with various lengths then used sticky tape to fix the thread to the ceiling. They look epecially beautiful hanging above the girls beds and they both love going to sleep with a hanging garden above them.

Have fun and Happy Making!

As well as our weekly Monday Makery we have also compiled a list of 100 ideas for Summer fun no matter what the weather: great for printing off, sticking to the fridge ready before the 'I'm bored' has a chance to be spoken! Take a look at our Summer Fun here.
If you'd like to see yourselves here on our blog why not think about where your favourite place is. We're writing about you and all your favourite places in our new blog Around The World With You and we want kids to get involved too, and of course if you'd like to host your own Monday Makery you can send us your ideas and pictures to : info@sistersguild.com.
We also love to see your pictures of the Monday Makeires Made so do keep in touch, send them in and share your imagination and creativity with us and everyone here.

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This is part of our weekly Monday Makery where we bring you a recipe to bake or a craft to create. Visit our Monday Makery when you're in need of inspiration for something to do on a rainy day or to use as interception of the words 'I'm bored', or just because being creative with your children is something you all love to do. Our other popular blogposts include 'The story behind our collections', 'Tell us its Tuesday' , An A-Z of Sisters Guild, The Art of Living posts bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas, and our 'Once upon a week' gives you a glimpse into life behind the scenes at Sisters Guild. 

www.sistersguild.co.uk

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