Introduction:

There is an intangible element in the handmade; an aspect of individuality that can’t be duplicated. It’s why my husband, Patrick, and I have crafted things by hand our entire lives. We have always been drawn to the beauty, charm, and personality of handmade items. Paper flowers embody the best of these traits. Like real flowers, they are substantial yet delicate; impermanent yet artful. I have always loved vintage paper ephemera and adore the patina of aged paper. While in art school I began amassing what is now a large collection of vintage crepe paper, paper flowers, party nut cups, and old paper-flower instruction booklets. Over time I’ve become ever more inspired by the art of making paper flowers and the history of this craft. I find myself continually making them to adorn packages and give them as gifts, for photography sets and projects, party and holiday decorations, and to simply enjoy at home. I learned basic skills from my vintage books and then developed my own techniques through years of experimentation. During my ten years as a style director at Martha Stewart Weddings magazine I had the opportunity to craft many paper-flower projects that were featured in editorial stories. Most vintage paper-flower instruction books are rooted in creating forms found in nature. Real flowers provide an endless source of inspiration. The shapes, colors, textures, and variety are incredible and exciting to use as a starting point for paper crafts. Nature has perfected imperfection, and the same principle can be applied to paper flowers. No need to strive for perfection; each hand that makes a flower will introduce lovely differences that are beautiful. I love using nature as a reference, but I also enjoy creating whimsical flowers not found in the natural world. When designing flowers, Patrick and I can get inspired by pretty much anything, allow our imaginations to run wild, and create something unique, fanciful, and most important, fun to make. Paper to Petal is organized in five main sections. The first section, “The Flowers,” features all the designs we created for this book. Each flower has a corresponding how-to later in the book that explains the construction process. The second section, “Materials,” delineates the papers, tools, and paper-flower-specific supplies we like to use. That said, all you really need is paper, scissors, wire, and floral tape to make a simple version of any of these flowers. “Skills” outlines the parts of a flower, shows our layered method for flower making, and defines techniques that we have developed in addition to the classics. The final main section, “Templates,” contains the petal and leaf shapes used in this book. We hope you will feel free to mix and match shapes and pair them with different materials to create new and exciting paper flowers, such as the ones we show at the start of this book. Working on this book has been an all-consuming love affair with paper, paint, and floral tape. We felt inspired while producing it, and we hope you feel inspired by the results. The process of creating and making flowers is easy, enjoyable, and truly rewarding. It is our hope that as you look at these projects and the techniques we’ve used to create them that you will come up with your own designs, color palettes, techniques, and individual ideals of beauty, whimsy, and style.