Are you looking for a little love token to give a valentine or palentine without breaking the bank? Go DIY this Valentine’s Day with some handmade Crepe Paper Chocolate Cosmos from Lia Griffith’s Crepe Paper Flowers: The Beginner’s Guide to Making and Arranging Beautiful Blooms. The full project can be found below, swoon-y feelings not included.
Whether you plan on making a bouquet, a wreath, or just a bloom or two, we have the perfect audiobooks to keep you company while you craft:
Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something–she realizes she needs to make a change. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village, which comes with a position at Much Ado About Books. Evie swept up into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers…including Roane Robson, the farmer who tempts Evie every day with his flirtations.
When she was 12, Azere promised her dying father she would marry a Nigerian man. But when another Nigerian match-made-by-mom goes wrong, Azere ends up at a bar, enjoying the company of Rafael Castellano, a man who is tall, handsome, and…white. In Ties That Tether, a one-night stand unexpectedly evolves, and Azere is caught between her feelings for Rafael and the compulsive need to keep her promise.
“Warmth, anger, laughter, joy, and, without question, love lift Igharo’s words right off the page and into listeners’ hearts.”–AudioFile Magazine
Marty arrives in London excited to start his new life–where he’s no longer the closeted, shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents’ disapproval. From the outside, Marty’s life looks like a perfect fantasy, but Marty is tearing through his savings, and his homesickness and anxiety are getting worse. Will Marty be able to find a place that feels like home?
“Simply and beautifully narrated, this audiobook is a love letter to music and a celebration of the courage it takes to live authentically.”–AudioFile Magazine
Looking for even more crafty listens? Visit our full collection here.
COSMOS
The autumnal chocolate COSMOS was my inspiration for the deep plums and reds that make up this bloom. I made these petals from heavy crepe paper to replicate the feathery texture of the cosmos, though extra-fine or double-sided crepe paper would also create a beautiful flower. I love to mix cosmos into bouquets with other blossoms. Their handsome simplicity also allows them to stand alone in a pretty napkin ring, gift topper, or heart-shaped twig wreath.
MATERIALS
heavy crepe paper in plum, aubergine, merlot, ruby, and gold
frosted text-weight paper in fairway and botanic
18- and 24-gauge green floral wire
floral tape in moss
COSMOS STEPS
1. Cut petals, stamens, and sepals out of heavy crepe paper, according to template notes. Cut leaves out of frosted text-weight paper.
2. Use pinking sheers to trim edges of two stamen
1. With curling tool, fold stamen 2 (large) in half against the grain.
3. With detail scissors, fringe all three stamen pieces. Fringe stamen 2 along the fold.
4. Bend tip of floral wire with needle-nose pliers. Wrap large fringed stamen around wire, gluing into place.
5. Glue two small fringed stamens together at base.
6. Wrap small fringed stamen around center and glue into place.
7. With curling tool, shape petals.
8. Glue four petals under center.
9. Glue remaining four petals under center.
10. Attach sepals with glue at base of flower.
11. Wrap stem with floral tape.
12. Glue frosted text-weight paper leaf onto floral wire and finish by wrapping with floral tape.
the cosmos flower
As a native to Mexico, the cosmos comes in many colors and varieties. The meaning of this bloom is “love flower,” and it offers a special sentiment when it is given to a sweetheart.
The cosmos reminds us to see the beauty that surrounds us every day and to treasure the ones we hold closest to our hearts.
Reprinted from Crepe Paper Flowers: The Beginner’s Guide to Making and Arranging Beautiful Blooms. Copyright © 2018 by Lia Griffith. Photographs by Lia Griffith. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.