Oh peonies, how I love thee (as you can tell by my previous post
"Perfect Peonies")!! Unfortunately, peonies are only readily available for a few short months every year and since peony season is coming to an end I thought I would make my own version of this beautiful flower. I still find it amazing that I was able to create a peony look alike out of coffee filters and I love that I can now have peonies around my house year round!
These coffee filter ponies fill a vase in my kitchen bay window when I don't have live flowers to display. I prefer to have fresh flowers around the house, but these make a great substitution when I haven't had a chance to pick up a fresh bunch. They are quite simple to make, so come on, give them a shot...
1. Supplies:
- -About 10 coffee filters per flower (give or take depending on how full you would like your flower to be).
- -A glue gun (or other type of glue)
- -Scissors
- -Floral wire
- -A bowl with one drop of red food coloring (you can use more than one drop if you want a darker pink; I however, prefer the super light blush pink)
2. Trim the coffee filters. I cut off about an inch. This step can be skipped if you want very large flowers.
3. Fold coffee filters in half.
4. Continue folding the filters in half until you reach the size shown in the image.
5. Snip the corners to create a rounded top.
6. Unfold the filters and you will have a flower shape. Complete the above steps with all filters.
7. Gather each filter by the center with the center point facing up.
8. Dip the edges of the filter in the pink water. Only hold it in there for a second or two. The colored water will begin to seep up toward the center.
NOTE: You can gather all of the filters together to complete these steps; however, if the are all dipped together, it can be difficult to separate them.
9. Let the filters dry by laying them out individually. Cut a piece of floral wire and poke it through the center of one of the filters.
10. Fold a bit of the end to keep the flower in place, and apply a dab of glue.
11. Before the glue dries completely, pinch the bottom of the flower.
12. Continue to thread individual filters toward the center flower, pinching and twisting a bit a the base of each one.
13. Once all of the filters have been threaded, wrap the wire around the base of the flower a few times to secure it.
14. Fluff the flower until you are happy with its shape. At this point, you can wrap the base and wire with floral tape to polish off the look.
NOTE: I do realize that the flowers appear white in the below photos. Apparently my camera wasn't able to capture the beautiful blush color. My apologies.
And that's it!
I think these coffee filter peonies are just lovely and can almost be mistaken for real peonies when placed in a vase.
These coffee filter peonies would be beautiful bunched together to make a DIY bouquet for the bride and/or her bridesmaids. They would also be lovely in an arrangement, placed on tables as a centerpiece, sitting on atop each place setting, or attached to chairs for a pop of color and a bit of romance. You can truly do so much with these little beauties. They can be fluffed and re-fluffed without any damage being done, and since they are on wire and easy to maneuver, coffee filter peonies are incredibly easy to work. The best part is they are non-perishable so they can be made in advance!
These flowers may seem tedious to make; however, once they are dyed and dried, the assembly process is super fast. Set up an assembly line and get your bridesmaids together for a peony making party!
I attached one of my coffee filter peonies to a white gift bag to dress up a birthday present for a friend.
Happy crafting!!
-Star
