I have been experimenting with paper flowers for years now (see my past tutorials HERE and HERE) but I was always disappointed by the lack of realistic color in my flowers. I about lost it when I saw the gorgeous result my friend Lucy, from Craftberry Bush, had using watercolors and crepe paper. Want to see what I’m talking about? Of course you do! HERE is her tutorial.

With all that said, I decided to share my process for how to make SUPER realistic Paper Roses.

You aren’t going to believe the two secrets to this method… A SPRAY BOTTLE and a MICROWAVE! That’s right, a MICROWAVE!

I just had to try out Lucy’s method. I decided that my blogging station needed a little bit of pretty, so I decided to make a rose in full bloom. It turned out even MORE amazing than I thought it could! Cheap, Gorgeous, Year Round Flowers here I come!

SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED:

-White Crepe Paper (one roll goes a long way)

-Microwaveable Bowl and Plate that you don’t mind painting on.

-Paint Brush, and Acrylic Paints in a few varying shades (I used Gypsy Pink, Melted Butter, and Seaside from “My Studio.”) I got mine at Hobby Lobby.

-Clean Spray Bottle filled with Water.

-Microwave+

-Hot Glue Gun

Cut your petals out. I like making my flowers look super realistic, so I cut the petals with the vein of petals flowing vertically.

With your bowl facing upside down on your plate, lightly spray the bowl’s surface with water and place your petals on the bowl. Now you can start painting. If using a strong color, you may want to water down your paint. For this rose, I used a combination of pink and yellow, which, when blended, became a lovely coral.

Once all your petals are painted, spray them to let the colors blend together. This part is so much fun! The more you spray off, the lighter the color will turn out. If you want the color to bled through to the non-painted side of the petals, then make sure to give them a good soaking.

To dry your petals, microwave on high for 3 minutes. I really soaked my petals, so they needed this much time to dry, but you may need less time. Check them every 30 seconds or so.

When they are dry, they will peel off in a lovely concave shape. You can accentuate the petals, giving them the the lovely natural creases and ripples real petals have, by pressing them into the palm of your hand.

To make a large rose, you need to start out with a large ring of petals. Just keep on gluing them together until you have a nice curvy circle. You want the rings to bend in, almost like a cup.

Make 5 or 6 rings of petals, gradually getting smaller, with the petals overlapping more.

Add some curled up center petals & stack all your “layers” together to make one lovely rose.

It isn’t the easiest or fastest craft, but it is certainly one of the most rewarding! I honestly can’t get enough of these flowers! They are the prettiest ones I have ever made!