Twisted Foam Flower Craft

By: Gail Griffin from purplehuesandme.com

"I want to share with you a fall flower I made out of foam sheets from the dollar store (thinner than the foam sheets found at most craft stores) to compliment a pumpkin I was decorating. It was easy to make since all of the foam used to make the flower was hand twisted to help form the shape and texture. Other materials used included scissors, foil, hot glue, floral wire stem, and acrylic paints. To start, an assortment of petal shapes were cut out from two inch wide strips, folded and twisted together. It was fun to open the twisted petals to see the texture and shapes created! Next, the scraps were twisted, too, to form the center that included a foil ball wrapped in foam. A floral wire stem was inserted and glued into the center. To form the flower, the twisted scraps were glued to the foam ball and then petals were glued on starting with the smallest, in graduated sizes. The orange color was toned down by mixing acrylic paints that were smoothed on with a sponge."

Primary TechniqueFlorals/Wreaths

Easy

SeasonFall

Materials List

Foam Sheets (orange, yellow - Dollar Tree)
Scissors
Aluminum Foil
Hot Glue
Floral Wire Stem
Acrylic Paints (yellow & purple)

Instructions

To begin, cut out two inch wide strips of orange foam sheet, diving the strips into two sections for the largest petals, three, sections for medium size petals and four, for the smallest petals.
Next, cut out the petal shapes, saving all of the scraps.
To add texture, fold the petals in half and start twisting from end to end. Enjoy twisting the scraps, too, since they'll be used for the flower center.
Have fun opening each petal to see the texture and shapes the twisting created!
Next, ball up a piece of foil and place in the center of a small piece of yellow foam.
Wrap and stretch the foam around the foil and insert a floral stem in the center using glue to adhere.
Begin gluing on the twisted scraps around the foam wrapped ball.
Once all of the twisted scraps are glued on, begin gluing on the smallest petal, slightly overlapping around the base of the flower center.
Continue gluing on the petals by size, from small to large in rows, around the center until you're satisfied with the flower shape and fullness.
To tone down the orange color, mix yellow and purple acrylic paint with a little water and smooth onto the petals using a small damp sponge to obtain different autumn hues.
Now, stand back and admire this amazing creation!