How To Ramp up DIY projects with Paper Flowers

Hey!!

Remember when YWT and Mainstay collaborated on that Glam Bath and Kitchen Makeover? Well, the same client asked me to refinish an old #clock that was very special to her but didn't match her style. The poor thing has had mold issues and every other construction pitfall you could possibly imagine, so I wanted to make sure I knocked this family heirloom out of the dang park. Here is what it looked like:

The clock's face was a yellowy white with a gold rim. The rest of the clock had gold accents and so instead of trying to paint them (my client loves bling!) I decided to select a paint color that would best compliment those elements. The problem I was finding was making this simple clock... EXTRA (haha). The client is a single #mama with a total chick pad. We used sparkle dust in her cabinet #makeover, so she definitely needed something that was chic and girly.

I chose to paint the clock in the leftover #BenjaminMoore Advance Platinum (a shade of light, warm grey) from her bathroom and kitchen remodel. There was nothing special about the clock painted. See:

I know, I know... Looks terrible. That's only the first coat. Nevertheless, it needed something. So obvi, I went to #Michael's for paper flowers! I didn't set out with a color plan, but I was pleasantly surprised when they had blush and yellowy white flowers with gold embellishments.

How cute are they? Each pack was $4.99 and if you are a rewards member they always have coupons. I ended up getting 40% off of my purchase which, if you're bad at math or lying to your significant other about how much you spend, is a justifiable, basic #BOGO. Almost.

I did a second coat of paint and not-so-patiently waited for it to dry before I started strategically placing my flowers. Because I was using such durable paint (BM Advance is what I use on cabinets) this particular piece didn't need any sort of top coat.

Next I placed my flowers where I wanted them to lie, and heated up my hot glue gun. I have a BSTPower 100W glue gun and I love it. It's inexpensive, has no insane bells and whistles and so there is less of a possibility for malfunction. Just point and shoot, reload, point and shoot. I glued the flowers directly onto the clock, applying the glue to the flowers and then placed the flowers where I wanted them with light pressure. They are paper so no Hulk smash. I started from the biggest flower in the center, and worked my way to the smallest on the outside, overlapping petals so they looked as natural as fake flowers on a clock can look.

**PS: hot glue worked on this particular project because the clock won't be subject to wear and tear; however, if you're applying paper flowers to a dresser, or table of some sort, I would use a fast-acting Gorilla Glue.

Here is the clock, all done and ready for its new home:

Hopefully you can tell from the middle picture that I also added flowers to the sides of the clock so they'd be visible from every area. Chris helped hold up the clock for me in the last picture and I have a pretty awesome video of him trying to hide behind it so that you couldn't see him. Because everyone knows clocks float. Check out our Instagram to view that sucker.

This easy DIY upgrade can be applied to almost any project. I used paper flowers on a friend's ( Hey Girl!) bridal shower party favors. I made cork stoppers with paper flowers and put them in organza bags. I bought the materials from #Joannfabrics and used Gorilla Glue for a little extra security. The paper flowers were a chic addition to the traditional cork.

So, there you have it: two examples of how sweet paper flowers can take your DIY game to the next level. But, there are about a zillion possibilities and I hope if you try one you'll share it with me on our Facebook page or shoot us an e-mail!

Thank you all for reading this weeks blog. Feels so good to be wrapping up projects and getting to use my craftier side every once in a while.

xoxo