Flower Power

By Bushra Shakhshir

Leila Shamma-Shakhshir is a firm believer in the saying, “love is in the details”. So, whenever she hosts an event at her home, she spends hours upon hours planning every aspect of the evening—from the food and table settings to the music and decorations. It is the latter category, however, in which she truly outdoes herself. Being artistic by nature—a gift that, to her dismay, none of her children have inherited—she generally prefers to create centrepiece decorations from scratch. “This particular piece was a favourite with friends and family,” says the vivacious mama of two. “It is very easy to make and is guaranteed to impress your guests.”

Materials:

Scissors

Crepe paper

Flower tape, available at florists

Pencils

Ribbons

An old stand

Artificial flower stems


Directions:

1. Cut some petal stencils out of cardboard; two different sizes are needed.
2. Fold the crepe paper into approximately 20 folds.
3. Use the petal stencils to cut out the petals, as shown.
4. To make the flower’s centre, wrap the crepe paper with flower tape.
5. Add the petals to the centre, starting with the smaller ones.
6. Once the smaller petals are done, use ribbon to tie the petals to the centre.
7. Start adding the larger petals in the same manner that you added the smaller ones. Tie them at the stalk.
8. Add the green petals (the sepals) to the bottom of the flower.
9. Use a barbeque stick to shape the petals.

10. Attach the flower to an old stand you have lying around at home or to a stem from any old artificial flower. If neither is available, you can substitute a bunch of wires wrapped with flower tape.

Leila’s tips:

Here are some great ideas for some great centrepieces:

- Make sure your hands are clean before you start working on your flower—that way, you will avoid getting any stains on the structure.

- Try spraying your favourite fragrance on the flower; because of the nature of the paper, your flower will smell great for days!

- Consider giving the centrepiece as a gift instead of a usual bouquet of flowers. Your friends and family are sure to value the fact that your gift is hand-made!

- Never throw out leftover pieces of paper; they can always be used to make smaller flowers or for the flower’s centre. In fact, the yellow flower was made entirely out of leftovers!