Great craft - Coffee Filter Flowers

Materials:

*Coffee Filters
*Acrylic or Latex craft paint
*Plastic fork
*Drinking Straws
*Masking tape (mine is green)

Dying Filters

1. Take 3 tablespoons of pink latex craft paint and mix with a smidge of yellow. Note: the yellow is not necessary, but I find mixing a dab of an earthy/neutral tone in any color paint always helps the end results look more organic.
2. Mix in half a cup of water and stir with a fork until lumps disappear. Add more paint or water until it's the consistency of milk.
3. Add 2 cups of water and mix again
4. Submerge your filters, up to 20 at a time. Squish until paint is well distributed.
5. Wring out excess paint, and if color is too bold, rinse with cold running water until you achieve the desired tone. Dry thoroughly.

Level 1: Simple Spiral Rose 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1. Take one previously dyed filter and cut a spiral shape, roughly 1” from the outer edge. The result will be a long strip, roughly 1” wide by 36” in length (don’t worry if it’s longer or shorter, just know your going for a long skinny strip).
2. Think of the strip as a piece of ribbon. Starting at the center point of the filter, stick it to the edge of 12” piece of masking tape, leaving 1” of tape available at the end. Continue down the strip, pleating/gathering as you go. Pleating/gathering, pleating/gathering, pleating/gathering….

3. Continue to pleat/gather down the strip. Just squish it, no big deal. There is no math involved here. It will take
you a while to get a rhythm going, but you will get there I promise! Note: If you reallllllly struggle to get the hang of the pleating/gathering, you can also sew a running stitch down the edge of the filter and pleat that way, but personally, I like the inconsistent results from pleating by hand.
4. Once the strip is finished, take that first empty inch of tape and wind it around the tip of a drinking straw. Continue to wind the tape around the end of the straw.
5. Add another 12” piece of tape to the base, on the diagonal.
6. Wrap the tape around the straw to make a stem.
7. Ta Da!

Level 2: Happy Ruffled Rose 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1. Fold three filters in quarters, then trim scalloped edges along the edge and through the center.
2. Results will be three scalloped circles and three scalloped doughnuts. Cut across the doughnuts to open them up (see, your making strips, just like the Simple Spiral Rose)

3. Twist one scalloped circle and attach to the end of the tape, leaving one inch open. Take the other two scalopped circled, twist, attach, repeat.

4. Think of your doughnut shape as a long strip of ribbon. Stick it to the tape, finger pleating as you go. The points of the scallops will help you to develop a rhythm as you move down the tape.

5. Attach the other scalopped doughnuts, and, if you wish an empty strech of tape, followed by a couple of leaves
6. Starting from the inside, stick the tape to the end of the straw and roll your way up.
7. Ta Da!

Level 3: Giant Ruffled Rose 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1. Get your cat-child to model some giant coffee filters. Isn’t she cute? She has been brushing up on her Vanna White skills. I know, I know, she is so talented! Lola also wanted to show you the scale of these babies –they are HUGE. You can get them online, or at your local coffee shop, pancake house, or even your Church basement. Anywhere that serves large quantities of coffee. Ask nicely, then promise to return with a finished flower, and I bet they will give you a few.
2. Tip: when you dye the extra large filters, rinse the edges out so the center is a slightly deeper color. This will really help to give the impression of a realistic blossom.

3. Similar to the Happy Ruffled rose, fold in quarters and cut scalloped shapes (this time there are three levels instead of two)
4. Because one filter will generate a large flower, you only need one twisted piece in the center. Follow with the inside scallop doughnut strip.
5. Follow with the outer scallop doughnut

6. Attach to the tip of a straw and roll.
7. Keep rolling. This will quickly thicken up –try to keep your tape in line as much as possible.
8. Ta Da! One filter will generate a rose as big as your hand, but keep going and three filters will make rose as big as your face. Try it!

Tips and Tricks 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

When you dry your flowers, dry them upside down, clipped to a string or laundry line. This will encourage the dye pigments to settle toward the center of the spiral, same as in nature. It’s a subtle difference, but it really enhances the end result. You can also get this result by rinsing the edges of your flowers with water before they dry.

• Instead of cutting scallops, cut skinny jagged edges to get a spider mum

To get a two-tone rose, paint the edges a deeper color.