Paper florist Eileen Lim shares her secrets to crafting flowers and insects from crepe paper, with step-by-step photos and full-size templates. Learn to make paper roses, peonies, dahlias, daffodils, tulips and more, as well as how to combine flowers into bouquets. Alongside the flowers are tutorials for paper butterflies, beetles and bees.

INTRODUCTION 04 TOOLS AND MATERIALS 06 BASIC TECHNIQUES 10 BLOOMS 16 Sunflower ..........................................18 Rose.................................................. 22 Simple Peony .................................26 Coral Charm Peony .......................30 Ranunculus ......................................34 Dahlia ...............................................38 Oriental Poppy ...............................42 Anemone .........................................46 Hydrangea .......................................50 King Protea ......................................54 Bouquet Ideas .................................58 BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES 60 Butterflies .........................................62 Bees ..................................................68 Beetles.............................................. 72 Io Moths ..........................................76 Atlas Moths .................................... 80 Dragonflies ......................................84 Display Ideas ...................................88 POTTED PLANTS 90 Daffodils and Irises ........................92 Orchids ............................................98 Delphiniums .................................. 102 Tulips ..............................................106 Foxgloves ........................................110 Succulents ...................................... 114 How to Pot Your Plants ................ 118 TEMPLATES 120 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 126 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 126 INDEX 127

Each bloom and bug in this book has gone through many incarnations and lots of trial and error over the years. My creations are not necessarily the most refined, botanically accurate, or true to size, but that's what I love about creating from scratch - there aren't any rules! With five years of flower-making under my belt, I am delighted to share my secrets and tips to crafting a whimsical handmade garden. One of my goals for this book is to reveal techniques for crafting colourful blooms and bugs without breaking the bank - which is why I focus solely on one kind of crepe paper. You may, of course, choose to use other crepe paper alternatives, but I do love 180gsm Italian crepe paper and I hope you'll fall in love with it too! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced paper florist, I recommend reading through the Basic Techniques chapter before starting on a project. For new crafters, you might want to practise these techniques on your own, as this will help your hands become familiar with the motions of manipulating crepe paper. Each project has a difficulty rating from one to five, yet please do not be intimidated by this number. Projects ranked five out of five do not mean that they are super advanced and cannot be accomplished by beginners. I have added this rating more as a helpful guide in estimating the amount of time and effort that you will need for the project, since most of the techniques you will encounter are fundamentally the same across the board. While this book has step-by-step instructions to guide you, I encourage you to step outside the box - don't be afraid to experiment and put your own stamp on your creations! The possibilities are endless, and at the end of the day, there is truly no right or wrong way to craft a bloom, bug or butterfly. I want you to know that you have a cheerleader in me, and I hope these pages offer you much joy and inspiration. If you take away nothing else from this book, know that there's an artist within you, and your hands have an amazing ability to create wonderful things.

acrylic paint, 8 see also white acrylic paint additional tools, 8 anatomy of a flower, 10 anemone, 46–9 atlas moths, 80–3 bees, 68–71 beetles, 72–5 blooms anemone, 46–9 coral charm peony, 30–3 dahlia, 38–41 hydrangea, 50–3 king protea, 54–7 oriental poppy, 42–5 ranunculus, 34–7 rose, 22–5 simple peony, 26–9 sunflower, 18–21 blooms, technique of making 52, 104, 112 bodies, technique of making 64, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86 bone folder, 8 bouquet ideas cone bouquet, 58 gift bouquet, 58 bow ties technique, 12 bugs and butterflies atlas moths, 80–3 bees, 68–71 beetles, 72–5 butterflies, 62–7 dragonflies, 84–7 io moths, 76–9 butterflies see bugs and butterflies carpels, technique of making 28, 32, 44 centre, technique of making sunflower see sunflower centre, technique of making cone bouquet, 58 coral charm peony, 30–3 crepe paper grain, 6 crepe paper scraps, 6 cupping technique, 12 curling technique, 12 cutting technique, 11 daffodils and irises, 92–7 dahlia, 38–41 delphiniums, 102–5 display ideas frames and plaques, 88 glass domes, 88 magnets, 88 doily, 58 double-sided tape, 58 dragonflies, 84–7 floral bind wire, 58 floral foam, 58 floral tape, 12 florist tissue wrapping paper, 58 florist wire, 8 flower, anatomy of, 10 foam balls and shapes, 8 foxgloves, 110–13 frames and plaques, 88 fringing technique, 11 gift bouquet, 58 glass domes, 88 glue gun, 8 glue sticks, 8 hydrangea, 50–3 io moths, 76–9 italian crepe paper, 6 king protea, 54–7 kraft wrapping paper, 58 laminating, 14 large petals, technique of making 24, 40 see also petals, making leaves, technique of making 14, 96, 100, 104, 116 legs, technique of making 75 magnets, 88 making leaves technique, 14 medium petals, technique of making 40 see also petals, technique of making mini hot glue gun, 8 needle, 8, 72, 76 newspaper, 58 orchids, 98–101 oriental poppy, 42–5 paintbrushes, 8, 30 painting, technique of making 52 papers 6, 58 penknife, 68, 70 permanent markers, 76, 80 petals, technique of making 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 94, 96, 100, 108 plants potting, 118 pliers and wire cutters, 8 pot, 118 potted plants daffodils and irises, 92–7 delphiniums, 102–5 foxgloves, 110–13 orchids, 98–101 succulents, 114–17 tulips, 106–9 pre-wrapped #18 wire, 8 ranunculus, 34–7 ribbon, 58 rose, 22–5 scissors, 8 shredded paper, 58 simple peony, 26–9 small petals, technique of making 40 see also petals, technique of making soft pastels, 8 stamen, technique of making 28, 32, 44 stretching technique, 11 succulents, 114–17 sunflower, 18–21 sunflower centre, technique of making 20, 24, 36, 40, 44, 48, 94 tape double-sided, 58 floral, 12 techniques, 11–14 bow ties, 12 cupping, 12 curling, 12 cutting, 11 fringing, 11 laminating, 14 making leaves, 14 stretching, 11 wrapping, 12 tools and materials, 6–8 tulips, 106–9 twine, 58 watercolour paints, 8, 50, 52 white acrylic paint, 8, 46, 48, 62, 65–6, 76, 78, 80, 110, 112 white craft glue, 8 wings, technique of making 64, 66, 70, 75, 78, 82, 86 wooden pegs, 8 wooden skewers and dowels, 8 wrapping technique, 12