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Kentucky Derby® DIY #2: Crepe Paper Roses Tutorial

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DIY Crepe Paper Roses Tutorial by HWTM

Since the Kentucky Derby® is often referred to as the “Run for the Roses” (in honor of the Garland of Roses presented to the winner), it seems only fitting that roses should play a key role in home Derby celebrations too! I wanted to showcase them in a fresh, creative way for our recent Kentucky Derby® Garden Party theme for 14 Hands Winery, so we made a bunch of red CREPE PAPER ROSES to use as party decor.

The textured crepe paper adds a lovely, lifelike feel to these flowers, and there are seriously so many things you can do with them – for all sorts of themes! For this particular party, though, I wanted the star centerpiece to be a horse figure decked out with an artsy “Garland of Roses” motif, and these little beauties helped to make that happen in the best possible way! Here’s a a close up of how it turned out (and you can see the full view at the bottom of the post):

close up of red crepe paper roses

This tutorial is very straight-forward and easy to follow, but it can be a little time consuming if you need to make a LOT of roses like we did, so this is a perfect “in front of the tv or while chatting with a friend” sort of project. Read on for the step-by-step tutorial, with helpful images included. Happy crafting!

CREPE PAPER ROSES – DIY TUTORIAL

crepe paper roses craft materials

You’ll Need:

  • Crepe Paper Rolls (I bought mine here)
  • Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
  • Scissors

Instructions:

1. Start by cutting a circular shape from your crepe paper roll. You can use any size of circle, depending on how large you want your rose to be, and it definitely does not have to be perfectly shaped! I like to just cut them freehand, as shown in the image below, but you can also trace circle shapes first if you prefer. (Note – the finished flowers will end up being about 1/4 – 1/5 of the size of the initial circle, depending on how tight/loose you make the blooms.)

crepe paper roses tutorial 1

2. Start cutting the circle into a slightly wavy spiral, so you end up with something reminiscent of a snail shell (see above). Leave a small uncut portion in the middle of the spiral, as that will serve as the base of the rose and the spot where you’ll put the glue.

3. Cut off the outer tip of the spiral, as shown below. This step is completely optional, but I’ve found that it makes rolling the bloom a bit easier.

crepe paper roses tutorial 2

4. Start rolling the rose, from the outside edge in…

crepe paper roses tutorial 3

5. Once the rose is completely rolled up, add some hot glue to the middle of the spiral, then press the bottom of the rose down into the glue, letting it open & relax a bit to create the desired look. Hold firmly for a few seconds until the glue feels secure.

crepe paper roses tutorial 4

6. …and you’re done! I told you this was easy. ;) You can also pull at the edges of the petals to affect the shape of the bloom. Rolled crepe paper is a bit stretchy, so pulling at it gently will help to give the flower more of a ruffled look.

Repeat a bunch of times with different circles sizes, and you’ll end up with something like this:

diy red crepe paper roses

Pretty, right?! You can also add some green floral wire to create stems for the roses, as shown below. I just pierced/pushed the wire straight through the bottom of the blooms for these examples:

diy crepe paper roses with wire stems

As promised, here’s a peek at the full centerpiece where these crepe paper roses were used:

horse centerpiece with garland of crepe paper roses

Click here to check out the full Kentucky Derby® Garden Party!

*****

I hope you’re able to try this project out and have some fun with it! Remember to stay tuned for more Derby Party DIY coming your way soon, and if you missed the first post from earlier this week, you can find it right here.

Derby Garden Party Printables

Planning a Kentucky Derby party? Check out my Garden Party printables! They make it so EASY to add pro designer style and personalization to your event. It’s like branding for your party! 🙌 Click here to shop now.

Derby Garden Party Printables

8 Comments

  1. Marilu April 24, 2014 at 10:20 am

    Did you use the red velvet crepe?

  2. @14handswine April 24, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    Simple #DIY steps by @HWTM_Jenn for creating crepe paper “Garland of Roses” for your #KyDerby at home soirée http://t.co/Mhxe9iPaUk

  3. @LetticorDesigns April 25, 2014 at 6:00 am

    Kentucky Derby® DIY #2: Crepe Paper Roses – http://t.co/aa14wiTVSr via @LetticorDesigns

  4. Maica Puentes Felguera June 10, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Me gustaria que me ayudarais dandome ideas sobre una fiesta de cumpleaños donde el centro del tema sea inspirado en la serie de VIOLETA.Gracias

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