Step-by-step Instructions, Page 2 [ Page 1 ]
Wrap down the stem for 2" or less. Place the smaller leaf's stem against the flower's stem leaving no more than 1" of the leaf's stem free. Continue to wrap diagonally down both wires for a few more turns.
Your finished flowers can be used in cardstock flower arrangements and other paper crafts projects. A template for the cardstock flowerpot comes free in the Pierced Flowers and Simply Flowers digi-stamp sets. These flowers would also be suitable for mini baskets, small tin pails, or little terra cotta pots. Fill the container with a piece of polystyrene foam cut to fit. The foam can be hidden under sphagnum moss. Poke the wrapped wire stems into the foam. |
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5. Cut two pieces of the lighter 22 gauge wire an inch shorter than the main flower stem. Use pliers to bend one end back on itself. This loop will prevent the wire from pulling out of the finished leaf. Apply a piece of red liner tape on the wrong side of the leaf and attach the bent wire to it. Repeat for the second leaf and its wire. 
6. Cover each wire loop with a short cardstock strip from Step 4 that already has tape on it. This will sandwich the wire between two layers of red-liner tape. From the back of the leaf, press the cardstock layers firmly together to bond them. 
7. Start wrapping the stem in floral tape at the top, next to the flower's back. Begin by laying the first inch of the tape against the wire and wrap over that end. This will help start the wrapping without too much slipping against the wire. As you work diagonally down the stem, stretch and pull the floral tape. Stretching makes the tape stickier and creates a tighter, smoother wrap.
8. Add the larger leaf's wire on the opposite side of the flower's stem from the first leaf. Again, leave no more than 1" of this leaf's wire free. Continue wrapping diagonally down all three wires until you have reached the bottom of the stems. Tear off the floral tape and twist it around the wire ends tightly to secure. 
9. Bend the leaves to curl them. The angles can be adjusted by bending the wires. When bending the leaf wires out from the stem, grasp the stem at the point that the leaf attaches so that you don't tear the tape while pulling against it.
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