Vintage Paper Flower Garlands

Today I'm wrapping up the Miss Manners marathon party posts by sharing with you the craft that we made. Since I was hosting the older group of girls, I decided that we would try our hand at a more detailed project. I had seen something like these on Pinterest when I was planning the party, but I ended up mixing a couple of ideas to come up with the finished project - what I call "Vintage Paper Flower Garland". 

Here they are hanging from the top of my china hutch.
Aren't they sweet?

Side note - You can see my prized and treasured cache' of Friendly Village dishes by Johnson Brothers in my china cabinet above. If you haven't already, you can read about the steal! deal I made on these by clicking here.

I had set up our meal in my dining room, so I used my kitchen table as a craft area. I had everything set and ready to go when the girls arrived.

A place was set for each girl with all the supplies she would need, plus a set of written directions. See the colorful striped and dotted paper underneath the directions? These are just pieces of 12"x12" scrapbooking paper that I had laminated a while back. I used them a couple of years ago as placemats for a party and since they were laminated, I decided to keep them. They were the perfect size to serve as a work surface for each young lady. They protected my white linen tablecloth from the gluesticks, and when everyone was done, I wiped them down again and put them back into storage! I like the color they add to the table, too.

In the center of the table were four clear plastic 3-section dividers that I found at Dollar Tree. I use them a lot when I am crafting and need to keep things organized. They're pretty, cheap, stack to store and can be used in so many ways! A well-spent $4, I must say. These dividers held all the buttons, paper circles, twine, etc., that was needed to complete the garlands.

I used my Martha Stewart Scoring Table to score sheets of scrapbooking paper every 1/2", then I cut the sheets into strips 3" wide. There were seven different patterns. They were then able to easily fold the paper strips accordion style since I had already scored them. This took a little effort ahead of time on my part, but was crucial to allowing the girls to complete the flowers. The folded strips were formed into circles and we then added contrasting 1" and 1 1/2" rounds on top of that to cover the middle. We finished by tying pretty pastel buttons in the center. I had already cut lengths of twine and marked it with a black Sharpie so they would know exactly where to glue the flowers.

We had a smaller group than usual, and while we missed the others, it actually made it a little easier to work closely with the girls until they got the hang of it...which didn't take long! 

They all looked so pretty and Springy in their colorful outfits! Nancy and I had talked with the girls at one of our first parties about the importance of dressing appropriately for a party. We told them that the invitation will usually give clues as to what you should wear (no Sunday dresses at a barbecue, no shorts for a Spring tea, etc.). Often we will put the suggested dress on the invitation if there is any question. The girls really do enjoy dressing up! And the way you dress really does affect the way you behave.

This craft gave us a chance to brush up on threading a needle and sewing on a button.

Always great skills to have!

Even though each girl had the same supplies,
they chose to mix the patterns differently, so each garland was unique!

It took us a little over an hour to complete the craft,
but the girls stayed focused

and were really proud of their finished projects!

    

My niece, Annie, actually attended both parties that day.

I guess that's a perk when your aunt is Miss Manners,

and your best friends are your older cousins!

Here's a closeup of the finished project. Aren't they precious? Jewell hung hers on her dresser mirror and mine stayed on the china hutch until one of the moms called and asked if I'd tell her how to make them so she could use them for a graduation tea at church. Not only did I take mine down and loan it to her, I gave her the leftover supplies so she could make a couple more to use with mine and her daughter's. I'm glad the leftovers could be put to use! 

By the way - I have written out the directions, and if you'd like them, you can contact me and I'll email them.

Each girl was given a brown paper bag to carry home her garland, gardening gloves and clothespin chalkboard. I also let them pick several seed packets to take home and plant.

The two Miss Manners parties in one day were a tremendous success. Spring was celebrated and flowers were both made and planted!

Our next Miss Manners party is scheduled for June and we're planning a birthday party! I know you'll love seeing exactly what our young ladies are up to, but you'll just have to wait. But don't worry. There will be plenty going on in my neck of the woods before then!

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I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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