By Kimberly Burkard

Did your Valentine give you sweets for the day?

Save them as a memento by making them into a cute little bouquet of flowers from the candy wrappers!

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 10 minutes

Tools Needed

• Scissors
• Flush cut pliers or another tool capable of clipping fine wire

Supplies Needed

• Candy wrappers, any but not ones made completely from a metal foil or a stiff paper
• Florist's 1/2" green stem wrap tape
• Florist's green 22 gauge cloth stem wire
• Leaves from silk flowers (optional)

Instructions

1. Choose candy wrappers. Bright colored plastic or plastic and foil work best.

Flatten and smooth wrappers as much as possible. Lay the wrapper on a smooth, hard surface.

2. Press the tips of your index finger and thumb to the middle of the wrapper.

Your thumb and index finger should be close together with no more than 1/4" to 1/2" gap between them.

While still pressing into the wrapper, pinch your finger and thumb together gathering and lifting a small bit of wrapper.

A small, flat peak should be formed. While still pinching the peak, twist the peak.

Twist at least 90 degrees.

The center should have a swirled S-shape now.

3. Maintain the pinch on the center with one hand.

With your other hand, make a C of your index finger and thumb.

Bring that C around the pinched center.

Lift the center through the C.

Use the fingers of the C-hand to gently gather and form the wrapper into a rounded shape.

Gather the loose ends together, underneath the flower.

Twist the center portion tighter and push in slightly to help form the blossom.

4. Take the florist's tape and wrap around the loose ends of the wrapper at the base of the blossom.

If you wish your flower to have sepals (the green, leaf-like structures at the base of some flowers), add those now.

Insert the florist's wire into the base of the blossom.

Wrap the florist's tape more tightly around the base of the flower going up to the base of your flower.

Work the tape tightly back down the wire at an angle.

5. If you wish to include leaves from old silk flowers, press the leaf to the wire and wrap the tape tightly around the base of the leaf and continue down the length of the stem.

6. Cut the wire to length. Wrap the tape to the end of the wire and clip.

Options: Use varying colors and sizes of wrappers for different looks. Use twigs, pipe cleaners, or other straight materials for the stems.

Instructions and images copyright © Kimberly Burkard.