Crafting authentic paper flowers The beginner's guide to creating beautiful lifelike paper blooms with step-by-step projects

It takes a florist to select some of the more unusual as well as familiar flowers to craft in paper. It demands design skill to translate natural blooms into nonartificial-looking posies to be proud of. Yorkshire-based Longhurst offers her knowledge and skills in this how-to, emphasizing the creative mindfulness this activity promises. "Don't rush" is her first mantra; the next, "use the book as a guide." There are plenty of instructions (and color photographs), beginning with materials and a complete dissertation on crepe paper as well as nearly a dozen techniques, ranging from making double-sided crepe roses of different colors to the final attachments. Each of the 20 projects appeals, starting with easier flowers to master, like the poppy and primrose, then graduating to the multistepped hellebore and climbers like clematis. Elegant color photographs, brief descriptions, and well-plotted, step-by-step directions enable novices to conquer the art of the "is it real or fake" flower, while templates in the appendix provide good outlines to copy.

Florist Longhurst offers a first-rate guide to creating beautiful, realistic paper flowers in her standout debut. She starts by covering materials, laying out everything readers will need, including crepe paper, paper creasers, tacky glue, floral tape, Mod Podge glue, and long-nose pliers. Then come techniques, such as cutting ribbons, tracing templates, and fringing, and a break-down of basic flower anatomy. The projects are fit for all skill levels: beginners can start with "simple elegant" poppies and evening primrose, while the more experienced have Christmas rose and cherry blossoms to choose from. Longhurst urges crafters to use her projects as a jumping-off point, and to that end provides tips and tricks for dying paper with coffee and tea, replicating pollen with chalk, and using paper straws to create thicker stems. She rounds things out with ideas for using the paper flowers once they're done, such as in wedding bouquets, in a traditional Japanese Ikebana arrangement, or to top a wrapped gift, for example. Exquisite full-page color photos showcase the intricate projects, and the step-by-step instructions are accompanied with photographs. This master class will entice crafters both seasoned and new. (Jan.)