It’s almost cherry blossom time here in the D.C. metro area. That is the time all of us who live around here look forward to each year. It is a magical time, the harbinger of spring, and a time to enjoy all the beauty that Mother Nature provides us. It’s fleeting though, and the tree blossoms only last for a couple of weeks, if we are even lucky to have them for that long. So today I want to show you an easy peasy craft that is super realistic looking, and will last years to come! Come along, and I’ll show you how to make this cherry blossom arrangement —
First step is to go out in the yard and pick up dead, fallen branches. These were from actual cherry trees, but many other types of tree branches work well: willow, dogwood, crepe myrtle — really, any branches that are thin will work for this. They can be straight or curved. Collect as many as you want for your arrangement. For reference, this one has about 30 branches and fills a 5 inch diameter vase. Next, cut the branches to what ever length you desire. Those in the photo are about 24″ long.
The next step is to cut LOTS of 1 1/2″ circles out of pink tissue paper. Plan on at least 6 circles for each branch. You can buy a paper punch at craft stores to make these circles quickly, or go old school and just cut them out free form, they don’t need to be perfect. Fold each circle into quarters, and crimp the bottom. This makes the little individual blossoms. We found it easier to make a whole bag of them at one time. Glue each blossom on a branch, leaving 4″ to 5″ of space between flowers. My favorite glue to use is a hot glue gun because it dries so quickly, but you can really use any craft glue so long as it dries clear. Let the glue dry thoroughly.
An alternative would be to make coral colored circles which would look like quince branches, or yellow circles would look like forsythia branches.
Next, using a vase of your choice, add each branch individually into the vase to get a beautiful shape, and enjoy! These are so beautiful, and look so real! I’m not kidding when I say these are 20 years old; they really last a long time! I hope you will try to make some.
Happy Spring Everyone!