DIY Wedding

Pretty Up a Party with Paper

Jeffery Rudell, contributor

227 users recommend

Wildflowers cut from a 24x7-inch piece of white paper transform an ordinary layer cake into an extraordinary confection. Fasten the ends together with white glue or double-sided tape.

Jeffery Rudell

Start with a 36 x 12 inch piece of white paper. In order to give your design some visual heft, I recommend against cutting out too much detail; keep it graphic and bold and the results will have more impact.

Jeffery Rudell

These coral napkin rings will add drama to your table, a sense of whimsy to your meal, and will give your guests something charming to take home with them.

Jeffery Rudell

Wildflowers cut from a 24x7-inch piece of white paper transform an ordinary layer cake into an extraordinary confection. Fasten the ends together with white glue or double-sided tape.

Photo: Jeffery Rudell

Add Comment
Print

Once your piece is painted and dry, add accordion-folds along the bottom edge to give it a zigzag base and help it stand upright. For my party, I used this piece as a beautiful decoration near the coffee service out on my porch.

Â

I left the stems white and used only four colors on the blossoms for a cheerfully modern look.

Picnic by the Sea

In summer, one of my favorite pastimes is dining al fresco with friends. Be it near the shore, on a neighbor's patio, or on a New York rooftop, you can never go wrong by giving your table décor a little extra attention. One of my favorite (and quickest) ways to liven up a tabletop without splurging on fresh flowers or resorting to simple tealights is to cut a free-form decorative napkin ring.

Â

This unexpected spray of red branch coral adds height and drama to your table for the cost of a few pieces of paper.

To make this branch coral napkin ring, I used an 8-1/2 x11-inch sheet of bright red paper. Canson has a great palette of colors, but any colorful paper with a little body will suffice. I try to select a paper stock that has enough heft to stand up without wilting and yet is thin enough to comfortably cut with a craft knife.

My coral measures 6-1/2 x 9 inches, but you can make yours as large or as small as you like. I prefer cutting freehand since it allows for (the inevitable) mistakes. If you prefer, you may wish to download a reference photo or two from Google Image Search. (I searched for "coral.")

Important: Be sure to leave a lobe at the base of your branch (about the size of a quarter will do) and another lobe directly above it (as indicated in the areas circled in BLUE below.) These two pieces will form the bracket with which you will attach the coral to the napkin ring.

Â

Cut out a freehand shape, or trace a design of your liking. Be sure to leave room for your bracket (see above.)

Add Comment Print

Comments (11)

Nodan writes: I think it is really very hard to cut out the flowers just with scissors. It's perfect.
Posted: 4:33 am on February 5th

sandysewin writes: Something about the simplicity of the dark on light along with the delicate designs make this stunning.

You inspire us all. We don't need complex materials, just the basics and an artist's eye (and a steady hand) can make the most wondrous of creations.
Posted: 5:55 pm on October 30th

Luvbird writes: I think this is just so beautiful & i know just the lady to show this to,{we call her Cake Queen}!!She decorates cakes for people in her Church,& family members for Weddings & such!She`ll Love this pattern so much,Thank you :)
Posted: 6:36 pm on October 26th

marksc33 writes: Every single paper project Jeffery does is better than the next!!! He definitely needs to publish a book....
Posted: 7:01 am on June 30th

ErinMichelle writes: i cannot deal with how great this is.
Posted: 11:12 pm on August 1st

LAURAMCHUGH writes: JEFFERY YOUR WORK IS FABULOUS. YOU INSPIRE ME TO DO MORE WITH PAPER CRAFTS, AS A MIDDLE SCHOOL ART TEACHER I WILL PASS ON SOME OF YOUR DESIGN IDEAS TO MY STUDENTS. THANKS. KEEP UP THE WONDERFUL CREATATIVE WORK. YOU ARE A PAPER MASTER.
Posted: 4:34 pm on July 10th

Learnernc writes: Just elegant!! Thanks for the two links in the article,too. What style!
Posted: 2:37 pm on July 3rd

paperrain writes: This is one of the best ideas I've ever seen! And I'm about to have a party, so I'm using it.
Posted: 1:10 pm on July 3rd

Softflexgirl writes: Love this!
Posted: 12:44 pm on July 3rd

memaw writes: I'm going out to buy an exacto knife! Your work is gorgeous!
Posted: 11:01 am on June 30th

MichaelaMurphy writes: Wow, this is absolutely beautiful!
Posted: 12:30 pm on June 19th

You must be logged in to post comments. Log in.