Tutorial: Toilet Roll Flower Brooch and Ornament

Here's a toilet paper roll project that I came up with a while ago and thought I'd share as a tutorial. This fun craft makes a nifty brooch or Christmas ornament. Christmas, you say? Ya. I know. Maybe I'm ill or something but I made a whole whack of these as ornaments! However, the flower makes a lovely gift embellishment for any occasion (I'm putting one on the boy's teacher gift) and also looks great on a lapel!

Here's my list of supplies:

1. toilet paper tubes (1 tube makes 1 1/4 flowers)
2. cereal box board scraps
3. fabric scraps
4. pretty paper scraps (not shown)
5. acrylic paint
6. glitter glue (optional)
7. brooch pin (for brooch)
8. gold cord (for ornament)
9. craft glue
10. needle and thread
11. polyester batting (not shown)
12. circle template or round objects
13. ruler
14. scissors
15. exacto knife
16. pencil
17. paint brush

Start by dividing your toilet tube into 4 equal parts. The standard toilet tube is 4" long so each section is 1" long. Each flower needs 3 sections. I made 2 flowers and used 6 sections.

With your circle template and cereal box board, cut out 1 small circle and 1 large circle for each flower (small circle= 1 1/8" diameter; large circle=1 3/4" diameter).

For each flower, paint one section of toilet tube green and the other 2 sections can be any colour you wish! I chose pink and red for my 2 flowers. Now draw little petals on all your flowers parts as in the photo below. Cut the petals out. You will have 3 little crowns for each flower.

Now take your fabric scrap and cut out a 3" diameter fabric circle for each flower. With needle and thread, sew a running stitch around the entire edge of the circle. Pull up the thread ends a little to make a cup shape. Place a few pieces of batting in the cup. On top of that place your small cardboard circle.

Pull the ends of your thread up and over your cardboard circle and pull tightly. Tie a knot. Looks like a yoyo, right?

Trim your thread ends. Place a dab of craft glue on the printed side of your large cardboard circles.

Place your little padded circles down on the glue.

Now you have all your flower parts as in the following photo.

Each flower will require 1 green toilet tube crown and 2 other crowns (any colour), and one of the padded fabric circles. Note that each green section has its petals curved out. For the other 2 crowns, curve one with petals in, and one with petals out.

Now take your (non-green) crown with petals curved OUT, and cut off one of the petals. Glue that cut crown inside the green crown. Take the next crown with the petals curved IN, and cut off one of the petals also. Glue that section inside the other two.

It's starting to look like something now!

Now take a padded fabric circle and run a bead of glue all around it.

Place your flower on top of your padded fabric circle and allow to dry. (Hopefully the padded circle fits in snuggly with little or no gaps.) Allow the glue to dry. We're almost done!

Next paint the back green.

To make a brooch, attach a brooch pin with a little craft glue. Allow to dry.

Or if you're making an ornament, use a needle and some gold cord to make an ornament hanger.

To finish off the back of my ornament, I glued on a little circle of colourful paper. So it's double sided!

The next step is optional, but I added a little sparkle to my flowers with some glitter glue!

ALL DONE! I made more... See?

Have fun making these! Drop me a line if you do, I'd love to see how they turn out for you!

I have linked to the Making Monday Marvelous link party! Check it out!