Cherry Blossom Fake-Out

While I love all the beautiful spring blossoms, my nose feels entirely different. So, I appreciate any little way to bring spring inside that doesn't involve a lot of pollen!

There were also a lot of fallen branches in the front yard from all the snow, which were extremely unsightly, but I hadn't gotten around to cleaning them out. So, as I cleaned them up, I had a flash of inspiration!!

This project, which I modified from the current issue of Martha Stewart Living, is simple and almost methodical. The hardest part, especially for me, was cutting out all of the flowers.

I found that if I folded the paper four times, then cut, and then folded each of the petals individually that I got much crisper, cleaner looking flowers. Like this!

1. Cut two to three-inch squares from cardstock-- you can also use vellum, but I didn't have any on hand. Fold the square in half...








2. And fold in half again. Make sure to crease it well, because this will make the flowers look much better.









3. With the folded corner pointing down, cut out the petal. For this one, I used almost a heart shape to make the cherry blossom petals.









4. After unfolding your flower, simply pinch the petals in the center to create a wonderful 3-D effect. I also used a felt pen and dotted the center to give a bit more detail.

5. To attach the petals to the branches, poke through the flowers with a large needle-- or something else sharp. Then dot some craft glue-- it needs to be on the thick side-- and slide the flower down to the glue-- not too far!! Let the branches dry standing up overnight, and you're done and ready to decorate!