Member Make is officially back! This month we are teaching you how to make some gorgeous crepe paper carnations.
If you don’t know what Member Make is, it’s a monthly live workshop we do for our members. You can also think of it as a creative challenge or prompt. This is your time to reconnect with your creativity, try something new, and connect with others in the crafting community.
Creating Carnations
A lot of you have been asking me to create a paper carnation for a while now. So for our January Member Make challenge, I will show you how to make these crepe paper carnations live on YouTube at 11 a.m. PT. If you have the chance to join me live, I would love to see you there!
Can’t join us live? You can watch the video below anytime.
How to Join the Member Make Challenge
- Become a member. Once you’re a member, you will get an email to also join our private Facebook group.
- Gather the tools and materials you need for this project—listed below (you can use different colors of crepe or a heavy crepe instead of fine). Then download the crepe paper carnations template at the end of this post. There is an SVG file for those of you with a cutting machine and a PDF for those of you cutting by hand.
- Watch the video to craft along with me and create your own version of this flower. Feel free to use different colors, create different sizes, make just one flower or a whole bunch, integrate them into another DIY project, and so on.
- Reach out to me and others in the community if you need some support! You can post progress pictures or ask questions on our private Facebook page.
- Share your finished project with us by the end of the month to be entered in our giveaway. Make sure to post your pictures on the private Facebook page or on your Instagram page with the hashtag #MemberMake. And feel free to include a little blurb about your flower-making experience!
This content uses links from which we may earn a commission. Disclosure.
Tools
- Craft Scissors
- Detail Scissors
- Pinking Shears
- Needle-Nose Pliers/Wire Cutters
- Low-Temp Hot Glue Gun
- Cricut Maker (optional)
Materials
- Lia Griffith Extra-Fine Crepe Paper — Raspberry, Merlot, Aubergine, and Juniper (or you can find these colors in our Enchanted Garden 10-Pack)
- 18-Gauge Green Paper-Covered Wire
- 15mm & 20mm Spun Cotton Balls
Are you having trouble? Feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you out.
52 Comments
Awful live, very very disappointed. Could not see anything. I cannot even give this flower a try. No closeups, no good angles, nothing about this live was worth watching or trying. Please make a new video that we can follow if like you say “this is a good starter flower”. Can you do a photo layout to follow if you don’t make a new live.
Hi Diana, this was one of our first Member Make videos and we have certainly improved since then. We have it on our list to make a new carnation. Stay tuned. 😉
i will agree it was a hard video to follow. i love to see this closer up. i tried using the 18 wire, seems weak. I think am going to try the thicker stem. trying to make these for my great aunt it’s her favorite flower 🙂 my flower seems to come out as a ball almost, are we going around the top bunch? i think my error is I am going down around the ball.
This is an older video before we had 3 cameras set up. Back then we did not have the thick stem wire, so yes, I would recommend that for sure. If I made them today I would use the thick stem that we sell in our shop. If you keep your petal paper closer to the top rather than moving down the stem, it will form an arch rather than a ball.
This video was impossible to follow – not closeup enough to see what you were doing. Why pink the edges then scallop them? The pinking is gone. Also cannot tell where you are gluing it My first ruffle was so tight it won’t open up. . I needed to make another ruffle to make my carnation look full enough. Mine ended up looking like a pink pine cone! My first failure – very frustrating. . Need picture tutorials please.
Sorry to hear. This is one of our first Member Make videos and now we use three cameras so we can get the closeups. I will put it on our list to do a new version of the carnation. In the meantime, we have at least 36 other Member Make flowers that you may enjoy. 🙂
Hi, I am interested in making the carnation however the instructional video is no longer available. Is there a way to view this? Thanks!
Hi Kathy! I just checked and the video is showing up for me under the materials section in the post. Can you send a screenshot of what you are seeing to hello@liagriffith.com?
I couldn’t see how you bent the tip of the wire at the beginning. And where did it go when you stuck it thru the paper balls?
You can simply bend the wire on itself to thicken the tip. There is a hole on one side of the paper ball, usually, they are visible but a few might be slightly covered with a thin layer. Follow the swirl and you should be able to find it. Add glue into the center then slide your bent wire into the hole. If you are using the thick stem wires, you will not need to bend the tips. Also, I invite you to put your name on the list for our next crepe paper flower master class we are doing this fall.
What are the leaves that are in the vase/planter with the finished carnations in the video?
Hi Cherly! I’m not sure exactly, we picked them up with a bunch of greenery from the grocery store. I’ll report back if I find out a name!
Hi Lia I’m still working on the class lessons along with 50 other things . I’m still making masks and other things for the house. Anyway I am having trouble telling the wires apart. Is it the higher the number the thinner it is? I ordered some from Amazon, 24 and 26 gauge and could not tell them apart when I opened the packages because they were not marked. This old lady is totally confused besides being slow! Thanks for the classes and all the other goodies. I have progressed to class no 4 and moving on to no 5!
Hi Dorene! Yes, the higher the number the thinner the wire. Enjoy the class. 😉
I’m new to this material for making flowers. So far I’ve made poppies, and ranuculus. Hope to do several different flowers for my daughter’s wedding in October. I purchased your first book and lots of your crepe paper. It’s beautiful and pleasant to work with. Thank you for all the great videos.!
So happy to hear you are enjoying this craft. Hope you join us for our monthly Member Make.
Lia, you commented about tiny scraps’ being difficult to remove from a silicon mat. I usually put a 12” x 18” piece of tracing paper on to of the mat. It catches drips from the glue gun, those pesky, tiny scraps, is a good place to color stems with alcohol markers, and a wonderful place to make notes. Sometimes one sheet of tracing paper lasts through several projects, or maybe only one. I’ve found it to be a great addition to the work table.
That is brilliant, Nancy! Thanks for sharing.
I purchased your small cotton spun balls from you. The size in your store is 15mm and not 14mm. I received these last week. As a result, the carnation did not work out. Can you adjust your pattern? Also, the video could be closer. Can you provide a photo of what the strip looks like after pinking and rounding? I look forward to making these! Thanks!
Hi Pilar,
Our balls are actually exactly the same as the ones used in this video, however these balls can vary in size between 14-15mm because of how they are made. Taking this into account our template will work for up to a 16mm ball. If you are having trouble getting any pieces to fit try stretching the crepe paper a bit. 🙂
OK will do that! Thanks!!
Hi Lia
A newbie but already watched and made so many of your flowers. Thank you for my new beautiful hobby! For the little scraps on your silicon mat, would a lint roller help picking them up easily for you? It’s what I use for my cricut mats and thought it should work well here too.
I bet a lint roller would work great for this, we will have to test it out!
Really like the live demonstrations, but could you add a light on your table and also get more close ups of the project?
After you had gathered the individual piece of paper on the wire, and them and. removed the wire – you crimped the petal. Was this the fold or the gathering, also after a question, with the echo, would you please repeat the question prior to your answer.
Thank you for sharing your talent!
Hi Mary,
Thank you for your suggestions, we are working on figuring out a new camera set up for our live videos so that you can see details a little better. As for the flower, when you remove the gathered petals from the wire you will pinch/press the fold together more to help hold together the gathered petals. 🙂
Hello,
I know Lia mentions in the video that the carnation doesn’t really have leaves. I made a bunch of these and I’m struggling to come up with a crepe filler leaf to put in with them. I don’t have access to fresh 🙁 What would you guys recommend?
Hi Erin,
Many of our crepe paper flowers include a leaf, we would recommend choosing a leaf shape from another flower that you like! The leaf included in our member make rip city dahlia is a great filler leaf. 🙂
Hi Lia and team!
Is there another link for this video? It’s not available here or when I search for it in you tube. I even tried on my PC and it’s not working either.
Hi Erin,
The video is available in this post if you are a member! 🙂
What kind of leaves do you have in the pictures? Like the live ones. (I think they are live). And also I just wanted to leave this that I to wish you would have photo tutorials for your live videos after you your done.
Sorry I don’t know the actual name of the leaves, they were just greenery from the grocery store. We’ve heard from a few people that they want photo tutorials of our member make flowers, so we plan to revisit this soon 🙂
Why is the SVG version missing all the cuts that the PDF version has? Is there a version of the SVG to load into a cricut maker that can makeall the cuts?
Hi Denise– the Cricut tends to overcut details like that, so we kept the SVG as a long rectangle to avoid that problem. However I did update the file with the more detailed sepal cut, hopefully that cuts OK.
Hello, I just printed the patter for the crepe paper carnation are there any written instructions?
Yours Truly
Lupe
Hi! We just have the video for this flower, no written instructions. Do you find the written instructions easier to follow than the video? We have been discussing adding a download for our live videos if there’s a demand for it (so far it doesn’t seem like there is… so let us know!)
Would love paper instruction along with pictures.
I would love some kind of static instructions too! Either photo tutorial or written or both!
Hi Lia
Is the template meant for fine or for heavy weight crepe paper?
Also, how deep and how wide is the cut you make for the petals?
HI Beatriz!
This flower is made with our Extra-Fine Crepe Paper Enchanted Garden using the colors Raspberry, Merlot, Aubergine, and Juniper. If you look in the post all tools and materials are listed and links are included for where to purchase! Each petal is cut using the width of your thumb about 3/4″ each and cut about an inch down leaving a 1/4″ uncut before the fold.
When you talked about the first row on top. I did the first row on the very top and the second row between the two balls. I have a large gap between the first and the second. Do you place the first row down a little way on the top of the ball.
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Nancy! You want to glue the second row right under the top to avoid any gaps.
mine rip and pull apart wont cut with cricut machine why??????
I’m not sure! Can you give us more detail? Email hello@liagriffith.com with details and photos – if it’s an issue with the machine we’ll refer you to Cricut.
Where can I find crepe paper, I’ve looked everywhere.
There’s a link in the post to the pack we used, available in our shop: https://liagriffith.com/product/extra-fine-crepe-paper-enchanted-garden-collection/
Just wondering if the instructions for these will be available in PDF form? It’s hard to watch the video each time. Thanks!
Hi Alison! We don’t usually have printed instructions for our videos, but we’re taking everyone’s feedback into consideration for the next Member Make and all video posts. Stay tuned!
I do love your member make but, i still wish you would do a step by step tutorial, pictorial. It takes me forever to make a flower by just watching a video. A video is awesome but I am not a visual learner, I need to read/ see what I have to do next…your videos are great tho….
P.s love love the carnation! I am making all the flowers for my daughters wedding in March close to 90% are from your site or book!
Hi Barb! We don’t usually have printed instructions for our videos, but we’re taking everyone’s feedback into consideration for the next Member Make and all video posts. Stay tuned!
Are the spun cotton balls a suitable replacement for smooth foam balls on your other projects? The smaller sizes of smooth foam are wicked hard to find. Thanks!
Yes! We will be selling those hard-to-find sizes in our shop soon. They should be available next week!
Excellent thanks — I’ve been scouring around for the smooth foam ones for a while now.