Wine...How Charming!

Lately, I've been attempting to create a focus for my crafts before I list them to sell (this Friday)!  Taking my interests into account as well as what I've already made, everything pushed me in one direction...wine!  So for my latest creation (drum roll please) - paper flower wine charms!

I've been using a lot of paper flowers in my designs so for all of my friends who may be wondering how these cute little flowers are made, I've included a step-by-step tutorial below.  I have a lot of pictures and visuals to go along with this one and I couldn't be happier with how my latest wine charms have turned out!

Step #1:

Take out a nice, square piece of paper.  I cut a bunch of square pieces from large scrapbook paper.  Each piece that I cut for the wine charms ended up being about 2" x 2" in size.  I wasn't too exact and cut these pretty roughly because they won't need to stay in square shape (see below).  When you're making your flowers, you can use any size your heart desires - the bigger the square, the bigger the flower!

Step #2:

Start on one side of the paper and cut the square into a circle.  Again, it doesn't have to be exact and can even have some waves cut into it to give the flower different edges once it is completed - try it out and see what you like!  For the wine charms in the picture above, I just used a regular rounded edge.

Step #3:

Once you've cut your circle, start cutting it into a spiral, trying to keep the same width all the way around.  If you wanted to do a wavy edge, remember to cut your spiral with waves all the way through!

Step #4:

  

Start at the outer edge of your spiral and start rolling it towards the middle.  Try to roll it tightly and round - if you squish it too much, it will turn out with folds and creases instead of the round flower shape that we're aiming for!

Step #5:

After you've rolled and rolled and can roll no more...place your flower in the palm of your hand and let it unravel.  Now you'll start to see the pretty paper flower that you planned on making!  If you really want to secure it and to make sure that it keeps the flower shape you're so proud of, place a dab of hot glue on the back of the flower between the bottom-most part of the flower and the inside curls.  

Viola!  You have a paper flower!

Now, let's take it to the next level and make it into a "charming" little piece of wine glass decor!

To create the loop that hooks around the stem of the wine glass, I ended up using two different wire "earring" styles purchased from Michael's Arts and Crafts Store.  The first was a hoop earring wire and the second was a traditional earring post because I wanted the charm to dangle from the loop but also be secure enough not to fall off.  I got a little creative with the traditional earring but a little creativity went a long way because it worked out perfectly and was exactly the look and function I was going for!

In order to make this work, I had to bend both of the "earrings."  First, I bent the very end of the hoop earring using a jewelry making/wire bending tool so that it would latch into the rounded end.  This would secure the charm around the wine glass stem.

Next, I bent the post of the other earring (using the same tool) up and over, making sure that one end meets the circle on the other end and creates another loop on this piece.  The loop is necessary so that it can slide onto the hoop earring with room to dangle and move around.

Then...I did just that!  Slide the small piece onto the hoop earring and you'll have the base for your wine charm!

To finish the piece off, now we must add the final, but most important touch - the paper flower.  Just add a little bit of hot glue to the circular, dangling piece of the wine charm base and then secure the back of the paper flower to it.  Keep in mind that a little bit of hot glue goes a long way!

Flip it over and admire your new fancy wine glass accent!

Perfect for a girls night to dress up your glasses and keep track of your wine!  Enjoy!