This is Part 2 of a 2-Part blog post on how I made my small paper flower bouquets. Part 1 talks about the paper flowers like ranunculus and sweet peas, and Part 2 talks about the foliage, my paper flower recipe, and how I put everything together. Read Part 1 here.

DISCLOSURE — When you click on my affiliate links, I may earn a commission for qualifying purchases made through Amazon.com links in this post. This commission goes directly into the maintenance of my website, the technology that goes into my courses, and my art. Want to know more? Read my AMAZON AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER.

Once I figured out what flowers to add and their colours and sizes, then I turn my mind on the foliage - the green stuff.

I usually make my foliage last because I find that they need to compliment the flowers, so I design them only after I have a clear idea of what type of movement would look good with the flowers I've made. To find inspiration, I foraged through my brother's backyard and cut different types of greens that I thought had interesting shapes or colour. There was one shrub that grew low and had variegated leaves. I liked how the leaves were fairly small, and one branch held several smaller stems. So I recreated it in paper. I love how it looks in the bouquet. I'm able to move one branch in one direction and another in a different direction if I want. I place it in my arrangement and let its placement tell me where to put the next flower. I strive to make foliage that bounce when you walk with it so I use very thin gauge stem wire to emulate the strong but flexible stems of the real plant.

The other foliages are coral bells (inspired by the ones I am growing in my garden), ferns, a vine, a branch, and a garlic mustard plant. I made these ferns last year when I was making Marilyn's bouquet. I remember I made them while I was at the cottage, and didn't even end up using them for her bouquet. Their limey sourness was perfect for this bouquet. The branch and vine are my staple and my signature; I would add them to everyone of my bouquets if I could! They're delicate and whimsical. I can't even describe how I make them; I just do. After I make them, I bend them in random directions until I like how they look. Then I use them in the bouquet and let them tell me where to put them. I knew I needed flowers that would peek up and between the flowers. The garlic mustard plant provided the perfect little white flowers that float about and between the ranunculuses. I also recreated these from real ones found in my brother's backyard (very invasive), however, added a variegated edge because I wanted it to create more visual interest. Too bad the real thing is a very invasive species and most people would rather get rid of them than see them recreated.

I also added green fritilleria to Jessica's bouquet. I really love how they add another touch of the garden to her bouquet. They're really time consuming to make and I'm not completely happy with them, although I really like the colouring I achieved with the alcohol ink on doublette. I'm going to try to make them again and see if I can make them look even more delicate.

Here's the final flower count and recipe for Jessica's bouquet:

• 3 light peach ranunculus

• 2 honeysuckle coloured ranunculus

• 2 coral ranunculus

• 1 orange and red ranunculus

• 1 orange ranunculus

• 1 red ranunculus

• 2 coral ranunculus buds

• 1 light coral ranunculus bud

• 6 muddy peach sweet peas

• 2 green fritilleria

• 2 green coral bells and 1 lime coral bell

• 4 garlic mustard plants

• 2 lime ferns

• 1 vine

• 1 branch

• 3 variegated foliage

The Mother's bouquets are slightly more simple, without the fritilleria and the orange ranunculus.

I wish you guys could see how the foliage and the buds bounce and move when I walk with it. I took a few videos of them, but I really should have taken videos of them in my hands - DUH! I also took the videos on portrait view, which is a newbie no-no. Ah we live and learn.

I really loved making these small paper flower bouquets, especially when I began putting them together. They were a challenge to make because they're small, so they have less real estate in which to make it look cohesive and full. I've seen too many (and made too many) small bouquets that look too sparse, too round, and where you can literally count how many flowers are in the bouquet. I don't want you to be able to count; I want you to see the entire bouquet as one construct, and to wonder, how did she do that?

Want to learn how to make realistic looking paper flowers and arrangements? 

You can learn more paper flower techniques and how to make paper flower arrangements in depth in my book, Paper Flower Art (GMC, 2019) (buy in hardcover or in paperback), or within my Online Courses.