Coloring Silk Flowers

Have you ever needed a certain color of artificial flower for a project and you couldn't find that color, like blue for example, anywhere? I've come up with a solution for flowers that don't need to be washed. Buy white silk flowers and a permanent marking pen in the color of the flower you need.

Take the flower off the stem then pull the back off and take the flower apart piece by piece. Now take the petals and lay them on a piece of cardboard (thick junk-mail works fine). Put a pair of rubber gloves on.

Next, take the permanent pen and color only the very outside edge of each petal, layer by layer (don't color the whole flower). This way you will get a variegated look. You can also color only the center of the top for a different look.

Now, hold the flower over your sink (it will drip) and spray the flower with either rubbing alcohol or hairspray (which usually has alcohol in it). The color will start to spread when the alcohol comes in contact with it and it will be darker where you colored it with the marker. You can leave it this way, or you can take the wet flower and rub it around between your fingers and thumb.

Lay each colored piece flat to dry and be sure they don't touch. If your sink or countertop gets coloring on it, alcohol will clean it off. Be careful not to drip the coloring on your clothing.

By Cyinda