Introduction: Paper Quilling Succulent Garden

Paper quilling designs are beautiful and fun to create. I came across paper quilling by chance and fell in love with all the amazing things paper can do! So this time I tried to bring to you something new and different.

Quilling paper succulents!

Yes!! you hear it right!!

Succulents can come in many variations, but they are usually recognizable by thick, fleshy leaves and a compact shape. I’ve seen many examples online that are extremely beautiful, but a little tricky & hard to find tutorials. So I came up with some easy techniques so that any beginner quiller can do it easily...

Here in this project, to make different succulent plants I made lots of different shaped quilled coils ( minimum 20/25 coils for per plant, So you will have to make hundreds of coils for this project). As a working mother of two active kids, it took a month to make them all. You can find here Echeveria multicaulist, Echeveria agavoides RED, Sempervivum 'Cmiral's Yellow, Echeveria Lauii, Senecio rowleyanus, Monilaria Moniliformis, Antegibbaeum fissoides, Echinocactus grusonii asterium, Fenestraria Aurantiaca etc succulents. Different succulent has different making tutorial. Today I am going to show some of them step by step.. So Stay Here!!

I hope you all find it helpful..

Step 1: Materials Needed

For this project you will need:

1. Paper. For this project you will need huge amount of paper strips. you can buy quilling paper strips, but I prefer cutting strips at home, it'll cost you less. if you want to buy, buy strips of different thickness (mainly 1.5 mm, 3 mm, 5mm) and different shades of green colour. Red, white, brown, yellow will also need to have in stock.

2. Paper cutter / Pasta maker ( to cut your paper into strips)

3. Glue

4. Paper quilling tools ( slotted pen, shaping molds, crimper, tweezers, scissors)

5. Pot for decoration.

6. 1 - 2” Beach Stone or river rock

7. Craft Wire

8. Styrofoam.

9. Water color & brush.

Step 2: Different Types of Shapes

In this step I'll show how to make different shapes using quilling techniques that we'll need letar.

Making coil: When you’re ready to start quilling, take full strip or tear the length of quilling paper that you need from your strip. The length of your strip will indicate how large your coil ends up. Now lay the end on your index finger of one hand while holding the slotted tool in the other. Use your thumb and index finger to roll the paper strip around the needle tool, while holding your tool still. Roll the paper all the way to the end of your strip. When you’ve finished rolling, carefully remove the coil from the tool, holding it in a way that it won’t unroll. Lightly glue the end the rest of the coil.

Petal shape: Take a slightly lose coil & pinch the both end to form petal shape like the picture.

Dome shape: Use a quilling mold to create a dome shape. Place a thight on top of your mold and press the sides down, smoothing the paper to fit the dome shape as much as possible.Apply a moderate amount of glue to the inside of the dome and spread the glue evenly with a small paintbrush or your finger. Do the same to the outside. Wait for the glue to dry.

Big cone shape: Take a 5 mm thick paper strip. Holding the tweezers , position the end of the paper strip by folding it at an angle, as shown in picture. It’s all a matter of twisting now! Glue the last bit of loose paper on it to avoid unraveling.

Small cone: To make cone shape, I used a pan to push the center out until I see the cone-like shape that I want. Apply a small amount of glue all around the inside of the cone and brush to spread the glue. When it is dry, the shape will hold.

Step 3: Making of Echeveria Multicaulist

To make Echeveria multicaulist, Echeveria agavoides RED, Sempervivum 'Cmiral's Yellow, Echeveria Lauii, you can follow the same process of my another instructable link given below ...

www.instructables.com/id/3D-Quilled-Rose-by-Handma...

Echeveria multicaulist, Echeveria agavoides RED, Sempervivum 'Cmiral's Yellow just use petal shape process that I gave on previous step.

Step 4: Making of ​Senecio Rowleyanus

For Senecio rowleyanus, I made 3 different sizes of tight coils. 3 mm (two 11" long & 1.5 mm thick green quilling strips), 5 mm (three and half 11" long & 1.5 mm thick quilling strips), 7 mm take ( Four 11" long & 1.5 mm thick quilling strips) in diameter. It doesn't matter how many you make, but make them in pairs. Now Use a quilling mold to create a dome shape. Place the paper form on top of your mold and press the sides down, smoothing the paper to fit the dome shape as much as possible.Apply a moderate amount of glue to the inside of the dome and spread the glue evenly with a small paintbrush or your finger. Do the same to the outside. Wait for the glue to dry. Now glue the domes together to form a ball. Take different sizes craft wire (size depends on you, how big you want to make) & cover them with paper strips. Now glue the balls with wire. Though i made few for this project, you can make bunch of Senecio rowleyanus in same process.

Step 5: Antegibbaeum Fissoides

Take two tight coils. Give one of those dome shape, another one cone shape. Now glue them to stay hold.let them dry. after drying glue them together. in same process make 10/15 pieces of differnt colors. now take 4" long & 5 mm thick yellow colour strip, fringe the strip with scissor. Roll it with the help of slot tool, glue the end. Now it'll form a small fringe flower.Make two or three small flowers & glue them on Final step, glue all of them together.

Step 6: Fenestraria Rhopalophylla

To start making this, I rolled 5″ of light green quilling paper strip into a tight coil, and glued the end. I used the a pan to push the center out until I see the cone-like shape that I want.To keep the shape secure, apply a small amount of glue all around the inside of the cone and brush to spread the glue. When it is dry, the shape will hold. Now put a wire through it and make a lope to secure it.

To create the other side , I rolled 10" quilling paper into a tight coil, glue it with cone and dry.

Make as many as possible. Now take half of them and join them with a brown color duck tap. Take another half & glue them together.

Step 7: Echinocactus Grusonii Asterium

take 8 pieces small (5 mm in diameter) dark green coils and 2 pieces big (12 mm in diameter) coils.Make small cone shapes with coils & two dome shapes with big coils. Glue two big dome shaped coils together. Now glue small cones with this like picture. let them dry proerly. Cut tiny stripes from white paper, glue them in the middle of cones. Now it's ready to decorate!!

Step 8: Aloevera Plant

Make 12/15 big cone coils by using the method I gave in previous step. Now take a cone on your hand, gently press to make a curve. Pinch the lower end to make it flat like picture. Take a green paper glue the bigger cones. Now carefully insert a round thing through it to give it a plant shape. Glue other cones one by one. Let them dry properly. Now remove the tape carefully & cut out extra paper from the bottom.

Your plant is ready!!

Step 9: Kalanchoe Laetivirens

To make this you will need 16/20 mall (4 mm in diameter) size tight coils, 5 big size (15/18 mm in diameter) coils.

Now take 2 small coils to make domes. Yake another 2 coils to glue together. Now glue dome shaped coils in both side like picture. It'll make small flower. Make 12 small flowers.

Now take the big coil and make domes. Glue them inside & then dry. Now glue the small flowers on 3 coils that we made before like the picture.

Now take another strip and crimp it by a papercrimper. Glue it around the remaining two coils.

Assemble all of them like picture with glue.

Step 10: Decoration

Now take pot.

Cut out a piece of styrofoam same size of your pot. Put it inside your pot. Glueaper on it.Now decorate it with your succulent and river rocks. Glue the rocks & succulent to keep them stable.

An amazing & beautiful mini succulent garden is ready....!!

Paper Contest 2018

Grand Prize in the
Paper Contest 2018