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Floral Angels

Description:
Small (usually 4 inch high) angel with a flower as a skirt.

Uses:
I have used it as a package decoration for gifts, wreath projects, Christmas ornaments, mobiles etc.

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Here is a list of things you will need to do this project:
hot glue gun
scissors
pliers
silk or plastic flower (I usually use roses)
wide ribbon (3 inch wired works best)
narrow ribbon in colors matching the flower
small angel wings
small doll head (wired)
arms (left and right)

To make the body:
cut a 3 inch strip of the 3 inch ribbon to make a square
cut the square in half lengthwise
make a tube with one of the halves to form the bodice (I usually narrow one end to imitate a waistline.)

To make the sleeves:
cut the other half of the ribbon lengthwise at a slight diagonal so that you have 2 fairly even strips of ribbon with a wide and a narrow side. the Wider side needs to be approx. an inch long and the narrow should measure about half an inch
using the hot glue gun, run a narrow bead of glue around the wrist of an arm and glue the narrow end of one of the ribbon pieces (diagonal cut towards the thumb)around it to form a tube
continue to secure the ribbon up the arm until the arm is completely covered by ribbon. The wider side should be slightly open forming a "V"
repeat for the other arm

Putting it all together:
If the flower has a stem remove it leaving only the silk part of the flower.
Run a bead of glue around the narrow end of the bodice, and stick it to the stem side of the flower.
The backside of your angel is the part of the bodice with the hot-glue seam. Trim the wide side of the sleeves to a length where your angel won't have ape-like arms, and attach to the very center of the upper part of the back of the bodice. If you've done it right, you should be able to bend the arm and touch the waist with the hand. The arms are really the toughest part to do, so experiment and take your time. Remember that anything hot-glued on can be easily pulled off.
Once you have both arms attached, then you can attach the wings. Just glue them right on top of where you just glued the sleeves. There, wasn't that easy?
now you get to put on the head. the wire on the head is usually about twice as long as you need. if you want to attach something to the bottom of the skirt (Bells are nice on a wreath) then just poke it on through where the stem used to be on the flower, going through the tube that made up the bodice, until it comes out the bottom side. Else, cut off about half of the wire and poke it through.
attach the head to the back of the bodice with a bead of hot glue. Coil any extra wire with a pair of pliers so it's not noticeable on the bottom of the skirt.
now take that narrow ribbon (or narrow lace is nice) and cut off about a 2 inch strip.
flatten the top side of the bodice so it looks like a torso.
glue the ribbon side to side on the top inside of the bodice and in front of the head to cover the spot where the shoulders should be. That way you don't have a gaping hole. I've also filled it with glittery hot glue. It made a nice effect)
now cut off about 3 inch strip of ribbon and attach it around the waist to cover the glue and you're done

Hints and Ideas:
Here's some tips. I like to brush the doll's hair and make a little headband out of ribbon to hold it back. I've made some interesting variations on this for Fall using Autumn leaves instead of wings and Fall-type flowers for skirts. I call them my "Fall Fairies". Each of my little angels has her own personalities. Depending on what type of angel she is, a few of those tiny decorative flowers in her hands or maybe a doll's mirror if she looks like she might be vain, might be nice. Tiny teddy bears or miniature food items might sometimes be appropriate. Remember, there's nothing that covers a bad sleeve job better than a big bouquet of tiny flowers. I hope you have fun with this craft and let me know how it turns out. If you're having any trouble with it, let me know and I'll be glad to help you.


©Lyz Pollock 2000, All rights reserved.