Bougainvillea belongs to the four-o’clock family and is a native plant of South America. Some species have thorns. Some are woody. But only the woody vines are popular the world over. Some varieties are grown indoors and outdoors and are quite showy, belonging to the genus Bougainvillea. Before we proceed with the details of the paper flower, let us know the characteristic features of the same.
Paper Flower – Characteristics
They are as follows-
- The flowers are inconspicuous but have vibrant and bright-coloured papery bracts surrounding them. This applies to one of the species from Brazil called B.glabra. This species is referred to as the paper flower.
- The bracts range from magenta to purple and even lighter shades and hues.
- The stem of B.glabra is around 60 feet to 100 feet long (equivalent to 20 mts to 30 mts) in warmer climates.
- Bougainvilleas are quite hardy warm climate plants.
Art of Paper Flower Decorations
The history of paper flower decoration can be traced back several centuries. Interestingly, origami is one of the earliest forms of paper flower design art. Earlier, these designs were primarily made for religious and ceremonial occasions. These days, paper flowers have emerged as an accessible, affordable, and versatile art form. These features allow you to express creativity and individuality through these paper flower designs.
Since laying your hands on innumerable paper flowers for decoration is not always possible, you will find that people go to any length to replace or substitute the real ones with handmade stuff. This handmade paper flower requires a lot of precision and intricacy to make it look realistic and appropriate for any occasion. This is why, perhaps at Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2009 show of Haute Couture, around 7000 white paper flowers were handmade. They adorned the railings on the entry stairways and around the columns of the rooms. However, artisans have been making it designs all over the world. Let us see how.
Paper Flower Designs
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China
As soon as paper was invented in China in 100 BC, they started using it for decorating lanterns, fans, and other household stuff. They would place the flowers in a container with water, floating on water, a mark for religious offerings.
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Mexico
As soon as the paper was founded in Europe, it spread like wildfire to the rest of the continent. The first paper flower in Mexico was used for decorating altars at home and in churches. However, the colour preference was on the muted side.
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Europe
In Europe, if you belonged to a specific class, as a woman, you were not supposed to work but stay busy. And there was no better way to take up crafting as a means to satisfy both the prerequisites. During this time, using paper flowers, designing them, and making them as part of art and craft became very common and popular.
The paper flower will always hold significance, regardless of the country of its origin or usage. These elegant, vibrant-looking flowers have always been a part of the social setup and will continue to do so in the future.
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