Have you checked out Sister Diane's new book Kanzashi in Bloom yet? It was released yesterday (and I'll be interviewing her and featuring her work on Saturday, so check back), and is absolutely gorgeous. Kanzashi are the fabric flowers worn in Geisha hairstyles (and what internet crafters commonly call the practice of fabric folding and the creation of fabric flowers after the Japanese style). This post isn't about kanzashi, though! It's about another adaptation of a Japanese craft, Ikebana, or the art of flower arrangement.

Craftster user silverhart madet these gorgeous Japanese-inspired paper flowers out of an Ikea catalog! So creative and thrifty, and I love the final flowers. So beautiful! What an awesome way to reuse a catalogue that might otherwise end up being thrown away. You can use catalogues or old magazines to make flowers in any style you can imagine. If you use what you have on hand, this project can be completely free. [click here for project info and more photos]

These flowers would be amazing centerpieces for parties or showers, or would look fantastic as decor for your home, or a single bloom would be a pretty and unique brooch.

Project Estimate:

• An old catalogue or magazine, on hand
• Twigs and sticks from your yard, on hand
• Floral wire, $1
• Floral foam, $1
• Vase or bowl, on hand or $1

Total: $2 and up