Paper florist on how to create paper rangoli that lasts throughout Diwali

Imagine a rangoli that lasts for days even after Diwali is overmdashand one that you can reuse every year While traditional rangolis chalked in colourful patterns last only as long as the windmdashor fidgety kids and nosy petsmdashpermit paper rangolis like paper florist Uurmi Bhatiarsquos creations can be featured year after yearThe paper florist is vocal about the love and dedication that goes into crafting paper flowers The love of crafting runs in the family it was Bhatiarsquos mother who instilled a love for paper crafts in her Be it paper flowers stained glass paintings oil paintings baking or embroideryhellip her mother taught it all ldquoWe were four sisters and all of us have taken up some form of artwork as a legacyrdquo she smilesThis paper rangoli created by paper florist Uurmi Bhatia can be made using a few sheets of chart paper as a twist on the traditional chalk rangoli PicsAnurag AhireCreating paper flowers was the first thing she learned from her mother as a child an activity shersquos been involved with for the past 30 years Mi Ikigai her paper floral art platform which she runs out of her home in Sion was founded six years ago with the purpose of turning her passion into a formal profession Ask her how she captures the intricacies of nature into her detailed paper works and she says ldquoPaper is so versatilemdashthere is so much you can do with itrdquo To get the look of the flower right she studies the flower if itrsquos available with florists near her or else looks up images online ldquoThe idea is to deconstruct the entire flower petal by petal and read about where it comes from what the petalsrsquo textures are like and how its colours appearrdquoCrafting paper flowers requires patience and a lot of time ldquoTake a paper hydrangea for example each one would take around three to four hours to make from scratchrdquo she explains ldquoCommissions for paper flowers take anywhere between 10 days to a month to completerdquoFor the paper rangoli shersquos conceptualised specially for midday Bhatia says shersquos come up with a design that anyone can replicate ldquoIt was interesting to come up with a paper rangoli which Irsquove never done beforerdquo she tells us as she prepares to put together the deepblue flowers for the rectangular rangoli design While Indian crepe paper also known as doublet crepe paper is what she normally works with shersquos created the paper flowers using card stock paper aka what we colloquially call chart paperldquoFor the flowers Irsquove added gold lines and patterns inspired from Indian textlies because we believe that wearing a lot of gold during our festivities attracts abundancerdquo she says ldquoThe rangoli if stored properly can last for about two yearsrdquo Paper rangolis are not only easier to maintain Bhatia feels but also a creative outlet for expressing gratitude towards natureThe beauty of natural flora inspires the paper florist of course in an art form like hers that draws closely from the natural world ldquoCrafting paper flowers is an overwhelming process because yoursquore trying to mimic nature which is already so perfectrdquo she explains ldquoPersonally roses are my favourite Every time I make a paper rose I fall in love with the real thingrdquoHow to create a paper rangoliStep 1Yoursquoll need about two to three sheets of 120 GSM thickness depending on the number of flowers you need to make Keep a gold marker floral wires and a glue gun handy as wellStep 2Cut out the leaves and petals as per your requirements The size of the petals should be according to the number of layers you need if you are doing a threelayered flower ensure that the petals of each layer are different sizesStep 3Curl the edges of the petals with the blades of a closed scissor Be gentle so that you donrsquot end up ripping the paperStep 4Slit the petal in the middle and use the glue gun to stick one edge over the other so that it gains a curved shape like a real petalStep 5Start pasting the petals on a circular base each subsequent petal slightly overlapping the other Start with the largest layer of petals and then move onto the smaller layersStep 6For the flowerrsquos centre fold a piece of cardstock paper in half lengthwise and make incisions along the folded edge Then start rolling the cut paper around itself and glue it to the centre of the flowerStep 7Once yoursquore done with the flowers glue the leaves to the floral wire Add as many leaves as you want without cluttering the stemStep 8For the final decorations add marigolds in patterns as you like or any real flowers you feel like adding to enhance the decoration Add doublesided tape to the underside of the rangoli to keep it in place