Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Day by Day  Crafting!

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Bread Dough Roses

One of my favorite craft projects has been creating these cute little roses to embellish my wreaths, frames, and hair pieces.     

Today we discover what's in a rose.  

In this world of healthy living we soon forget that white bread has its place.  I love working with white bread.  It is so versatile.  Crumble it, paint it, mold it (not literally), white bread rocks!

Take a look at these cute roses made with only three ingredients: white bread, glue, and paint.  They are so simple and last so long. 

I use them in so many things.  The beauty of these roses is they are so simple and last so long.

To make a rose you will need:

bread slices

white glue

paint or food coloring

zip lock bag
paint brush

Making Your Rose

Begin by crumbling your bread slice until it is fine.  You can do this in a processor, or just between your fingers. Put the bread crumbs into the ziploc bag.  Squirt in some white glue.  I don't measure, I just estimate.  I can always add more as needed, or crumble some more bread if I get too much.  

After doing this a few times you get to know how much you will need for the quantity of roses you want to make.

Once your glue is in, choose a paint or coloring.  I like to use the little acrylic paints as they are small and come in so many colors.  Squirt in a good tablespoon or more to get started.   Zip the bag shut leaving just a small opening for air flow.  This will keep the crumbs contained, but still give you the ability to ventilate.  

Now you knead the mixture.  If all of the particles stick together well you are set, but if it is too dry, or if the color is not as you like, squirt in some more glue and paint until you get the consistency you desire.

It's time to get your hands dirty! 

Reach in and grab some dough.  Begin rolling it in your hands until a nice dough forms.  Your hands will get very messy and covered in paint, but will clean up easily with soap and water. ( I usually wash up between the rolling into a ball and beginning to form the petals.)

 

   


Pull off a piece from the ball of dough and flatten it between your fingers.   Make it as thin as possible.  I find that the fingers are the perfect size to measure a petal.  If you squeeze the petal just a tad larger than your thumb it will be perfect for your center.  Now start at one side of the petal and roll.  You will be forming the center "bud" of the rose (4th mini pic). 

Rip another piece from you dough ball.  Flatten.  Place it around the bud and glue the bottom to the base of the bud. (White glue dries clear so don't worry about this step.)  Shape the top of your petal to create the look you desire.  Keeping the petal close to the bud will create a tight bud or rose that appears to be just opening.  Pulling back the petal top will create the base for a fully opened finished rose. 

Continue pulling off pieces, flattening, gluing, and shaping until your rose is the desired size for your project.  Paint on a thin coating of white glue over the entire rose and set aside to dry (over night works best).   I set them in inverted bottle caps to dry.  It keeps them upright throughout the drying process. Save those caps!  You never know when you'll need them.  

Once dry, paint them again with white glue.  It will create a shiny beautiful look to your roses and will naturally preserve them for your projects.  

The last step is to decorate!  
These roses are perfect for Valentine's crafts and decorations.
Use them in  all your projects.  Enjoy!