Choose your favourite colours, and celebrate summer blooms by making your own long lasting flowers that won’t wilt. These paper flowers look great as a centerpiece, they make awesome homemade gifts, and they’re so much fun to put together!
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Helpful Tips:
What is the best crepe paper to make flowers?
Streamers work perfectly to make smaller flowers (3 inches and under), but if you want larger flowers, you’ll need to buy sheets or larger rolls of crepe paper. There are a lot of different varieties out there, with different weights (thickness). There are benefits to each weight of paper. Thinner paper (60 gsm) is more delicate, like real flower petals. Heavier paper (180 gsm) tends to be more stretchy, with a durability that means the flower will hold its shape well.
How to make Dahlias, Marigolds, Peonies, Pom Pom Poppies, and Carnations:
Each flower is made by wrapping the crepe paper around a wire base, but they will turn out totally differently depending on the type of cuts made. The picture above shows how the different styles of cuts turn into the different flowers. Each flower starts with 48 inches of streamer, except the marigold, which starts with 24 inches.
Purple: Make pointed “picket fence” cuts make a dahlia. Orange: Cut a rounded “valley” into each strip, leaving pointed edges, to make a marigold. Pink: Cut rounded tops to make a peony. Yellow: Cut thin, pointed strips to make a pom pom poppy or dandelion. Red: Create wider strips and cut 4 small points into each section to make a carnation.
How long do crepe paper flowers last?
Crepe paper flowers should last years, if not forever, if they’re kept in the proper conditions. Keep the bouquets out of direct sunlight to avoid fading, and make sure to avoid areas with excessive moisture (like a bathroom, or next to a kitchen sink). If you need to dust the crepe paper flowers, shake or blow on them gently. You can also use a hairdryer on a low, cool setting to remove dust particles.
What can I do with my crepe paper flowers?
Place the crepe paper flowers in a vase for a centerpiece at a wedding or anniversary dinner, or use a single flower in a bud vase for a table setting. Homemade paper flowers also make for a thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day, or just because. You can also use these flowers as hair decorations, either placing one bloom behind your ear or turning a group of flowers into a flower crown. Use a crepe paper flower with its wire cut off in place of a gift bow on a present for a fun, homemade touch. Finally, add a DIY element to your spring or summer decor by adding the crepe paper flowers to a wreath or turning them into a garland.
It’s crazy how real these crepe paper flowers look! We had so much fun creating the different varieties, and we love how the colourful bouquet of paper flowers looks gathered together in a vase.
Here’s even more flower craft ideas:
Paper Hyacinth Flowers
Ribbon Flowers Craft
Coffee Filter Flowers
Pom Pom Dandelions
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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