I have decided that you all need to know step by step how to make these easy and amazing paper flowers for yourself! I am going to go through this step by step. But first, full disclosure, I do not have a fancy cutting machine, I hand cut every petal. I know, I know, seems crazy when I am putting together several for a photo backdrop or a wall in a room, but honestly, it’s not that bad. Besides, I don’t have time to learn anything that requires too much technology. Hahahahahaha
Let’s make a large paper flower!
Items needed:
- Card stock paper sheets
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Foam round
- Dowel rod to curl paper (about the size of a drum stick)
Step One – PAPER
Choose your paper! For the large flowers I use 10 of the 12 x 12 card stock sheets.
Step Two – PETALS
Let’s make our flower petals!!
Cutting the first two layers of petals. You can draw or free hand, cut 8 petals, one petal per sheet. Use as much of that piece of paper as you can! I free hand cut one and then use that first petal as a pattern for the remainder 7.
Don’t throw away your scrap paper! You are going to need some of that for the center of the flower.
Cutting your inside layers of petals. Once again for the smaller petals you can use one sheet folded in half to cut four inside petals. Use the last sheet folded in half to cut a third or final inside layer of smaller petals. You can decide how many layers of petals you wish, its all in the layering. I like to use every bit of my paper if possible, so some of my flowers have more inside layers than others.
At the bottom center of EVERY petal cut about a one inch slit to allow you to fold the petal and give it a three-dimensional look. This is one of the most important parts in making your petals look realistic. Nest, at the top of every petal you need to roll the paper backwards around some sort of wooden stick or something that can round the petals. I found that my son’s drumstick works perfectly, but a thick dowel rod would work or maybe even a fat ink pen. Roll the top rounded edge of the paper petal around the stick to make the paper curl. See where I’m going with this? It’s that easy to prepare your flower petals.
Step Three – GLUE AND LAYER
Heat up that glue gun!! Now you are ready to bring this flower to life!! Remember the slit that you cut at the bottom of each petal? You need to cross over the slit and add a dollop of hot glue so that the paper sticks together. This creates an indention in the paper that makes the petal will have a three dimensional look of a real flower petal.
Next you will hot glue that petal onto a foam round. This foam round will serve as the base to build your flower. Really you can use anything that you wish to use to secure your petals. I use the little foam rounds that looks like soccer balls or base balls from the foam project craft section at Hobby Lobby. You could also use a small paper plate. You just need something that you can glue to petals to and that you can also serve as something strong enough that won’t tear when you hang your flower.
Begin gluing your petals clockwise in the 12, 3, 6, 9 position to create your first bottom layer. Repeat the same pattern but go in between the petals that you just glued down. So, the second bottom layer will be in between 12 & 3, 3 & 6, 6 & 9, 9 & 12. Once you have your two bottom layers done then you keep repeating the process on the inside of the flower with the smaller petals that you made. Keep layering until you are satisfied with the look and then you need to make your center.
Step Four – Center of the Flower
Lastly, this may be the easiest step. I always try to use all of the paper, yes, even the scraps. I use the longest piece of scrap paper from trimming the biggest pedal to make the flower center. I fold it in half and cut little slits end to end, roll it up and put a dollop of hot glue on the end to hold it in place. Once I feel like it is secure I will hot glue it to the center of my flower. Done.
Are you ready to hang your flowers? I have hung them on my office wall using Velcro 3M Command strips OR you can use a staple gun like I did when I created the back drop for a clients wedding. You can’t mess these up, I promise, it is super duper easy! Now, go flower up some walls!! Until next time!! Don’t stop creating!!
