How to make a paper flower wreath

Decorate your door with our DIY paper flower wreath by Sarah Matthews.

Try 6 issues of your choice of craft magazine from just £9.99

Published: April 25, 2024 at 9:16 am

With it's stylish colour scheme an contemporary style, this paper flower wreath is so beautiful you don't need to wait until Christmas for an excuse to show it off!

The talented Sarah Matthews has recreated sprigs of eucalyptus, blousy anemones, and delicate roses all out of paper, with an attention to detail that’ll earn this realistic garland a double-take.

Studded with berries in complementary hues of red, pink, gold, and white, this intricate piece is wound around a gold ring to add a clean elegance to the modern foliage and blooms.

It's a beautifully modern DIY paper flower wreath that will have people looking at it in awe. Hang it on your door or display it proudly inside your home – no real flowers or foliage harmed.

undefined

With templates supplied for each individual leaf and petal, you can easily craft your own version. All you need is a quiet afternoon, a steady hand, and a few flower arranging essentials – festive background music optional, DIY winter wreath a must-have.

Wreath making

Wonderful wreaths

We love any excuse to get crafty and make a new wreath! Discover loads of inspiring projects in our guide on how to make a wreath for every occasion.


DIY Paper flower wreath

how to make a paper flower wreath square

You will need:

You will also need to download and print these templates


Step 1

Use wire cutters to cut 22 x 6cm (238") lengths of floral wire.

Take one length and apply a small amount of hot glue to one end, then quickly push it into the centre of a 1cm (38") polystyrene ball.

Repeat with the remaining wires.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step01


Step 2

Paint seven polystyrene balls using pink paint, five using red paint, and five using gold paint. Leave five balls white.

Once dry, group the berries in twos and threes, as shown, twisting the wires together to secure them.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step02


Step 3

Using the templates, cut 20 round eucalyptus leaves from the sage green paper: four small, four medium, four large and four extra large. To prepare the eucalyptus sprigs, cut two 12cm (4¾") lengths of floral wire.

Separate the eucalyptus leaves into two groups, with two small, two medium and two large leaves in each group. Put two extra large leaves into one group, and six extra large leaves into the other.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step03


Step 4

To make the eucalyptus sprigs, use quick-drying glue to attach the leaves to each wire in pairs, one on either side of the wire, starting at the top of with the smallest pair, as shown.

After sticking on each pair of leaves, wrap floral tape around the paper stems and the wire, roughly 1-1.5cm (38 - 58") down, then add the next pair of leaves. Continue until both groups of leaves are attached to both wires.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step04


Step 5

Using the templates, cut out 60 long eucalyptus leaves – 30 from dark green paper and 30 from sage green paper.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step05

Cut 30 x 8cm (318") lengths of floral wire, then glue a piece of wire down the centre of each sage green leaf.

Apply a thin layer of quick-drying glue to one side of each dark green leaf, then press onto the sage green leaves, sandwiching the wire between the two. Press together with the bone folder, then repeat with the remaining leaves and wire.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step06


Step 6

Wrap each long eucalyptus leaf’s wire with floral tape. Take two of the leaves and hold their stems together with one leaf positioned higher than the other. Wrap the two stems together from the base of the leaves down, adding in new leaves as you go.

Make one eucalyptus sprig with 25 leaves and one with five leaves.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step07


Step 7

Using the templates, cut four variegated leaves from the dark green paper and five from the sage green paper.

Fold each one in half down the centre, then use short brush strokes in light green paint to colour the edges of each of the leaves, as shown.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step08


Step 8

Cut nine 8cm (318") lengths of floral wire. Use quick-drying glue to attach a wire to the back of each variegated leaf, along the fold.

Separate the leaves into two groups of three leaves, leaving three single leaves. Use floral tape to bind the wire ends of the grouped leaves together.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step09


Step 9

Using the templates, cut 38 large petals from white crepe paper, eight small petals from white crepe paper and 32 small petals from pink crepe paper. Cut with the grain of the crepe running vertically through each petal.

Round out each petal by holding it with your thumbs in the centre, then pulling them gently apart to stretch it out.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step10


Step 10

Use the wire cutters to cut three 6cm (238") lengths of floral wire. Use hot glue to attach a 1cm (38") polystyrene ball onto the end of each wire, using the same technique as Step 1. Paint the polystyrene balls black.

Using the templates, cut 38 large petals from white crepe paper, eight small petals from white crepe paper and 32 small petals from pink crepe paper. Cut with the grain of the crepe running vertically through each petal.

Round out each petal by holding it with your thumbs in the centre, then pulling them gently apart to stretch it out.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step11


Step 11

Cut two strips of white crepe paper and one strip of pink crepe paper measuring 2 x 7cm (¾ x 2¾"). Brush a strip of black paint along one long edge of each of the three strips, around 0.5cm (¼") thick.

Use scissors to fringe the painted edges, making the cuts a couple of millimetres apart, and finishing 0.5cm (¼") from the bottom edge.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step12


Step 12

Apply lines of quick-drying glue to the bottom edge of each strip, then wrap one strip around each wire, just below the black polystyrene ball, to create the centre of an anemone.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step13


Step 13

To make one large anemone, take eight large white petals. Use quick-drying glue to attach two layers of four petals around the fringed centre, off-setting the second layer.

Repeat this process with eight small white petals to make a small white anemone, and with eight small pink petals to make a small pink anemone.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step14


Step 14

Use the wire cutters to cut two 6cm (238") lengths of floral wire. Use hot glue to attach a 1.5cm (58") polystyrene ball onto the end of one wire and a 2cm (¾") polystyrene ball onto the other.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step15


Step 15

Take 10 large white petals and 10 small pink petals. Use quick-drying glue to stick the large white petals onto the large polystyrene ball, positioning them so the first three petals meet at the centre top of the ball, then the remaining petals graduate outwards around the ball, all cupping the ball tightly.

Repeat with the small pink petals on the small polystyrene ball.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step16


Step 16

Take the remaining 20 large white petals and use quick-drying glue to stick them around the white centre from Step 15 in layers.

Repeat with the remaining 14 small pink petals and pink centre.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step17


Step 17

Fold the ribbon in half around the top of the gold ring to make a loop for hanging.

To assemble, arrange the foliage and flowers asymmetrically onto the ring, using the main image as a guide. Wind the wire stems of some elements around the ring, and bind the others to the ring with floral tape.

how to make a paper flower wreath - step18


paper folding

Fab folds

If you can't get enough of papercraft makes, check out our complete guide to paper folding.


Get creative with your paper flower wreath

We love the styling and colours of this paper flower wreath, but of course there's no reason that you can't mix it up! Try using different coloured paper, or adding less leaves and more flowers. As long as you follow the basic techniques used in this flower wreath tutorial, you can really get creative and find your own style!

More paper flowers to make

If you want to try incorporating some alternative blooms into your wreath, there's loads to inspire you in our library of paper flower patterns on Gathered.

paper flower patterns