Discover a world of paper flowers

We love paper flowers – they’re fun to make and last so much longer than the real ones.

Just like the real world of flowers, there’s a huge variety of shapes and types of paper flowers you can create, but you don’t need to be an expert botanist to appreciate these beautiful blooms.

From quick origami blossoms to creating an epic paper flower bouquet, there’s a project to suit everyone. Be warned though – once you learn how to make paper flowers, it can become a bit addictive!

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Designer Vicky Sheridan has given us some top tips that will ensure crafty success and perfect results for your own crêpe paper flowers:

Wrap floral wires with florist tape to create more realistic stems for your crêpe paper flowers.

A cool melt glue gun is ideal for working with crêpe paper, as it has a lower temperature than a hot glue gun so it won’t burn the paper or your fingers!

Use alcohol markers around the edge of the petals and leaves for your crêpe paper flowers to add a realistic finish.

How to make paper flowers

There are three main ways of making paper flowers, with crepe paper, with craft paper, and with origami. Use these handy links to head to the method you’re after, or read on for our full list of DIY paper flowers.

Crepe paper flowers
How to make painted crepe paper flowers
Craft paper flowers
How to make a paper flower bouquet
Origami flowers

Crepe paper flowers

Using crepe paper or tissue paper is the best way to make easy paper flowers that look fabulous. The crinkly nature of this thinner paper makes it perfect for creating a realistic petal-like appearance.

1. Crepe paper tulips

If you’re looking to learn how to make paper flowers for the first time, we’d definitely recommend starting with these lovely tulips.

These paper flowers are made up of simple shapes and will introduce you to some essential techniques but without getting too fiddly. The crinkly and slightly stretchy nature of crepe paper also means that you don’t need to worry about being too perfect.

Make the Crepe paper tulip flowers from Gathered

2. Crepe paper anemones

How-to-make-tissue-paper-flowers-anemone

Ready to move on to something a bit trickier? It’s time for our Crepe paper anemones!

These fabulous flowers feature a fringed centre around a central wooden bead on a wire stem, surrounded by blousy shaped petals. It makes a stunning sculpted flower that looks fantastic and adds an extra level of detail to your paper flower arrangements.

3. Crepe paper peonies

Want your paper flowers to really have a big impact? Then you should try our Crepe paper peonies!

These are still relatively easy paper flowers to make, but ones that will also help to start developing your paper shaping. In this tutorial, we also show you how to add ombre variegation to your beautiful blooms by adding watercolour paint to your petals.

4. Tissue paper flowers

Sometimes you’ll see paper flowers described as being made from either tissue paper or crepe paper, and while there is a difference, it is a subtle one.

Crepe paper is essentially a type of tissue paper that has been given a coating to make it a bit stronger and stretchier, with a slightly wrinkled appearance.

As such, using plain tissue paper can be a bit more delicate and easy to tear. The good news is that our easy hot pink paper flowers can be made in a matter of minutes! No fancy materials needed, just some tissue paper and a little bit of craft wire is all you need!

You’ll find instructions in our how to make tissue paper flowers tutorial.

5 Daffodil paper flowers

Our favourite first sign of spring is when the beautiful bright daffodils start popping up. These iconic yellow flowers bring a much needed splash of colour back into our lives, and with our tutorial you can enjoy these beautiful blooms all year round.

The flowers in our how to make paper daffodils tutorial may look tricky, but as long as you take your time they’re actually surprisingly straightforward.

6. Make a DIY paper flower wreath

Combine crepe paper flowers with bold paper leaves and polystyrene balls in our DIY Winter wreath tutorial.

The open and closed crepe paper anemones in dainty white and pink shades really stand out against the bold green leaves. It’s so beautiful, we’ll probably keep ours on display all year round!

Crafty cuts

If you’re a fan of all things papercraft, then check out our beginner’s guide to paper cutting.

How to make painted crêpe paper flowers

Now that you've mastered making paper flowers, why not get even more creative and try a new technique with this fabulous design by Lana Red.

In this tutorial, you'll add watercolour paint to your petals to create a variegated effect. It's a subtle touch that adds a whole new dimension to your crepe paper flowers!

You will need:

Pink, coral, green and yellow crepe paper
22-gauge Green floral wire
Glue gun
Watercolour paint
You will need to download and print the template.

Step 1

Print and cut out the templates, then cut eight of each small petal and six large petals from the pink crepe paper.

Cut one stamen from the yellow paper, cutting down the thinner lines to create a fringe.

Step 2

Using a clean wet brush, dampen the petal, then paint a few drops of colour at the pointed end – we used a shade slightly darker than the crepe paper.

Step 3

Take one of the smaller petals and hold it between your thumb and index finger. Gently place both your thumbs in the centre of the petal, then pull it slightly, stretching out the centre and indenting it to create a cup shape.

Repeat with all the remaining petals.

Step 4

Heat up your glue gun, then add a drop of glue to the bottom uncut corner of the stamen piece.

Stick it onto one end of the floral wire, then tightly wrap the length of paper around the wire as shown.

Secure the end in place with another drop of glue.

Step 5

Add a drop of glue to the bottom point of one of the small petals, then press to the bottom of the stamen to secure.

The petal should wrap slightly around the wire and stay upright.

Step 6

Repeat Step 5, rotating the wire a small amount each time so the petals are evenly placed around the outside, slightly overlapping and layered on top of each other.

Once all the small petals have been added, repeat to add the larger petals around the outside.

Step 7

To cover the stem, cut a long strip from the green crepe paper.

Add a dot of glue to the end of the paper and attach it to the bottom of the wire.

Wrap the paper along the length of wire, adding dots of glue as you go, until you reach the base of the flower.

Secure the end in place with another dot of glue.

How to make a crepe paper flower peony - step 8

Repeat Steps 1-7 to make a selection of flowers from both the pink and coral crepe paper.

Stitch special petals

If you’re handy with a pair of needles or a crochet hook, make even more fab flowers with our free flower knitting patterns and crochet flower patterns.

Craft paper flowers

An alternative way of making paper flowers is by using craft paper or thin card. This method is great for making more structured flowers as the slightly stiffer paper keeps its shape better.

Creating craft paper flowers can be a bit trickier and often advises using more specialist tools such as scoring or embossing tools, or even digital cutting machines. However, you can often find suitable items/tools that you can use as an alternative in your kitchen or craft stash.

1. Super-simple paper daisy fan

Our first craft paper flower pattern is so easy that it would be a great activity to get kids involved with too!

This how to make a paper fan tutorial uses everyday items that you’d find in most homes, and is an easy introduction to paper folding.

2. How to make a paper rose

If you’re serious about creating paper flowers, then our how to make a paper rose tutorial is a more challenging make, while still being achievable.

You’ll learn how to shape and layer petals using thicker craft paper to create a stunning sculpted rose.

The tutorial includes templates for the leaf and petal shapes that can be used with a Brother Scan ‘n Cut machine, which makes cutting out specific shapes a breeze… but don’t worry if you don’t have one of these (yet), you can always use a pair of scissors or craft knife to cut them out by hand.

3. Poinsettia paper flower

Ok, so we know that Poinsettias are synonymous with Christmas, but who says these gorgeous paper flowers can’t be made all year round?

Part of our Poinsettia paper wreath tutorial, these simple but stylish flowers are great for practising layering and making precise fold/score lines with an embossing tool. Try mixing up your paper colours for a less festive looking flower.

4. How to make quilled flowers

When it comes to paper flowers, one of the most impressive forms is the art of paper quilling.

Used to make smaller-scale artworks, Quilling is a papercraft technique where you roll and manipulate thin strips of paper into coils and shapes. As this craft is quite intricate, having tools such as tweezers and a dedicated quilling tool to make your coils will make crafting so much easier and more enjoyable.

Fancy giving it a go? In our how to make quilled flowers tutorial you’ll learn how to make marvellous miniature pots of daffodils, tulips and bluebells.

5. Make a garland of paper flowers

Can’t decide between crepe paper flowers or using craft paper? Maybe you can’t decide which flowers to start with? Well our paper flower garland tutorial has you covered!

You’ll find four different flowers to make in this tutorial, with some being a combination of crepe and craft paper so you can enjoy the different textures and finishes.

Once you’ve made a whole load of pretty flowers and leaves, simply attach them to some twine and you’ve got a gorgeous garland to decorate your home!

Press those petals

Admire your garden blooms all year round by learning how to press flowers with Gathered.

How to make a paper flower bouquet

Whether you’re making paper flowers for your own enjoyment or to give as a gift, there’s no better way to display them than as a paper flower bouquet.

Of course, you can mix and match flowers to create your own custom bouquet, but we also have some fab patterns to help you create co-ordinated displays.

We’ve got two paper flower bouquet tutorials for you to try in our tutorial, choose from pretty crepe paper poppies or big blousy peonies.

And if that’s not enough for you, we’ve also rounded up some of our favourite paper flower bouquet tutorials from across the internet!

Check out our how to make a paper flower bouquet tutorial and pick your favourite!

Craft paper flower bouquet tutorial

How-to-make-a-flower-bouquet-with-paper-detail

We've also got an extra craft paper bouquet for you to try, made up of roses and carnations. This paper flower bouquet does use some specialist materials such as a scalloped circle punch, but you can always manually cut out the shapes if you don't have these.

This brightly coloured paper flower bouquet is just the thing to brighten up your room this season! Don’t worry if the flowers in your paper flower bouquet all look slightly different, as they will look more natural that way.

If you fancy it, experiment with different types of paper. Designer Sue Hughes has used copier paper, which works well for shaping petals (white copier papers can easily be coloured with inks or paint too). Crepe and tissue paper will give a soft delicate look, or you could try using printed paper from comic books or magazines to create an extra level of interest.

Here’s a top tip: You will only need a small amount of glue to stick each layer. Remember to hold each petal in place for a couple of seconds before moving on to the next one. The glue will stay tacky for a while, giving you a chance to reposition the petals.

For this paper flower bouquet you will need:

Coloured paper
Adhesive (PVA glue is ideal)
Florist wire
Florist tape
Scalloped circle punch
Daisy flower punch
Paper piercing tool
You will also need to download and print the template