DIY: Paper Flowers
DIY Paper Flowers
Just last week, I was driving in Hillsboro Village (a cute shopping and dining area in Nashville) when I looked over at one of my favorite stores (Social Graces) to see these darling white paper flowers covering their windows. I almost had a wreck. I HAD to find out how they made those. Lucky me there was a craft night just a few days later where Erin Duffy of Social Graces taught us how to make them. Now, I get to teach you! Thanks, Erin!
These paper flowers were strung together and hung in the window. I think they would make fabulous garlands for an outdoor party or even made in holiday colors for inside decorations. Match them with your party colors or use white for a wedding! There really is no “right or wrong”, just learn the steps, get creative, and have fun. Add in your own element like rimming the edges in glitter or using different sheets of patterned paper.
What you’ll need:
Scissors
Thick Cardstock (I used white, but get creative and use colors or even old book pages)
Brads (regular and “mini” size)
Hot glue
Using a thick cardstock (I used 80 pound linen white cardstock), cut out of 5 sheets (I stacked and cut through all of them at once) a petal shape.
Use a regular size metal brad at one end of the petals. I used a hole punch to make the hole first. Then spread out your petals (I had 5 petals, this number works best for this step). Then use a touch of hot glue under each petal so they stay spread out.
Make your next layer of petals. With this set, make a few more (6 to 8). Use a regular or mini size brad just like you did with the first set. Insert it in one end of the paper petals and spread out the petals.
Get creative with this layer of petals by rolling them up so that when they unfold they have a real “flower petal” look. Or another fun trick is folding them back and forth (accordion style – or ‘paper fan’ style). Or consider tearing the edges for a more vintage look. Get creative! Then, put a dab of hot glue down on your first brad and stick the next set’s brad on top to glue them together.
Just like you did with the first set of petals, use a dab of glue around each petal so it stays spread out. For the 3rd (and last set), fold 2 sheets of your paper into quarters and cut small petals out (between 6 and 8). Using a small brad, just like with the first two sets, insert the brad and spread the petals out.
Glue down the 3rd brad to the 2nd brad with a dab of hot glue. Then for a cute topper, I rolled strips of paper up like above and glued them down. Below you’ll see two finished flowers. The 2nd one was made using the accordion style folding for the 2nd set of petals.
Here I used old book pages to make a paper flower. It was a bit more difficult as the pages were not thick cardstock. It did not hold its shape quite as well though I still like how it turned out. These would be neat for a vintage outdoor party.
I love this DIY! I really love the flowers that are made with pages of books. I just love that look.
Love the way these paper flowers look!!
Ooooh…pretty! Thank you for the tip!
: )
Julie M.
That window display is STUH ~ NING!!! Awesome DIY instructions! Can’t wait to try!
Thx C, you never disappoint!!! Like EVER!!! lol
Genevieve (AKA Superchick!)
http://www.celebrate2day.com
Fabulous! I can’t wait to try these.
LOVE these!! I made a bunch of fabric flowers last night and I see paper flowers in my future for today. Thanks for the tutorial!
I saw something similar to this several years ago on a Martha Stewart show and I made a ton of them and hung them on our Christmas tree. The white lights on our tree really illuminated the flowers and I got so many compliments on how great our tree looked. Unfortunately, the flowers did not store well and I had to pitch them the next year when I unpacked our Christmas decor.
These are super cute! Love all the varieties of flowers!
These are soooo cool! I can’t wait to cover everything in paper flowers. My hubs won’t know what hit him…
I’m in love with these flowers! Such classic simplicity. Trying to think of a way I could incorporate them into my son & fiance’s fall wedding. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Very cute! Wish I had seen this before my wedding :)
Would fabric stiffener spray help the book page flower hold it’s shape?
Stephanie, I think this is a really good idea! I will have to try it!
I love this window display! The white color really allows the texture to take center stage. Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I just did a wreath using a mix of vintage book pages and vintage crepe paper and fabric flowers, so I’m especially loving all things “paper flowers”!
~Amanda
I love this! I think these would be a great addition to any bridal shower or a fun backdrop for a dessert buffet at any party!
Thanks for the inspiration!!!
wonderful tips. Thank you Love this
These look great–white paper plates work well too. The curvature and ridges add interesting texture.
Hello,
My name is Stephanie and I am writing an article for a bridal magazine. I am looking for a bride/newlywed who tried this DIY craft! I want to hear your story, please email me at: scorcilius@mail.roosevelt.edu. Thank you!
love love love these….would be cool made out personalized wrapping paper with monograms etc…thanks for sharing!
What an awesome DIY! Thanks for sharing such a fab idea, and so detailed!
Love the display in the window. Now I just need to find a reason to make these-love.