How to Make a Shredded Flower Pin

Paper allows watercolors to spread and blend into beautiful patterns.

Making attractive and enjoyable paper crafts is a fun way to keep kids and the young at heart busy when it's activity time and the weather doesn’t allow you to be outdoors. Simple shredded paper will give your craft a unique look in which each petal in the flower differs from all other petals. The softer the paper, the more gently you will need to tear the paper, but softer paper will allow you to manipulate the petals easier. Combine sheets of colored tissue paper to create colorful detail, or use white tissue paper and watercolors to create unique color shades as the paper wicks the paint toward the center of your flower.

Things You'll Need

• Tissue paper
• Ruler
• Binder clip
• Pipe cleaner
• Floral tape
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Bar pin
• Watercolor
• Paintbrush
• Spray adhesive
• Glitter

Instructions

1. Lay a sheet of 20-by-24-inch tissue paper on a flat surface and fold it in fourths. Sharpen the folds by running your finger along each fold line. Use a ruler or other straightedge pressed against the folds to tear the paper down the creases to create four 10-by-12-inch sheets.

2. Fold one 10-by-12-inch sheet in half to create a 10-by-6-inch sheet, then accordion-pleat the sheet into 1.25-inch folds. Sharpen the creases and begin to tear down each crease, leaving a 1-inch margin in the middle to keep the tissue paper together. Lay the paper on the flat surface and point all the shredded edges up. Roll the tissue paper from the folded end into a tight tube. Clip the folded end with a binder clip to keep the tube rolled.

3. Repeat the folding, pleating, creasing and tearing process on the next piece of tissue paper. Remove the binder clip from the rolled tissue paper and lay the tube on one edge of the second sheet with the folds matched. Roll the second sheet around the first sheet and clip the folded edges together. Repeat this with the third and fourth sheets of shredded tissue paper.

4. Tear 2-inch-by-8-inch strips of green tissue paper for leaves. Insert a pipe cleaner into the center of the shredded flower tube and twist the tissue paper around the pipe cleaner. Wrap green floral tape in a spiral around the twisted paper and around the pipe cleaner stem. Fold one leaf strip in half and twist the fold around the stem. Secure the leaves onto the stem by wrapping it in place with the floral tape. Add additional leaves as desired.

5. Hot-glue a 3/4-inch bar pin to the flower where you began wrapping the floral tape. Allow the glue to cool. Crumple the shredded tissue paper ends and fluff them into a flower shape.

6. Wet a paintbrush with diluted watercolor and lightly brush the paint against the ends of the petals. Allow the paint to wick from the paintbrush onto the paper and slowly spread. Continue touching the paintbrush to the shredded paper ends until you like the color. Use different colors to create a variegated approach. Allow the flower to dry.

7. Refluff the flower and carefully separate any petals that stuck together during the painting. Spray the fluffed flower petals with spray adhesive and sprinkle immediately with iridescent glitter. Allow the flower to completely dry before wearing it.