How to Make Paper Corsages

Making a paper corsage is a fun way to make any occasion more festive as well as provide a keepsake for the guest of honor, or all attendees, at a celebration. In some cases, a paper corsage may work better than a more formal floral corsages. They are inexpensive, quick to make in large numbers and possess a staying power that fresh flowers cannot.

Things You'll Need

• craft tissue paper
• crepe paper
• floral wire
• floral tape
• scissors
• pinking shears
• wire-clippers
• artificial fern or other leaves from the craft store, if wanted
• colored pipe-cleaners (in colors for flower centers and stamens)
• wired or plain corsage ribbon
• corsage pins

Instructions

Basic techniques

1. Cut tissue paper in 3-4 inch circles with scissors or pinking shears to make the simplest paper corsage flowers--carnations.
   Begin with a single circle, then practice with several at once for fuller flowers. To turn the circle into a flower approximately 2 inches in diameter, grasp the center of the circle with finger and thumb. Holding the rest of the circle loosely (make a circle with your fingers), twist the center until you have gathered the tissue into a flower shape.

2. Cut a length of floral wire twice as long as you want your stem. Twist middle of wire once or twice around the twisted center of your flower, then loosely twist the ends to form the stem. Cover wire with floral tape, winding it in overlaps down the stem. Your flower is now ready to be made into a corsage.

3. Make two or three more carnations, just for practice, then use floral tape to bind them together in the shape you want for your corsage. Cut leaves from crepe paper or add artificial leaves from the craft store, securing them with tape. Clip stems as needed, turning down ends to prevent sharp wire ends. Add ribbon bow and your corsage pin.

Flowers with petals

1. Cut 3-4 inch circles from crepe paper or heavy craft tissue paper. Cut radiating lines from circle edge to center, leaving a 1/2 inch diameter circle uncut in the center of the circle. Twist as you would a carnation. For greater fullness and resemblance to a petaled flower, curve outer petals over your index finger. Try cutting lines, as above, then cutting curved or rounded tips on petals.

2. Make an easy center for your petaled flower with a thin pipecleaner. For a button center, twist the end of a pipecleaner around a pencil or thin knitting needle to make a small spiral. Poke pipecleaner through the center of your paper circle before you begin sculpting your flower. Wrap with tape along with stem-wires and clip with wire-cutters.

3. Vary the sizes of your flowers by cutting some smaller circles for buds. Two inch circles are a good size for practice. Cut thinner petals and twist gently. Add wire stem, then begin wrapping floral tape halfway up your bud and working down.

Making paper roses

1. Cut tissue or crepe paper in strips to make roses in various sizes. The slight stretchiness of crepe paper makes it more manageable when learning to make roses. Cut strips 6 inches to 8 inches long and 3 inches wide to make buds. Fold strip in half lengthwise. Keep folded edge on the outside of your rose. Make several 1/4 inch pleats in the beginning end of your strip. Transfer pleated end to your pinch/twist fingers. Wrap paper around pleated core, making other small pleats, folds and pulls as needed to imitate a rosebud shape. Bind with several twists from the center of your stem-wire and proceed as with other flowers.

2. Cut strips from 12 to 18 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide to make larger roses. Begin with a pleated core--even full-blooming roses often have several center petals. Wrap, fold and pleat to add layers of petals. For very large roses, some crafters like to begin securing the center of the flower with wire once they have added a layer or two of petals, then going on. If you begin to feel you have run out of hands, try this technique instead of losing your grip.

3. Remember that one of the appeals of roses is their subtleties of color. You can achieve a rose-like effect by using two layers of crepe or tissue paper folded together--white over pale pink, pale yellow over peach. Techniques remain the same, whether you are using one layer of paper or two. The classic corsage accompaniment for roses is fern. For an elegant corsage, artificial fern from the craft store makes a fine finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Paper corsages can be used for lots of occasions when real ones seem a little too much or excessively expensive. Consider making them to enhance little-girl dress-up and tea-parties (hold them on with masking tape instead of pins). They make a nice appreciation token for your favorite grocery-store checker or drug-store clerk. They also make a great Brownie project--make them for each girl and teach her how to do it all at the same time.