How to Make 4th of July Paper Flowers

Fourth of July paper flowers.

Fourth of July parties are a popular summer event for Americans, featuring barbecues, fireworks and family and friends. When it comes time to invite loved ones over for a 4th of July party, decorations are essential. Fourth of July paper flowers are a beautiful and easy way to decorate the house for Independence Day festivities.

Things You'll Need

• Red, white and blue sheets of tissue paper
• Scissors
• Cotton balls
• Pen or sharp tip
• Three straws
• Short vase or water glass
• Glue
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Draw a three-pointed star on the white tissue paper that is 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Draw as many of the stars as you can, without overlapping, on a single sheet of white tissue paper. Repeat this step on the red and blue tissue paper.

2. Cut out the three-pointed stars with your scissors. Be gentle when you're cutting, because tissue paper tears easily.

3. Take one white paper star and put a small circle of glue around the center of the star. Glue another white paper star on top of the first one, turning it slightly so the points aren't perfectly lined up. Repeat this step with the rest of the white paper stars until you have a series of layered stars.

4. Repeat step 3 for the red and blue paper stars, so you have three flowers: red, white and blue.

5. Wait 15 minutes, until you are sure that the glue has dried thoroughly on the paper flowers. Take your pen or other sharp point, and poke holes in the center of all the paper flowers, just large enough for the straw to fit through. The flowers will stay stuck together because you glued them around the edge of the flower's center.

6. Stick one straw through the center of each flower, until it sticks out about 3 inches out through the center of the flower. Collect scraps of leftover tissue paper. Take one piece of scrap tissue paper and apply glue to one side of it. Wrap the tissue paper glue-side down onto the straw, around the tip of the straw that is sticking through the center of the flower. Repeat this step for all the other flowers.

7. Wait 15 minutes, or until the glue has dried completely on the straws. Pull the straw back down through the flower, until only the tip that is covered in tissue paper is showing. This will be the stamen and pistil of the 4th of July paper flowers.

8. Repeat the previous steps to create a large bouquet of flowers, or just take the three flowers and put them in a small cup or vase.

References

• 4th of July Tissue Paper Flowers