How do I Make Easy Artificial Flowers?

Make tissue paper roses in brilliant colors.

Some silk flowers are almost indistinguishable from real flowers. They have their place in your home's decor because you don't have to replace them every week like you do fresh flowers. While it may be too time consuming and difficult to make fabric flowers from scratch, it's easy to make artificial flowers from crepe paper, felt or tissue paper. They don't look real but that's part of their appeal. Make big tissue paper roses in colors and sizes that aren't found in nature.

Things You'll Need

• Colored tissue paper 20 inches by 25 inches
• Scissors
• Pipe cleaners
• Masking tape

Instructions

1. Lay out five sheets of tissue paper on a flat surface with the narrower end facing you.

2. Fold over 1 inch of the paper away from you. Flip the stack of papers over and fold over another 1 inch away from you. Continue folding the paper into accordion pleats until you reach the end. Round the ends of the folded paper with scissors, cutting through all the layers.

3. Fold a pipe cleaner around the middle of the stack of accordion pleats. Squeeze the paper together with your fingers. Don't let go of the tissue paper. Twist the pipe cleaner very tightly around the pleats where it's been squeezed together. Let go of the paper where you've squeezed it together. The pipe cleaner should hold it in place now. You now have a 1-inch wide and 25-inch long rectangle of folded paper with the middle squeezed by the pipe cleaner.

4. Spread the layers of tissue paper apart with your hands, starting at the outside of one rectangle. Spread the other sheets of paper apart on the other side of the pipe cleaner.

5. Fluff the layers. Hold the "rose" in your non-dominant fist at the bottom right below where you've used the pipe cleaner squeezed in the middle. Squeeze the paper together for about an inch upward. This makes the rose tighter. Wrap masking tape around where you've squeezed. It will be hidden by the fullness of the rose.

Tips & Warnings

• Use glitter and metallic tissue papers for frankly fake flowers.

• Vary the size of the roses by using smaller sheets of tissue paper.

• Tissue paper will bleed color when wet. Be careful with drinks when working.

References

• Arizona Central: Paper Flowers

Resources

• Teacher Vision: Paper Flowers