Making a bouquet of tissue paper flowers is easier than you might think. Although it does involve many steps, each flower takes about 5-7 minutes to complete – less once you get the hang of the process. Because you are using wooden dowels instead of pipe cleaners, these paper flowers are able to stand alone in a vase. Just throw a few marbles or pebbles in for color!
To start, you will need the following items:
- Wood dowels (cut to desired length – I cut them in thirds – or you can cut them in varying lengths. Alternately you can use smaller diameter pre-cut ones)
- Green spray paint (optional)
- Green florists tape (most craft stores will carry this)
- 1 roll of black crepe streamer
- 1 package of tissue paper or crepe paper in your desired color(s)
- Scissors
- Vase
- Green ribbon (optional)
The day before you want to make your flowers, cut and spray the wood dowels to give them time to dry. This step is not required, but it makes it much easier later.
When the dowels are dry, it’s time to start! Open the package of tissue paper & cut across the small fold at the bottom. This will make sure that all of the flowers have the same size petals – and it’s the easiest way to cut them! If you want to, you can cut them with decorative edge scissors at each end at this time.
Cut a piece of the black streamer about 6-8 inches long. Starting at one end, slowly wrap the crepe around the dowel (setting the dowel about ½ way up the crepe at the short end). Wrap the crepe streamer around the dowel, and tape down with the florist tape. Pull the tape taunt & press it down to the wood to seal it
When the tape is sealed, take your scissors and snip the open end of the crepe and gently fold down the layers to make the center of the flower.
Next, pick up a half sheet of tissue paper and fold it in half length-wise. With the folded edge at the base of the florist tape, begin to wrap the tissue around the dowel. This is where the fun begins! To make a hibiscus (like I did) do a large fan fold as you wrap the tissue (I folded it back about an inch every inch that I wrapped). The larger the space between the folds, the more open your flower will be. The smaller the space between the folds, the tighter the blossom will be.
I usually make hibiscus looking flowers and poppy looking flowers, although I experimented with a daisy* the other day as well – more on that later! Poppy’s are the easiest, because you don’t have to hold as much folded tissue in place.
When you get to the last 3 inches, carefully fold the top corner down to meet the bottom & continue to wrap. Tape the tissue down in the same way you taped the center with the florist tape, wrapping it down the stem about ¾ of an inch. Gently open up the tissue to the make your flower look the way you want it. They will only open up so far before you start pulling the tissue out of the bottom, so be careful. It takes a flower or two to figure out how to make them the way you want them, so if it’s not perfect, just try again! A package of tissue paper will make quite a few flowers.
If you painted the dowels, simply place your flowers in the vase and they are done! If you didn’t have the extra time, you can either continue the florist tape down to the end of the stick, or get some green ribbon & wrap it down the stem.
If you are feeling especially frisky, you can add some green leaves with either green ribbon or green paper cut in a leaf shape. Simply hold the base of the leaf against the dowel where you want it & wrap the florist tape around it a couple of times.In 30 minutes you will have a beautiful bouquet to grace your home for much less than you will spend on cut flowers, and these will never wither away & die!
*To make the daisy pictured above, use a paper beverage napkin instead of tissue paper. Wrap it as you would for a hibiscus, and when you are fluffing it out, tear or snip the sides down about 1-1/2 inches to form petals. Crease them at the base of the tears to help them stay open, and you’re done!
© 2005-2023 – Jennifer Andrews