How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers

Co-authored by Robert Homayoon

Last Updated: January 30, 2024 Fact Checked

Tissue paper flowers make great decorations and party décor. They’re eye-catching and colorful as well as inexpensive and easy to make. Choose a flower to make, such as a dahlia, rose, or hydrangea, and get started. In order to make all of these different flowers, you'll need supplies such as tissue paper, scissors, floral wire, and an adhesive.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Tissue Paper Dahlia

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1
Stack 12 sheets of tissue paper on top of each other. You can choose any color you want. Generally, it looks more realistic if you use the same color for all 12 sheets. Use the normal 13 by 20 in (33 by 51 cm) size of tissue paper for a larger decorative flower.^{[1]
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- If you’re making them as decorations for a party, follow your color palette.
Start with a 1 in (2.5 cm) fold, then follow each fold accordingly by alternating the fold direction. Crease each fold so it will hold its shape. When you’re done, the paper should look like 1 in (2.5 cm) wide stack.^{[2]
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Round the ends with scissors for more realistic petals. Use a sharp pair of scissors to round or point the ends of the stack. This will be a pretty extra touch and make your tissue paper flower look more realistic.^{[3]
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- Make sure your scissors are strong and sharp in order to cut through that many layers. If they’re too dull, they’ll mangle the paper and make rough cuts.
4
Cut a 18 in (46 cm) piece of floral wire for the stem. Fold the piece of wire in half and slip it over the center of the tissue paper, then tightly twist it closed. Trim the wire as needed or wrap it in green floral tape.^{[4]
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- Floral wire works well and looks nice, but you can also use a pipe cleaner to make a stem.^{[5]
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Spread out the petals one layer at a time. Separate and spread each petal layer, pulling them toward the center of the flower one at a time. This will fluff the petals out and create a beautiful layered effect to mimic the fullness of a real flower. Leave a little space in the center of the flower.^{[6]
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- If you want to display the flower on a wall or flat surface, only separate and fluff the layers on one side. Leave the back completely flat so it can easily rest against a flat surface.
- If you want to suspend the flower, such as with string from the ceiling, fluff out both sides evenly. Leave some space for the center on both sides.
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Decorate with your paper flower. Arrange the flowers as decorations for parties such as garden parties, birthday parties for young girls, baby showers, and bridal showers.
- To suspend the flowers, tie a length of monofilament to the floral wire and hang from the ceiling.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Crafting a Tissue Paper Rose

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If you want a simple, classic look, choose one sheet of in pink, red, or coral. For a two-toned rose, grab an additional sheet in a different shade. Some combinations that really pop are pink and ruby or orange and tangerine.
For the main petals, cut a single 3.5 to 4 inches (8.9 to 10.2 cm) strip down the length of the tissue paper. Cut another 3.5 to 4 in (8.9 to 10.2 cm) strip for an optional accent color.
Place the accent color strip on top of the main strip and fold both strips in half, with the accent color inside the fold. Then accordion fold the strips together, folding in alternate directions every 1 in (2.5 cm) or so.
Take a sharp pair of scissors and round one of the ends of the folded strip of tissue paper--the selvage end. This will create a petal shape. When you finish, gently unfold the accordion-folded strip and lay it out, petals right side up.
Once you’ve created your stem, you can trim the floral wire as needed.
Glue dots work best for this because they’re more precise and create less mess, but you can also use hot glue or craft glue. Make sure the adhesive is close to the edge, where the stem will come in contact with the petal strip.
Lay the floral wire stem on the adhesive, then begin wrapping the tissue paper strip tightly. Firmly the base of the flower as you wrap, gathering up any slack. Gradually loosen your wrapping to create a blooming effect.
Wind the tape around the flower base several times, then keep wrapping diagonally down the stem. Make sure you’re wrapping the tape tightly enough to hold the tissue paper rose together.
Arrange your rose’s petals by gently separating the layers and spreading them outwards. This will help fill out your flower and make it look more realistic.

Quickly make decorations for a school dance. "I had to whip up a ton of tissue paper flowers for a school dance on a tight deadline. The easy flower tutorials like the paper rose and hydrangea were perfect. I could quickly make a bunch of nice decorations without stressing over time." - Rose S.

Avoid Styrofoam with this rose how-to. "A lot of tissue paper flower directions use Styrofoam, but I didn't want it. This rose tutorial showed me how to make the type of flower I wanted without any Styrofoam at all. It was just what I was hoping for." - Petty N.

Even out messy folds when working with kids. "I like doing quick, simple crafts with little kids. The hydrangea was great because you don't have to fold the paper perfectly even. The kids can get messy with the folds, and I can tidy the petals up after. It's an easy flower that's ideal for small hands." - Naomi R.

Pick the right flower for your skills and needs. "I really liked the variety of flowers shown. With different tutorials, I could pick the best one for my abilities and what I needed the flowers for, from decorating to giving as gifts. Now I can make tissue paper flowers for any purpose." - Karen K.

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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Tissue Paper Hydrangeas

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If you want a classic hydrangea color, go for light blue, lavender, pale green, or pink. You could also select some green tissue paper if you want to make leaves.
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Cut out 120 teardrop-shaped petals. Fold your sheets of tissue paper until they make an inch-wide stack. Then use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out a teardrop shape for the petals. You’ll need around 120 petals to fill out the flower.^{[8]
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- You can make the petals any size you want, but 1 in (2.5 cm) wide is generally a realistic size.
Cut your wire pieces at 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) and bundle them together neatly. Wrap the bundle with floral tape about 2 in (5.1 cm) from the top of the wire.^{[9]
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The side wires should stick out perpendicular to the bundle, while the others should be spread out evenly.^{[10]
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Hot-glue the petals to the wires. Start by hot-gluing two petals to a wire and then make a small loop at the end of the wire. Hot-glue the center, then add more petals to fill out the flower and hide the loop. Continue doing this for all of the wires until the flower is complete.^{[11]
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- You can also double up petals for more fullness.
- Cover as much of the wire with petals as possible--add extra petals in spots where the wire peeks through.
- If you made leaves, glue those to the base of the stem.
With hydrangeas, you shouldn’t separate the petals too much, but try to separate the petals a bit and move the ends around after the glue has dried. This will make the flower appear fuller and more natural.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How to fold a simple paper flower?

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.

Robert Homayoon

Origami Expert

Expert Answer

You can start by taking a piece of paper and holding it in a diamond shape, with the points facing up and down. Then, fold the top edge of the diamond down to the bottom edge. The subsequent steps might be a bit intricate to describe, but essentially, you need to manipulate the base of the resulting triangle, ensuring the longest edge is at the bottom. Holding the tip of the triangle on top, fold the bottom right corner up and the other corner across, creating a flower-like shape. You can experiment with different angles for the petals, and precision is not crucial; there's no need for geometric precision.

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Question

How can I make a paper flower without a pipe cleaner?

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You can staple the middle of the flower where you would normally place a pipe cleaner.

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Can I do this with other kinds of paper?

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You could do the paper rose with napkins, but with the other flowers you should use tissue paper.

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