How to Make Paper Bouquet Flowers as Centerpieces

Birthday parties, weddings and holiday dinners are just a few reasons for creating centerpieces for tables. While decorating the house may take days, making paper flower bouquets will only take up a short amount of a single day; you can make dozens in under an hour once you get the hang of it.

Instructions

1

Select tissue paper colors that tie in to your event. If you are making centerpieces for many tables, mix the colors and flowers up so they don't all look identical. If you want a uniform look for all the tables, pick one color and one flower style; poms work well for this.

2

Cut out "leaves" from green tissue paper by cutting out elongated ovals with one end pointed and the other somewhat rounded. The rounded end will be glued on later to your paper flowers. You won't need leaves for all the flowers, but cut enough so you have eight or 10 leaves per centerpiece; you'll need two per flower.

3

Make paper tulips. For each tulip, cut one sheet of tissue paper into 8 to 10-inch long strips that are about 3 inches wide. Lightly fold each strip of paper several times. Cut several "v" shape cuts into the top edge of the tissue. These will form the tips of the tulips. The bottom edge and ends should remain flat and uncut. Unfold the paper afterward so it lays out flat.

4

Poke the end of a 5 or 6-inch length of floral wire into one end of a mini Styrofoam ball to act as the flower stem. Dab a little glue onto the sides of the ball. Gently roll the ball from one end to the other of one strip of cut tissue -- keep the ball nearest to the flat edge. As the tissue wraps around the ball, the pointed ends become the tips of a tulip flower. The ball forms the bottom of each flower, and the wire remains as the stem. Glue two leaves onto the floral wire/stem or place them on the stem with a little bit of floral tape. Let the flower and leaves dry.

5

Make the poms. Fold tissue paper into a long strip using the accordion fold -- folding the paper back and forth. Flatten the paper with the bone folder or your ruler after folding. Wrap a 6 to 8-inch length of floral wire around the middle of the paper strip snugly. Twist it a couple of times and leave at least 2 inches of wire remaining. Twist the ends of the remaining wire to form a small loop.

6

Unfold the tissue with care, using the bone folder or your fingers. Unfold each section so the paper opens fully into a large dahlia-like flower. It should be quite full and round. To make smaller ones, simply cut the paper in half after folding before continuing as you did with the larger ones. Attach strands of ribbon through the looped floral wire and curl them with scissors.

7

Arrange three to five tulips between three poms and place the group of paper flowers -- your bouquet -- into shallow crystal bowls. Alternatively, place one pom and two tulips in tall goblets or glasses, or arrange a slightly heaped group all together onto a platter. Drape strands of curled ribbon over the sides of your centerpieces or, if using glassware, tie them around the base or stem.