How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 Tested

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

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.
2
Fold all 12 sheets together accordion-style. 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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3
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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5
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.
6
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

1
Select one or two colors of tissue paper. 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.
2
Cut one or two 3.5 to 4 in (8.9 to 10.2 cm) strips of tissue paper. 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.
3
Fold the two strips in half together. 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.
4
Use scissors to scallop one side of the folded strip. 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.
5
Cut a 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) piece of floral wire for a stem. Once you’ve created your stem, you can trim the floral wire as needed.
6
Place adhesive on the edge of the tissue strip. 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.
7
Wrap the tissue paper around the floral wire. 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.
8
Secure the slack at the bottom with a 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) strip of floral tape. 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.
9
Separate and spread out the petals. 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.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Tissue Paper Hydrangeas

1
Choose several sheets of colored tissue paper for your flower. 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.
2
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.
3
Cut and bundle 30 pieces of floral wire to make the flower’s base. 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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4
Spread out the wires at the top. The side wires should stick out perpendicular to the bundle, while the others should be spread out evenly.^{[10]
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5
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.
6
Fluff up the petals. 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.

Community Q&A

Question

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

Community Answer

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

Can I do this with other kinds of paper?

Community Answer

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

How many tissues are needed?

Community Answer

The amount of tissue you use depends on how large you want your flowers to be. For smaller flowers, start with 10 pieces of tissue. For larger flowers, try 15.