5.31.2008

Paper flower tutorial

I thought some of you would enjoy a quick tutorial on how to make those little paper flowers I used as part of my table setting a couple weeks ago. The credit for these go to Martha Stewart (I saw this idea nearly 10 years ago in her magazine, but haven't been able to find it on her website). So here I go..

Step 1: Draw a spiral on a 4x4" square sheet of paper
Paper flower tutorial: step 1

Step 2: Cut out spiral along lines you have drawn
Paper flower tutorial: step 2

Step 3: Begin rolling up the spiral from the outside
Paper flower tutorial: step 3

Step 4: Keep on rolling until there's no more left to roll
Paper flower tutorial: step 4

Step 5: You're done!
Paper flower tutorial: done!

I used a slightly heavier weight paper for this one, but you can use normal paper as well. You can use squares of various sizes to have different sized flowers. Besides sticking them on branches, they would be great scattered on the table as well. Heck, you can even make a little bouquet of them. Have fun!



Note: You may use a bit of glue or double-stick tape to keep the flower from unrolling and loosening up with time. I didn't glue the ends for these specific flowers and they held up alright.

66 comments:

silvercocoon said...

wendy,
thank you for this - i've been thinking about making a bunch of these for my brother's wedding reception this july {it is totally casual, but these will make it feel special} - one question: do you glue or tape or tuck the end in? how do you keep it from unrolling?
THANK YOU!
tia

Wendy said...

Hi Tia! I don't use tape or glue to affix the end, but it probably is a good idea to do it. They can unroll on the branches, but not too much, so I just kept them as is. I think Martha Stewart did say to glue the end though. Good luck with the reception decor! Sounds fun :)

vanou said...

Wow, thanks for this, i was just thinking "how did she make those nice paper flowers".

diana said...

That is so much fun,Thanks. I'll be giving this one a whirl. Your blog is everything I love in blogs, lots of beautiful photos, ideas and lovely patterns. I found you through hollabee, yay!

::{J}:: said...

Wendy! Thank you, thank you for posting this! I was waiting for it! I'm going to try it out right now!!

p.s.-one of your notebooks is on the home page of Etsy...just a little FYI!

Wendy said...

You're welcome J! I hope you have fun with the flowers. And oh my, thanks so much for letting me know I got on the front page 'cause I was seriously sitting there wondering why my views were going up so fast! So exciting! Thanks! :)

Ruth said...

simple but brilliant. this is why i love anything Martha Stewart-ish. =)
hope you had a great weekend!

leslie said...

gorgeous!

Kristine said...

You make a very simple idea look beautifully styled and very refined.

samantha said...

this is too awesome. love everything. =]

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

oh, how I love those roses!

So beautiful!

Melissa

Calvina said...

Um...you're my hero. :)

Tiffany said...
This post has been removed by the author.
Tiffany said...

Gorgeous! I love how simple but elegant the roses are. And oh so easy!

I have added this to my paper flowers blog, makingpaperflowers.blogspot.com, I hope you don't mind. I gave you credit.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Shimmy Shake said...

Wow, what a lovely center piece - thank you for the tutorial...can't wait to try it. I really enjoy your blog - so lovely!

Cicada Studio said...

How sweet! A nice thing to scatter on plates for a dinner party decoration.

ayumills said...

I just discovered your blog via Shimmy Shake's, and I love all the pictures you take and crafts you make. It's so cool that I live very close to you!(san jose) Thanks so much for all the work!

jess gonacha said...

what a great tutorial! i'm starting to plan my wedding, and i love the idea of using these in place of some of the real flowers-- SO CUTE!!

Krissy said...

I love this! It's such a brilliant idea. Thanks for the tutorial :)

Silvia said...

Hola :)
Great idea!! Thanks!!

^_^

Pintoo said...

wow.. great one. simple to make. i made few of them. Will share the photos :)

Wendy said...

I'm so glad you all enjoyed the tutorial! And yes, would love to see photos of the ones you make :)

Ina said...

Good Job! :)

Kimmy said...

Oh that looks so easy!
Thanks for the instructions!

cecima said...

very sweet creation

I hope u don't mind for me to feature this beautiful creation in my blog. Kudos for u~

=)

C&C said...

I Wendy,
I'm from Portugal and today while I was researching on the internet the subject «paper flower» I found out your blog...that was a very nice surprise to me!I loved this flowers, they seem so simple but at the same time so beautifil...Congratulations!

Zarah said...

Wow! Sooo cute! TFS! :D

Jeja said...

This is absolutely gorgeous! So cute!

whitney said...

Hello! I just stumbled across your blog from Celestina Carmen blog. I have to say I love the simplicity and organic nature of your designs. Really beautiful. And I just might have to try my hand at some of these paper flowers!

Reshmi said...

Hi Wendy,

I just cant take my eyes out of this beautiful creation.. i'll try this for sure.. Hoping to see more such creation..

SewDelish said...

These are just gorgeous Thanks for the tutorial

Reshmi said...

Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your comment. I tried out this flower tutorial and i am very happy as it came out quite good.

http://reshmi-on-art.blogspot.com/2008/08/waste-branches-rose-on-branches.html

Thanks to you :)

lauren said...

I found this via a link at Studio Calico and LOVE this idea! Can't wait to give it a try at home tonight! TFS!

ragarm said...

This is what I have been searching for!

Woo!

You made my day : j

TheKeyBunch said...

Awesome, I just made them and they turned out beautiful - Rekha

Anonymous said...

so simple but so nice! Thanks for the great toutorial. Doreen

Vic said...

Very easy to do and yet the effect is really good. Thanks for sharing

Share said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I just sent it to my husband in hopes that I might get flowers eventually. LOL!

Anonymous said...

i hav made these b4 they are so kl to make but u need some patance and some time :)

ADKRedWings said...

I tried making these and they came out great. At first I was having some trouble because I thought I was supposed to set the look of the flower as I wound it up but then I tried just winding it somewhat tightly and then letting go at the end and that worked really well - the paper 'naturally fell' into place.

Just for fun I tried it again without rounding the edges of the spirals and with the square corners pointed upwards it gave it a really neat shape.

I'm also thinking about trying this out with fabric.

Caley said...

Just stumbled across your blog and I love these little paper roses. Any plans for additional tutorials?

JoAnn said...

Wow! Love them. I think my DD will love them too. Can't wait to show her and make a bunch.

lisa said...

Hi there - love your stuff! I just wanted to let you know that I featured your blog on my blog with a link to this rose tutorial. thanks so much for the inspiration!

Papercrafting Blog Carnival

Rachel said...

Thanks for posting this! I followed your tutorial (and linked back to you on my blog), but I have to say, your flowers are much prettier than mine!

Sónia said...

Thank you soo much for the post.
The idea and the result are both great! I just wanted to let you know that I linked it to my blog, I hope it's ok for you

For the moment I've not yet made the paper flowers but your tutorial was an inspiration for a crafet flower :)
Tks

Aniat said...

Simple and beautiful: thank you!
Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Linda said...

Hi Wendy,
it is said that “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery” and today I am Imitating Wendy Chung’s Tutorial: Paper Flower Table Setting of Dozi Design but I used felt !
Please come and visit Craft Gossip Felting and do leave a comment.

http://felting.craftgossip.com/2008/12/16/tutorial-of-felt-roses-on-branches-and-a-tiny-tree/

Regards,
Linda (Felting Editor)

Hyakoukoune said...

It's just paper, you use your hands...it's simple, stylé and so good looking.
Thanks so much for this tips !
Cheers
Slim

Sara said...

I love how simple these are to make. great idea! thanks!!

Celine said...

Thank you so much for this tutorial! This is so beautiful!

mosquito said...

It's lovely things.I really like this..

Ruthie said...

Awesome tutorial, these are so simple and easy, yet they look beautiful and delicate! I love it.

Kristen said...

Oh my goodness, I think you just changed my life! Well, at least my wedding planning :) Thanks a ton!!

akanksha said...

simply awesome... looks more cuter than a real rose...

CoveredInCrafts said...

I've refreshed a ton of times and only the top two pics show up. :( I wanna cry!

Charity said...

Oh my gosh those are gorgeous and so completely easy. I wish I thought of them.

ashaan said...

Wow! This looks so gorgeous. Thank you so much for the tutorial!
Asha

isabella whitney said...

i love this! i used fabric instead. worked beautifully!

midwestelle said...

Hi!
I absolutely love this idea and have had this page bookmarked for a while now.

Quick question though. They look amazing (and real!) in the photos, but how do they look up close? Do they look just as beautiful, or are they more crafty-looking?

Thanks!

aentz said...

hi from maldives =D
thanks alot for the neat tutorial,i hope its ok if i feature this one on my blog.

Anonymous said...

Hi Wendy!

THANKS for your tutorial. It's great!! And my little artists have created some roses in your honor ;-)
You can see them, if you want, in http://manualescanigo.blogspot.com/2009/04/las-rosas-de-sant-jordi.html

Cristina :)

vio-yersinia said...

hello, i found your photos in other blog but not with your name.
the link is this

http://only-one.myblog.it/archive/2009/04/28/10-maggio-2009.html#comments

your photos is very nice
violeta

Anonymous said...

Ooo, things like this make my day brighter. Looks like fun.

Kitty Ballistic said...

Hello, I've just found your blog via Stumbleupon, and I'd love to feature this tutorial on my blog, if that's OK? http://kittyballisticscreations.blogspot.com/

Danny said...

this is soooo hard to make, wendy, but you make it look so easy!!!

Mel M. M. McCarthy said...

AWEsome! I love the finished look & your tutorial is a work of art in itself. Thanks so much for sharing this great project! :O)