Create a Spring Garden of Paper Blossoms
Recycle Gift Wrap and Catalogs into a Flower Craft
Mar 1, 2009
These easy-to-make flowers use scraps of gift-wrap paper, magazines, catalogs, and other decorative paper. You can also use construction paper, but why not find one more use for paper headed for the recycling bin?
Paper Flower Supplies
You will need a ruler, scissors, pencil or pen, a glue stick, a cup for tracing circle shapes, and a stack of paper. If you are using magazines and catalogs, pull out pages with lots of pictures, although any words on the page will create texture.
How to Make Paper Flowers
- To make the petals, you want to measure and then cut approximately six 1” strips of paper for each flower. If you are using catalogs or magazines, this will use one page. You can cut the sheet of paper the long way down the page or along the width.
- If you are using gift-wrap paper, or other sorts of scraps, cut strips of paper 1” x 10” or 1” x 8”.
- Add a dab of glue to one end. Bend the ends together so they form a teardrop shape. Press the paper together for a few seconds until the glue sets. Avoid creasing the looped end. Your flower petal will not lie flat.
- Make all of the petal shapes. Set aside.
- Trace around the mouth of a cup or jar cover to create a 1 ½” to 2” circle. (The exact size isn’t important.) Cut the shape from the paper.
- Glue the petal shapes to the back of the circle. The open loop of the petal will appear along the side. Hold in place until the glue dries.
- Cut a strip of paper for the stem and leaf shapes from a page with lots of green.
- Glue the leaves onto the stem. Glue the stem onto the back of the flower.
Options for Making and Decorating Paper Flowers
- Add a second set of petals behind the first, using paper with contrasting colors.
- Experiment with different lengths and widths when cutting your petals. This will create a variety of flower sizes. If you are making smaller flowers, you will have to experiment with the size circle you need for the center of your flower.
- Cut strips using novelty scissors that create zigzag or wavy edges.
- Place bee and ladybug stickers on the flowers.
After you’ve assembled several spring flowers from recycled paper, use them to decorate windows and walls (check with your parents before taping anything to the walls). Decorate birthday and springtime holiday cards with a flower or two (if you mail the cards, crease the loops so the flowers will lay flat in the envelope).
 |
