When I was in grade school we had Spanish class once a week. I took three years of Spanish in high school and then switched to French in college. I know enough Spanish to ask where the bathroom is, but whether or not I understand the answer is another matter. Oh well, at least I took away one thing from all those years of Spanish class - these tissue paper flowers! I made these all the time as a kid. They're really that simple!
All you need is some colored tissue paper and a bunch of green pipe cleaners. You can buy a multi color pack of tissue paper, but I just used tissue paper I had saved from our wedding and Abe's baby shower.
1. Cut your tissue paper into 10 inch squares. For this flower, I used 2 squares pale green and 4 squares spring green. (If you want smaller flowers just cut smaller squares.)
3. Wrap a pipe cleaner around the center of the folded paper and twist to secure. Just make sure your top/interior petal colors are facing up!
4. Cut edges as desired. For the green flower, I did rounded edges and then made 1 inch slits toward the center. (See my notes following the tutorial for instructions on how to make other flowers.)
7. Display in a vase or wrap a bunch of stems together to make a bouquet. I found the flower heads were too heavy to be supported by a pipe cleaner so they just flopped over in a large vase. Wrapping the stems around a chopstick should fix the problem, or just put them in a bottle or bud vase with a narrow neck.
I experimented with a bunch of different flower shapes. Scroll down to see the folding and cutting instructions for each one.
To make a dahlia, use 4 squares of hot pink tissue and 2 squares of pink. Make 1½ inch folds and cut the ends to a point.
To make a peony, use 2 squares each of pink and pale pink, and 4 squares of white. Make 2 inch folds and cut rounded ends.
To make a rose, use 2 squares pale peach and 4 squares peach . Make 1½ inch folds and cut rounded ends.
To make a daisy, use 6 squares of white tissue and 2 squares of yellow. Make 1½ inch folds and cut the ends to a point.
For the poppy, use 4 squares deep yellow and 2 squares pale yellow. (For an oriental poppy, use 4 squares red for the petals and 2 squares black for the center.) Make 3 inch folds and cut rounded ends.
Experimenting with different colors is part of the fun, so feel free to just use what you have!
There you have it, a sweet and simple decoration for Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, weddings, birthdays...anything really. Enjoy!
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