Crepe Paper Streamer Flowers

This is an easy paper flower made from crepe paper streamers.  I adapted this flower from the Brides Cafe which used sheets of crepe paper.  However, streamers are more readily available, less expensive, and it cuts down on cutting.

Supplies:

Crepe paper streamer in your choice of colors (be sure to buy green if you want to add leaves & stems).  It’s about $1 for two rolls, each roll will make about 20 flowers. Skewer sticks (or you can use wire). Again about $1 for 50 sticks.  White school glue.

supplies

Time Commitment:

About 2 minutes per flower, with some drying time.

Skill:

Have to be able to hold a stick.

Purple Pig Rating:

8 oinks out of 10.  A decent messy factor since I manage to get glue all over my hands and eventually in my hair.  Very easy and cheap.  They look great, but making a whole bunch can get tedious.  I recommend mini-flower making sessions.

Detailed Step by Step:

1. Cut about a two foot length of streamer.

2. Fold the streamer in half, then in half again, then again…until it is about 1 inch or so wide.  Cut a rounded “petal” shape along the top.  Unfold & lie flat.

3.  Lightly squirt some glue along one short edge and along the bottom for a few inches.  Place your stick (I used a skewer) about 1/2 way up on the edge.  Remember, this is crepe paper, so a little glue goes a long way.  You also do not need complete, uniform glue coverage along the bottom.

4. Roll the stick a few turns to make the inside petal.  How many turns exactly? Just until you like the look–but at least 1 complete turn so it will be glued to the stick when you are finished.

5. Add more glue to extend your glue line along the bottom a by a few inches more (you’ll keep doing this as you go) and start rolling the stick slowly while you use your fingers to gently gather the streamer to the stick.  Just keep rolling, gathering, and sticking the crepe paper.  Here’s lots of pictures:

When you get to the end of the stream, add glue along the short end and finish rolling/gathering.

6.  Pinch the paper along the bottom where it meets the stick to make sure there is good contact with glue, paper, and stick.  I add just a bit more glue around the bottom as a just in case measure.  Then you just need to let it dry (hang upside down while drying if you used a lot of glue along the base).

6a. (Optional Step) Stem & Base with green crepe paper streamer–Cut about 2 inches of green, fold in half, fold in half again (and again) cut a point on BOTH short ends.  Unfold & lie flat.  Then fold in half long ways so the point ends do NOT line up.  Glue along the bottom straight edge and roll onto the base of the flower.  You can then continue to wrap the stick in green paper if you like (or paint it).

6b. (Optional Dual or triple, or ? colored flowers): Do the same procedure as above, but cut some alternate colors and glue at the base.  I did this at random intervals.

And that’s it.  I could have made 10-15 flowers in the time it took me to write this tutorial, it’s that easy.

Related articles

• Inspiration: DIY Flowers (joyhey.com)