Note to email subscribers: apologies for the broken link! I clicked the wrong button!
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I bought way too much tissue paper last Christmas, so I’ve been turning some of it into flowers. Lovely Em from The Clever Carrot asked for instructions, so I’ve taken a few quick photos. There are much prettier ones on the Martha Stewart website.
I began with a few sheets of tissue paper and pipe cleaners leftover from the egg carton spiders I used to make with the boys (obviously, I never throw anything out). A classier option would be to use florist wire, but I didn’t have any on hand…
Cut the tissue into rectangles – you need at least eight sheets to get a fluffy flower…
Lay the sheets one on top of the other (right sides all facing up, if it’s relevant), and concertina fold them…
Find the centre and wind a pipe cleaner tightly around it. Trim the ends of the paper to either points or rounded curves…
Now…fan out each half, then separate and shape each layer with your fingers. The tissue is fragile, so work slowly and carefully..
Tah-dah! It’s quite therapeutic, although Pete is somewhat concerned that I’m turning flat, easy to store tissue paper into piles of bulky flowers…
I assured him they’d be useful dressing up plates of chocolates…
…or decorating gifts…
I always find paper crafts incredibly soothing. My friend Maz the Toymaker has a website full of free paper toys – it’s a great resource for entertaining small people (and some of us big people too!).
PS. A shopping tip for my fellow Sydneysiders – I buy most of my tissue paper and cellophane from Pan Pacific in Marrickville. They’re a great company, and I’ve been purchasing from them for over a decade. You need to buy in bulk, but they have fabulous prices on ribbon and wrapping. Tissue paper is $20+gst per 500 sheets, and cellophane $20+gst per 200 sheets.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
You are so very clever, Celia… and that package in the last photo looks curiously familiar! : ) Lovely to break bread with you and Pete at Red Lantern. Really enjoyed your company xo
It was a fabulous night, thanks for organising it Liz! xxx
Very pretty Celia, I love crafty things although I confess I do have several unfinished projects! I’ve bought the Martha Stewart ones and they never look as pretty as the pictures, going to try making these and will be much cheaper too. The line about Pete being concerned about storing them made me laugh :)
Stefanie, I’ve been handing flowers out to anyone who walks into the house. Have to make room now for Chinese lanterns! :)
G’day and how cute Celia, true!
Your Paper Flowers made me smile as used to do these in my childhood in New York …you are very patient and talented too!
Cheers! Joanne
Joanne, that’s nice – they’re fun to make! :)
Thanks for sharing this great tissue paper decorating tip Celia! I too have oodles of the stuff (why do I have a thing for buying tissue paper?!) so this will be great for present decorations, which can be quite expensive. Your chocolate display is just gorgeous.
Danielle, there’s something very addictive about tissue paper – I can’t tell if it’s the bargain price or just the lightness of texture. Either way, the secret is to NOT buy any more to make different coloured flowers from.. ;-)
I haven’t made tissue paper flowers since I was in high school. Yours are much much prettier.
Maureen, bet yours were gorgeous! :)
They are so beautiful Celia! What a great job you’ve done!
Sandy, thank you! They were great fun to put together!
Awesome, haven’t done this in years, though your flowers are more magnificent than mine ever were. If I don’t expire from this heat wave we’re going through, I should make some red and gold ones for Chinese new year!
Saucy, I’ve moved onto red packet lanterns for CNY! :) The red and gold flowers are a good idea though!
I cannot remember the last time I made tissue paper flowers – and I will remember to do so now for gift wrapping :)
Tandy, it was just a way to use up leftovers, but it’s been great fun – and very rewarding to see the end product!
I do like it when a blogger throws in something different, though not surprised that you smuggled in some chocolate. Being a little cackhanded with scissors (I was in my late teens before I realised there was a right way to hold them) I never made things like paper flowers at school.Maybe now is the time to give it a go.
Not that different Anne, if you look back there’s been a dozen posts on papercrafts over the years. I don’t do it much though – there’s only so much room for my “creations” in the house! :)
I had no idea you had this hidden talent. or that paper relaxed you…I like the flowers with the chocolate best
Hope you liked your purple one, darling! x
I saw paper flowers somewhere else yesterday! We used to make scads of them out of Kleenex (facial tissues) for the car of the bridal party. I was so glad when my daughter got married in sept that I didn’t have to worry about that. Me, because she is not well and I ended up doing it all, with the wedding planner. She didn’t know most of the details of the day, I didn’t tell her so there were no angst ridden debates. LOL! Be happy you have boys! By the way, “our” wedding was declared by our guests to be the best they had attended even without the flowers. ;-)
Mo, I hope your daughter’s much better now! Bet she loved her big day!
Thanks for the kind shout out, Celia. I do find paper relaxing. :-)
And your flowers are so lovely. The gold paper is so elegant.
Hugs, Maz.
Thanks Maz! It’s been a papercrafty sort of weekend!
Ooh that last red flower is just gorgeous Celia – you clever thing! I don’t think the chocolates need embellishment personally, but it is good to prove to Pete how useful these flowers are going to be. :)
Another shop in Marrickville…and we haven’t been there yet?! Mind you, I still have an enormous quantity of cake boards that are living in my car boot after our last trip…
Next time we go for Thai fish, I’ll take you there! :)
Or… you can make a whole bunch, both big & small and use them to create a tabletop centerpiece (with votive candles of course…) Perhaps on your garden table outside? Ha ha. And I’m totally with you on the therapeutic thing. Thanks for the instructions Celia! I love this. ;)
I’m not sure about the candles, I could just see the whole display going up in flames! :) Hope you get a chance to make some, Em, I’ve STILL got plenty of Costco tissue paper left! x
They make a wonderful decoration for a gift and the red tissue is just gorgeous. I’m afraid that I simply wouldn’t notice the flower if I was presented with a plate of those chocolates!
Jan, thank you! I’d move the flower out of the way so you could get to the chocolates! :)
The gold one is stunning Celia! I made a heap of these for my friend’s bridal shower and baby shower the year before last. They look so pretty and are so inexpensive. Mum ties two together to make the hanging pom-poms.
I’m big on bulk-buying paper too. I have a big roll of white and brown paper and jazz it up to suit the occasion.
Claire, if we lived closer to each other, our houses would be full. We must make a note to never go shopping together – Will and Pete wouldn’t approve…hahaha
Oh dear, this brings back memories of making thousands of Kleenex flowers to decorate a parade float for our garden club.
Hahaha…sorry to do that to you, Liz! :)
So pretty indeed Celia! I’ll definitely make some of these next Christmas to top gifts xox
I reckon they’d be good for birthday pressies too, Bec! xx
You’re very clever….the last red flower is the image of a Waterhouse camellia.
Elaine, thank you! I had to google Waterhouse camellia to look at a picture, and they’re lovely!
Lovely- I once made enough paper tissue flowers to decorate the basement of the church for a Mother’s day/Spring banquet. Then I had all those flowers left over so I made all the mothers take one or two home and we still had enough left over to play a game making spring bonnets with them.
I haven’t made one since!!!
And my husband is very thankful!
The whole basement, Heidi? That must have taken you forever! I can understand why you haven’t made any since.. :)
You had me going for a little bit with the broken link but I found you & glad that I did. Those are beautiful & I really doubt that I’d see anything better by Martha – come on Celia! I loved the purple one until I saw the gold one & then I saw the red one – so I love them all & they surely do look pretty sitting there amidst the chocolates.
Di, they’re great fun to make – nice project for when you’re snowed in (providing of course that you have tissue paper on hand.. :))
Ooh do they have musical note tissue paper? I made orange and black tissue flowers for Halloween one year. They’re fun and surprisingly easy!
No musical note paper, sorry! I think you can buy some on Amazon though!
Hi Celia, this link does not seem to be working. Happy 2014 and Happy Chinese New Year when it comes! Thanks for all your postings, and fun and encouragement and stories of life. Allison
Thanks Allison, I clicked on the wrong button! :) Hope you have a wonderful Year of the Horse! x