My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Paper flowers

A new video to update: coffee filter blossoms.

Almost any type of paper can be used to make flowers.
Thicker paper makes great Tutorial: Spiral Blossoms .

Paper Flowers

Below you will find instructions for:
Roses, kalanchoe, sweet peas, carnations, blossoms, lilies, poppies, daisies, chrysanthemums and orchids.

The flowers in these tutorials can be made from tissue paper, Crêpe paper (tissue paper crinkled and sprayed with an adhesive), thin cardboard, newsprint (even printed newspaper) sheet music and coffee filters (which is basically Crêpe paper made from long wood fibres from fast growing trees)

Design note:
Recycle used coffee filters:
New coffee filters create a pure white flower. But I like to find a use (re-use) for my coffee filters. The natural stain that you get from rinsing out the coffee from the filters gives the flowers a sun bronzed, antiqued look. The slight coffee stains look especially great when making the roses, lilies or orchids.

Coffee Filters

Wash, rinse and iron the used coffee filters.

Roses:

Cut petals

Cut the petal shape. You will need 8 coffee filters for each full bloom rose.

Paint petals

Paint the entire petal white and then blend in whatever colour you prefer with good quality water colour paint. Set aside to dry. The water colour paint alters the texture of the paper- similar to wax making it easy to shape.

Curl the top of the petal over and scratch the bottom end of the petal with your nail to curve.

Assemble

Roll the first petal tightly and add more petals twisting the flower in your hand. Secure with a 16-gauge floral wire. Cover the wire with florist tape. When you stretch the florist tape with your fingers a wax layer in the tape melts briefly and the tape will stick to itself.

Paper roses

Artificial flowers work best if you don’t even pretend they are real. Incorporate something unmistakably whimsical in the basis of the flower design, such as the spiral stems of the roses.

Rolled tissue paper roses

Fold and cut the tissue paper to make a petal garland.

Fold and cut the tissue paper to make a petal garland.

Roll the tissue paper petals at the top.

Roll the tissue paper petals at the top.

Fold a wire into a hair pin hook.

Fold a wire into a hair pin hook.

Hook the wire through the tissue paper and start to roll the petals.

Fold the tissue paper and hook the wire through the tissue paper and start to roll the petals.

Gently roll the petal to create a bud.

Gently roll the petal to create a bud.

Roll the entire petal garland around the wire.

Roll the entire petal garland around the wire.

Add more tissue paper garlands for a fuller flower.

Add more tissue paper garlands for a fuller flower.

Puff out the petals and secure with the wire.

Puff out the petals and secure with the wire.

Cover the wire with florist tape.

Cover the wire with florist tape.

Spiral rolled tissue paper rose.

Rolled tissue paper rose.

Fabric Softener sheet or Tumble Dryer sheet roses

Cut a few rose petals out of the Fabric Softener sheets

Cut a few rose petals out of the Fabric Softener sheets

Roll the petals at the top

Roll the petals at the top

Roll the first two petals to shape the bud

Roll the first two petals to shape the bud

Continue to wrap petals around the bud

Continue to wrap petals around the bud

Secure the petals with wire

Secure the petals with wire

Cover the wire with green florist tape

Cover the wire with green florist tape

Cover the entire wire to create a long stem

Cover the entire wire to create a long stem

Shape sepals out of florist tape

Shape sepals out of florist tape

Add 5 sepals to the rose calyx

Add 5 sepals to the rose calyx

Fabric Softener sheet rose

Fabric Softener sheet rose

Tumble dryer sheet rose

Fragrant Tumble dryer sheet rose for your linen closet or memory boxes

Kalanchoe

Small coffee filter roses.

Make a few very small roses to cluster to make Kalanchoe.

Blossoms

Blossom

Paint the paper and cut the petals

You can also use Crepe paper for the blossoms.

Blossom stamens

Make the stamens by dipping the frazzled end of Sisal rope in black paint

Blossom stamens

Wrap the crumpled petals around the paint stamens and secure with brown florist tape.

Blossom bud and garland

Create a garland by painting a length of Sisal rope brown. Glue the blossoms onto the rope. For small buds I used ear buds (or Q-tips) cut short and taped with florist tape. For slightly open buds add a few petals around an ear bud.

Sweet Pea

Shape the stems from wire and cover with florist tape

Stems and tendrils: Shape the stems from wire and cover with florist tape

Stems and and tendrils

Stems and tendril wires

Make the stem wires slightly thicker than the tendril wires by wrapping a bit more tape around those wires.

Curl the wire to give it dramatic tendrils

Curl the wire to give it dramatic tendrils

Tear two sections of florist tape

Pods and green buds: Press two short sections of florist tape together to make a wide rectangle.

Cut a leaf shape out of the two sections of florist tape

Cut a leaf shape out of the florist tape rectangle

Fold the pieces inside the florist tape

Fold the left-over pieces inside the florist tape

Fold the florist tape closed and shape it gently into a pod

Fold the florist tape closed and shape it gently into a seed pod or bud

Tape the bud or pod with florist tape

Tape the bud or pod with florist tape to the stem wire

Buds, pods stems and and tendrils

Manipulate the buds, pods, stems and and tendrils to give it curves and dimension

Draw the petals on the coffee filter

Draw the sweet pea petals on the coffee filter

Each coffee filter makes one sweet pea and one bud petal

Each coffee filter makes one sweet pea and one bud petal on the one side and another sweet pea and the second bud petal on the other side.

Cut out the petals

Cut the petals out. Cut one of the double petals slightly deeper in the heart shaped top petal edge.

Paint the coffee filter petals with water colour paint

Paint the coffee filter petals with water colour paint

Let the petals dry completely to make it easier to shape

Ruffle the coffee filter sweet pea bud petal by pinching the edges

Ruffle the coffee filter sweet pea bud petal by pinching the edges

Ruffle the coffee filter sweet pea petal by pinching the edges

Also ruffle the heart shaped sweet pea petals by pinching the edges

Two small petals makes a bud

Two small petals makes a bud. Score the middle of the petals with your thumb nail to hollow it out.

Roll one half of the petals and fold over

Fold the petals lightly in half. Open up. Roll one half of the petals and fold the other half over the roll to create a puffed up bud

Wire the bud

Wire the bud

Tape the bud with florist tape

Tape the bud with florist tape.

Add the buds to the stems and tape

Add the buds to the stems and tape

Gather three sweet pea paper petals

Make a tiny bud with a small petal. Gather the three sweet pea paper petals in your hand. Place the petal with the deeper heart shape cut inside the rounder petal with the bud petal on the top.

Roll the paper sweet pea petals to form the flower

Roll the paper sweet pea petals to form the flower. Fold the back petals to the back and open the front petals slightly to show the bud inside.

Fold the petals open to shape the sweet pea

Fold the petals open to shape the sweet pea

Sweet pea coffee filter flowers

Sweet pea coffee filter flowers.

Orchids

orchids

Cut, paint and curve the petals. For the inside I carved the shape out of an eraser

For a Tutorial on how to make orchids: Make a Phalaenopsis Orchid from autumn leaves.

Lilies

Lilies

Cut the petals and paint with watercolour paint. Cut strips for the stamens. With a glue gun drip three drops of glue to make up the stigma.

Paper Lily

Paper Lily

Poppies

Poppies

Cut and paint the petals. Make the stamens by painting longer sections of Sisal rope black. For the inside seed capsule I carved the eraser that you find on a clutch pencil and painted the fine black details onto that.

Spiral the petals around a drinking straw and cover the straw with green florist tape.

Carnation

Paint the coffee filter carnation petals and fold

Paint the coffee filter carnation petals and fold. It is the same shape petal as used for the roses and the poppies.

Cut a ruffled edge with scissors or craft scissors

Cut a ruffled edge with scissors or craft Pattern Edged Scissors

Gather the petals in a fan shape

Gather the petals in a fan shape

Wire the paper carnation petals tightly

Wire the paper carnation petals tightly

Open up the paper carnation

Open up the paper carnation by creating a hollow base for each petal. Work in a circle to shape the flower.

Curve the petals closest to the stem

Curve the petals to create a puffed up round ball shape.

Wire the paper carnation and tape it with florist tape

Cover the wire with green with florist tape

Coffee filter paper carnation

Coffee filter paper carnation

Daisies and Chrysanthemums

Cut a strip of yellow tissue paper.

Cut a strip of yellow tissue paper.

Fold the strip of tissue paper and cut into it

Fold the strip of tissue paper and cut into it. Make small cuts only about 1/3 into the paper strip

Roll the tissue paper strip around a wire.

Unfold the strip and roll it around a thin wire.

Ruffle the top edge as you roll.

Ruffle the top edge as you roll.

Tape the yellow yellow disc florets with florist tape

Cover the yellow yellow disc florets with florist tape

Yellow tissue paper disc florets.

Yellow tissue paper disc florets.

Cut a strip of petals.

Cut a strip of petals out of tissue paper of coffee filters.

Wrap the petal strip around the disk floret.

Wrap the petal strip around the disk floret.

Wrap the stem with florist tape before folding the petals open.

Wrap the stem with florist tape before folding the petals open.

Fold the petals open.

Fold the petals open.

Shape the petals with your nail.

Shape the petals with your nail.

One layer of petals.

One layer of petals.

Wrap the white petals around twice for more petals.

Wrap the white petals around twice for more petals.

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

6 September 2011 Autumn leaf Roses

I used to make baskets full of these when I was a little girl. We had a big Acasia thorn tree and I used to spear my “roses” onto the tree pretending I was the fairy responsible...

8 October 2011 Roll spiral blossoms

Cut leaves and petals and roll a spiral blossom

26 July 2011 Wire Tendrils

Curl the wire at irregular intervals to create a natural wire tendril similar to that of a passion fruit plant

6 September 2011 Autumn leaf Composite Flower

Glue a round Autumn leaf Composite Flower.

8 March 2023 Blossom craving solutions: Forcing and Coaxing and crafting flowering branches

Early spring floral styling with some magic

Related Designs

1 March 2011 Durbanville Flower Club Parting Favors decorated with coffee filter and water colour roses.

50 Small bags with Lavender Bath Salt and a posy of lavender flowers decorated with coffee filter paper roses

28 February 2011 New Committee Durbanville Flower Club

I served a term as Vice Chairlady for the Durbanville Flower Club. These are little "Thank you" Favors for the 2010 Committee

13 August 2011 White and lavender Rose Cake

A small cake with lots of roses and lavender ribbon.

30 March 2011 Garden Wreath Workshop and Demonstration

Contemporary Wreath Design demonstration as part of the Durbanville Garden Club's annual Garden Festival, Western Cape, South Africa

15 January 2014 Love at second sight

This is my article that I wrote for the Valentine's Design Issue of Canadian Florist Magazine

26 August 2015 Bent

Weave a wreath from sweetpea stems and tendrils

30 December 2015 Achoo! Season

Fold and roll a rose from Eucalyptus leaves

9 March 2016 Take your time

My article and Japanese paper flower armature design featured in the March issue of The Academy Leader- Academy of Floral Design, published by the The Floral Art Society of New...

25 October 2017 When the pretty eyeballs you back!

Barely there skeleton blossoms with Eucalyptus eyes for my Halloween design... Oh! and a Willow Paddle, which probably should have been the main Tutorial... but... well...

4 September 2019 Gently down the stream

A mindful summer craft using banana leaves to create a floating arrangement.

13 November 2019 It’s unreal!

Design 1 of my three week pre-Christmas designing series looking at How to style with artificial plants and branches using quality faux plants and stems. This week: a wreath

20 November 2019 Not just a pretty face!

Design 2 of my three week pre-Christmas designing series looking at How to style with artificial plants and branches using quality faux plants and stems. This week: wired branches

25 March 2020 How to lay a little bit low

A flat-lay to celebrate finally finding the perfect way to dry passion fruit flowers... and my book's first birthday but mostly the drying of passion fruit flowers thing.

15 July 2020 Pass it on

A cascade of orchids growing over a slice of wood. Easy to design... and even easier to maintain!

8 June 2022 Make Believe

Ever seen an eucalyptus flower? This is... and is not one.

8 March 2023 And now we wait

A bit of flower magic to get a few early blossoms to enjoy inside.

4 September 2024 A shade around there, probably… maybe

A dried flower and foliage... flower... disk to help me pretend it is autumn