February 14, 2022

A Crafter’s Guide: How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers

If you need a lot of festive decor quickly, then tissue paper flowers are a great solution! These are relatively quick and easy to make, and even just a few can cover a large area.

You’ll need just a few things to start:

Tissue paper — This is the main “ingredient.” Think about the vibe of the party and select the tissue paper colors accordingly. For a tropical feel, use deep pinks, bright and light blues, aqua and yellows. For a sophisticated feel, use blush or ballerina pinks.
Craft scissors — 8” office scissors are good. If you plan to make more flowers and are going to be doing a lot of cutting, try comfort grip scissors. They have a softer grip on the handle. Curved lexan scissors are ideal for cutting the “petals” on tissue flowers.
Tape — Double-sided tape works great!
String or ribbon — If you plan on hanging up your flowers, select one that’s similar or complementary in color to your tissue paper.
Extras — Paper for leaves, rhinestones, stickers and anything else that’s lightweight can add to the vibe of your final decor.

Tissue paper flowers can be made in many sizes and are limited to the size of the tissue paper. Generally, the larger the tissue paper, the more layers you’ll need to ensure the final flower is “full” and fluffy.

For a 14” flower, we're using 16”x24” tissue paper. To start, on your workspace, lay out five or six pieces of tissue paper stacked one on top of the other. Flatten out any creases or folds. Beginning on the shorter side, make 1” to 1.5” accordion folds until the entire paper is folded. The folds do not need to be perfect, but you can use measuring tools to ensure they are as close as possible.

Purchase a Cutting Mat for Your Workspace

A 1” fold means there will be more folds and the petals will be narrower, while a 1.5” fold will be less folds with wider petals.

a pair of scissors next to folded tissue paper

Next, using string or ribbon, slightly cinch and tie a knot in the center of the folded tissue paper. Then, using curved lexan scissors or 8” office scissors, round the ends. These are the petals, so smooth out any rough cuts or jagged edges.

Fan out the folds and then peel the tissue layers apart carefully so as to not tear the delicate paper. If it does tear, it can easily be concealed in the folds or cut shorter. Either way, this paper floral is not very fussy.

To create a 6” flower, cut the tissue paper into 8”x12” sheets and use three or four layers.

Tips on how to decorate with tissue paper flowers:

When creating a backdrop using tissue paper flowers, mix various small and large flowers all over to give depth and dimension. For a cascading effect, place the larger flowers towards one end and gradually transition with smaller flowers towards the opposite side.
Create a unique table length centerpiece by taping the tissue paper flowers to a cardboard wrapped in the same color tissue paper. Make sure the flowers cover the edge of the cardboard completely. Tuck in LED tea lights under the petals for a warm glow.
Another way to decorate your space is by suspending the tissue paper flowers from above, either individually or in larger clusters.

Extra finishing touches:

Adding paper leaves or accents to a large cluster of paper flowers can enhance the look. Some ideas to inspire you:

Leaves — Select a complementary color craft paper. Using scissors or a craft knife, cut long and narrow leaf shapes. Curl the tip for a more natural look.
Filament — From craft paper, cut narrow strips of paper that are about ¼” wide, curl the end and insert into the center of the flowers. For cutting even strips, you can also check out the dual strip cutter, a tool designed specifically for cutting strips in widths from .12” - .63”.
Tiny accents — For those tiny extra details, use clear rhinestones to add a light reflective accent on some of the petals. Be sure to not use too many! Craft stores carry all types of small extras for scrapbooking, including ladybugs and honey bees. See if a few of these will work on your tissue flower arrangement.