tissue paper flower tutorial

Odds are probably pretty decent that you've learned how to put these together before because they are VERY easy to make which is why ... I went a little crazy with them a few months ago. Julia was just so tickled by her suddenly craft happy mom that I couldn't stop until all of the non-ugly colors of our tissue paper inventory had been sucked dry.

There are a million different ways to go about the making of a tissue paper flower but after lots of trial and error here's my amateur method - with the help of Phoebe which is my excuse for the level of professional involved in the crystal clear steps.

First! Here's what you'll need for one flower:
8-9 pieces of tissue paper (I like layering colors but you don't have to) cut to size: 16 in x 22 in
scissors
some sort of string/yarn/floss/tie (even a stapler would work well)

I'm not going to tell you what to do but I would start by making a trial flower or two in the event that you don't make it as picture perfect as you'd initially envisioned. 

Okay!

1. Line up your pieces of paper (I like the look of lighter colors in the middle but - obviously just used what we had leftover and brown it was)

2. fold paper on the 16 inch side in accordion style one inch folds -- like so.

3. make sure each fold is pressed and reinforced well. no half-hearted folding!

4. grab your scissors and cut the ends however you'd like but if you cut out pointier petals, the flower will obviously take on a whole new look. I think I like the look of smaller "hills" or "humps" if you well - I just went with two big humps but wish I gone with smaller ones (I'm rusty) - repeat on other side, obviously

look how well I lined everything up! Do not do as I do. But, if you do - it will still be okay!

5. tie or staple the exact middle of your paper. I couldn't find my go-to twine so I tied two hair elastics together - desperate times!

6. Okay, now fan out the sides a bit ...

7. And then slowly, every SO SLOWLY start pulling whichever side you want to be in the middle up and apart from the other pieces of paper - one paper at a time. Be careful!

Or else this will happen.

Which is fine. You can just tear/cut it off and no one will know.

8. Keep pulling and arranging one by one ...

and soon you should have a fairly flowery looking monstrosity on your hands.

I like to kind of carefully scrunch/crush (carefully!) the middle pieces of tissue paper so that it takes a more natural looking shape but -- you're the artist here. And - trial and error! You might like a different size (I made a few smaller ones for Phoebe to tote around and they eventually made their way to the trash in true Phoebe fashion but it was good practice!) or maybe the look of a black center with yellow paper for a sunflower? It's your life, Bon Jovi.

To hang them on a wall -

- it's surprisingly easy to just put a nail through the center and hang them that way but maybe a garland would be pretty if you decide not to go the way of a full on wall flower garden.

Anyway. Happy crafting :)