Oliver Bennett
Why Paper Flowers Deserve a Place on Your Presents
A length of ribbon is lovely, but a handmade bloom shows you have spent a quiet hour thinking about someone. Paper flowers are light, inexpensive, and far more forgiving than their fresh counterparts — they will not wilt on the journey to a birthday tea, and they can be made weeks ahead without a single drop of water. They also suit the way most of us actually craft at home: a kitchen table, a small stash of papers, and no specialist kit beyond a decent pair of scissors, some wire, and glue. Once you have made a dozen, you will find yourself keeping a jar of them ready for last-minute gifts, place settings, and the odd jar of homemade jam handed over at the door.
Choosing the Right Papers for the Job
Three papers do most of the heavy lifting, and each behaves quite differently in the hand.
- Crepe paper (90–180 gsm) is the star for roses and peonies. Buy florist-grade crepe rather than party-shop rolls; it is heavier, holds a curl, and stretches generously with the grain.
- Tissue paper (around 17–20 gsm) is ideal for quick, airy blooms — pom-poms, simple five-petal daisies, and filler sprigs. It tears neatly, which is useful when you want a soft, feathered edge.
- Recycled sheets — old maps, sheet music, book pages, saved wrapping paper, or your own handmade paper — bring a vintage, slightly crumpled charm. Thin cartridge paper around 120 gsm works well for structured petals such as dahlias.
A quick word on grain: with crepe paper, the stretch runs in one direction only. Always check which way the paper gives before cutting, because petals cut with the grain will cup and curve beautifully, while those cut across it will stay stubbornly flat.
A Simple Crepe Paper Rose
This is the bloom I teach most often, because it looks impressive and takes about ten minutes once you have the rhythm.
- Cut a strip of crepe paper roughly 5 cm wide and 30 cm long, with the grain running along the length.
- Fold the strip in half lengthways and trim the top edge into soft, rounded petals — about seven or eight humps along the strip.
- Gently stretch the top edge of each petal between your thumbs, working outwards. The paper will ripple and curl back, which is exactly what you want.
- Roll the first two petals tightly around a 24-gauge florist wire to form the bud, then wrap the remaining strip around it, spiralling down the wire and gathering as you go.
- Secure with a dab of PVA or a twist of floral tape at the base, then coax the petals outwards with your fingertips.
Vary the strip length for different sizes: 30 cm gives a modest buttonhole rose, 50 cm a generous gift topper. A swipe of chalk pastel or a little diluted ink along the petal tips adds depth and stops the flower looking flat under wrapping-paper colours.
Fast Tissue Paper Blooms for Batch Making
When you need twelve flowers before Sunday lunch, tissue is your friend. Layer four to six sheets, roughly 15 cm square, and concertina-fold them into a strip about 2 cm wide. Bind the middle with cotton thread or a short piece of wire, then fan the layers out and separate them one at a time, pulling each sheet gently towards the centre. You will have a rounded pom-pom flower in under two minutes. For a daisy, cut the folded stack into a petal outline before you fan it. These look charming in clusters of three, and they are light enough to sit on a wrapped box without crushing the paper beneath.
Recycled Papers, Stems, and Finishing Touches
Recycled papers need a little coaxing to behave. Crumple each petal into a ball, then smooth it out again — this breaks down the fibres and gives a soft, fabric-like texture. Ink or paint the cut edges with a sponge for an aged look, and leave book-page flowers uncoloured so the print still shows.
To attach a bloom to a gift, pierce the wrapping beside the ribbon knot, thread the stem through, and tape it flat on the underside. Alternatively, glue a small circle of card to the flower base and use a sticky dot — ideal for fabric gift bags. Curl a wired stem around a pencil for a tendril, bind several stems together with florist tape for a posy, or leave them stemless and glue directly onto the bow.
Table Settings, Storage, and a Few Parting Tips
The same blooms shine on a table. Slip a single small flower onto a folded napkin, or wire one to a place card so it stands upright. Tiny tissue pom-poms threaded onto cotton make a garland for a cake table, and a cluster in a jam jar lid becomes an instant favour.
Store finished flowers in a lidded box lined with tissue paper, layered loosely rather than packed, and keep them away from damp sheds and sunny windowsills — crepe paper fades surprisingly quickly in direct light. Made with care, a paper flower will outlast the present it sits on, and that is rather the point.
