Make it with Miss Rachel  

Tissue Paper Flowers

This project is great because it gets big, dramatic results with a very small amount of effort and material. Make a whole garland of flowers to decorate your home, or leave extras out for neighbors, postmen, or other delivery people! (While respecting social distancing practices, of course.)

Next gather your stack together and fold it like a fan. (This is known as an accordion or concertina fold.) Make one small, narrow vertical fold, flip the stack over, and then make another narrow fold going in the opposite direction. Continue this process until you have used up all your paper. It should come together into one long, narrow stack.

Take your fan, gather it in the center like a bow tie, and then either tie or staple it in the middle to secure it. Next, use the scissors to cut the square edges of the fan into points  or half circles—these will make your flower’s petals!

This last part is the trickiest. First, open up the fan on either side of the staple. Then carefully peel apart, separate, and fluff out the layers of tissue paper on both sides to create a big, round flower. It gets easier with practice, and the bigger your flower is, the easier it is. (I have found that smaller, tighter flowers rip more easily.)

If you would like to attach your flower to a garland or to a mailbox at this point, simply loop some string around the middle of your flower (where the staple is) and tie a knot. Pipe cleaners also work great if you have them!

Have questions or comments about this project? Want to show off your beautiful new paper garden? Email us at childrenslibrary@einetwork.net or tag our twitter, @MLPLKids with the hashtag #mlplmake!

Want more fun craft ideas? Check out Creativebug, our online database of step by step craft tutorials, available with your library card here: https://www.creativebug.com/lib/mtlebanonlibrary

Happy making!

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