UPDATE: click here to see the new video tutorial
Hello everyone! I previously blogged about how I was going to attend a paper flower making workshop on April 11th, so here I am today to show you want I learned. Although the class was three hours long, we unfortunately were only able to learn how to make one flower, a paper peony. Since we made a paper peony in class, today’s tutorial will also be on creating a paper peony. Since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, this would be a perfect long-lasting handmade gift!
These flowers are made out of crepe paper. If you haven’t seen crepe paper before, it is a type of paper that is crinkled. Streamers would be a type of crepe paper, but the crinkles in streamers are much bigger so it is not as stretchy or sculpt-able. When you work with quality crepe paper, it allows you to stretch and sculpt the paper. The advantage of crepe paper over regular paper or tissue paper in flower making is that you can create curves and cups with the crepe paper to closely resemble the natural curves of real petals. Here are the supplies you will need: 1) floral wire 2) wire stem (if you don’t have this, you can always make a stem with the floral wire3) floral tape (alternatively, you can also cut strips of crepe paper and use some glue) 4) crepe paper – I used 180 gm Italian crepe paper. There is a significant difference in quality crepe paper vs cheaper ones. The less heavyweight crepe papers do not stretch nearly as much.
First you will need to cut your crepe paper into three different types of strips. You’ll need: 10 strips of narrow paper for the small petals – roughly 2.5″ long and .75″ wide 10 strips of wide paper for the large petals – roughly 2.5″ long and 1″ wide 1-2 strips of green crepe paper for leaves of varying size The petals should be cut like an oval with a neck. Leaves should be cut with a pointy top.
Once you have cut all your petals, it is time to shape them. Begin by using the pad of your thumbs to stretch the petal where I have drawn arrows. Make sure to use the pad of your thumb and avoid using your nails, which may cause streaks/lines. The petal on the right is what it will look like after stretching.
In the previous step, you just stretched the petal where the blue arrows are. Now, you need to move closer to the top and stretch where the red arrows are. Finally, you want to create a ruffled edge on the top of the petal. Do this by holding the top of the petal between your thumb and forefinger with both hands, and twist away from each other, almost as if you were trying to rip the paper. The purple area notes where you should twist away from yourself while the green arrow should be twisted towards yourself. Once you have done this, your petal should look like Petal #3.
Here is a side view so you can see how curved the petals should be.
Repeat this will all 20 petals. Now line up your petals with two rows of five small petals each, and two rows of five large petals each. This will help you keep track of your layers.
Begin to wrap your petal around the wire stem and securing it into place with the florist tape. This is how it should look when you have wrapped the first petal.
When you add your second petal, wrap it so that the petal covers the seam/opening of the first petal.
Your peony will consist of the following layers: Layer 1 – 1 small petal Layer 2 – 1 small petalLayer 3 – 3 small petals Layer 4 – 5 small petals Layer 5 – 5 large petals Layer 6 – 5 large petals
Make sure that your layers overlap each other with one side of the petal inside of another. This way, the petals can support each other.
Once you have finished your last layer, pull and stretch the petals apart to make the peony bloom to your liking.
104 Comments
Isabel Cristina
April 21, 2015 at 5:49 amThey are very pretty! I’m definitely gonna try this, thank you for the tutorial Ashley!
Ash
April 21, 2015 at 9:06 pmThank you Isabel!
fatima
June 7, 2015 at 9:58 pmwhere do you get the crepe papers from its very hard to find in India!!!!
Ash
June 12, 2015 at 2:18 pmHi Fatima, I responded to your email but in case other readers are wondering, please check http://www.cartefini.com to see if they ship internationally.
Leslie
April 21, 2015 at 6:46 amSuper cute! I could actually make these and keep them through summer, since I seem to kill everything I try to plant! Haha.
Ash
April 21, 2015 at 9:06 pmHaha Leslie! I’m just like you! Even my cactus died 🙁
FarZain
April 21, 2015 at 9:52 amIt looks amazingly realistic. The texture of the crepe paper and the colors is really good.
Thank you for sharing the detailed tutorial . Will give it a try. I think even red roses is a possibility this way.
Ash
April 21, 2015 at 9:07 pmThank you so much!
Heaven
April 22, 2015 at 4:41 pmThese are beautiful. Peonies are some of my favorite flowers. Thanks for the tutorial. Pinned. Stopping by from Creative Spark.
Ash
April 22, 2015 at 5:04 pmThank you so much Heaven! You always leave the nicest comments when you stop by!
Angie
April 22, 2015 at 5:00 pmThese are absolutely amazing! I’m your newest facebook follower from the Wonderful Wednesday blog hop.
Thanks
Angie
Ash
April 22, 2015 at 5:06 pmThank you so much Angie! Thank you for following! I’m already following you 🙂
Love
April 22, 2015 at 5:08 pmOMG Ashley! Wow these look sooo beautiful and they look like real flowers! Of coarse I have to pin this on Pinterest! Love how elegant they look!
Ash
April 22, 2015 at 5:34 pmThank you so much Love!
Angel
April 22, 2015 at 6:18 pmThese are lovely. What a great tutorial you created. I think I can make these and I’ve just got to try. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hugs
Angel
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 12:33 pmThanks so much Angel! I’d love to see your flower if you do get a chance to try this out!
Simply Suzannes at Home
April 22, 2015 at 8:08 pmHi Ash!
Thanks so much for coming by and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate every one of them!
You commented that you liked the cake stand in my Triple Coconut Cream post . . . I bought it from Pier 1 Imports :0)
I am so incredibly impressed with your paper peonies. They’re gorgeous . . . and look life like!
I LOVE peony and think that it would be awesome to be able to enjoy them year round . . .and now I can!
Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Have a great week,
Suzanne
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 12:34 pmHi Suzanne! Thanks so much for letting me know where you got your cake stand! I’m definitely going to stop by soon to see if I’m lucky enough to find it! Thank you so much for your compliments on my flowers too! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!
Lisa
April 22, 2015 at 8:53 pmLove these – they’re so pretty! Thanks for the tutorial. Pinning.
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 12:35 pmThank you so much for taking the time to visit, comment and pin, Lisa! I really appreciate it!
Christine
April 23, 2015 at 9:40 amAsh, these look absolutely beautiful, and loos so real! Simply lovely! Thank you for sharing your tutorial at Wordless Wednesday! Pinned to my #DIY board for later! Have a great rest of your week!
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 1:34 pmThank you so much for taking the time to comment and pin, Christine! It really means a lot to me!
Nikki Frank-Hamilton
April 23, 2015 at 10:01 amAsh these are gorgeous. I am stalking your blog today! LOL! I can see why it took so much time, there are a lot of petal to work with. I am sure that you can figure out a few more flowers with your crafting talent! I love peonies!
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 1:40 pmLOL Nikki! Sometimes I feel like a total blog stalker too! Once you make your first one, you can probably make one flower in 30 minutes! The cutting and shaping part probably takes the most time. I am planning on trying out other flowers like a ranunculus or rose and posting a tutorial once I come up with a good one! Thanks so much for visiting me today!
Katherines Corner
April 23, 2015 at 10:04 ambeautiful pinned to my lets get crafty board. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. I featured you on google plus and facebook too. xo
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 1:48 pmThat’s so super nice of you, Katherine! Thank you so much for doing this for me. I really appreciate it!
Carrie Groneman
April 23, 2015 at 3:33 pmThese are GORGEOUS and your tutorial is so easy to follow, the pictures are amazing and the detail is fabulous. I love every aspect of this. Thank you so much for linking up at the Wonderful Wed. Blog Hop. I featured you on my FB page. Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
Ash
April 23, 2015 at 4:06 pmThank you so much Carrie!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
April 23, 2015 at 8:19 pmYour photos are breathtakingly beautiful! It is amazing how a paper flower can look so real when a little time and love is invested into it… a three hour class and you only learned how to make one flower? Well, regardless, it looks beautiful!
Ash
April 24, 2015 at 7:52 pmThank you so much Carrie! I’m not sure why it took so long because I can make the flower in less than 30 minutes. I guess a lot of time was spent having the instructor go around to see if we were doing it right.
Kathleen
April 23, 2015 at 9:34 pmWow. Those flowers are so beautiful. A good tutorial with them too. At first glance I thought they were real.
Kathleen Via home matters
Ash
April 24, 2015 at 7:52 pmThank you so much Kathleen!
Cheryl
April 23, 2015 at 11:52 pmBeautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing this info. I don’t suppose you would sell me a bouquet of these, lol.
Ash
April 24, 2015 at 7:59 pmThanks so much Cheryl! They’re really easy to make! You should give it a try!
Zan
April 24, 2015 at 5:11 amThis is just beautiful. I have never made something like this but I am sure it would make a lovely centerpiece! Thanks for sharing this with us at Home Matters linky party!
Ash
April 24, 2015 at 8:05 pmThank you so much!
CD Loken
April 24, 2015 at 5:42 pmAbsolutely breathtaking! Thank you so much for sharing at The Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!! I’m definitely pinning to our favorites board-and will feature you on my Sensational Sunday Love links post!!
Ash
April 24, 2015 at 8:10 pmThank you so much for your kind words! Thank you so much for the feature too!
Amanda
April 24, 2015 at 6:35 pmPeonies are one of my all time favorite flowers and these paper ones look so realistic! I am so happy I found your tutorial! Just wanted to let you know I’ll be including this post on My Favorite Things roundup tomorrow. Have a great weekend!
Ash
April 24, 2015 at 8:15 pmThank you so much Amanda! Thank you for including my post in your roundup! I really appreciate it!
Julie
April 25, 2015 at 2:30 amWooah! They are amazing. Soooo pretty and you make it look like I could actually make these. Love them.
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:37 pmThank you so much Julie! They are pretty easy!
Rose's Craft at FineCraftGuild.com
April 25, 2015 at 2:14 pmI wrote about paper flowers 5 and 7 years ago. Seeing your absolutely STUNNING peonies, I realize I have to revisit that art. I still have some of these flowers in my home, would you believe!!! Even though I emigrated! They are keepers, these cute little guys. Forgiving, travel well, and look good on giveaway items too. Thank you so much for linking up your beauty and wisdom at SHARE IT sunday linky party. It’s not the same without you, Ash! I am glad you’re becoming a regular. I look forward to seeing your work next week, already. Have a great weekend!! ~ Rose
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:38 pmThank you so much Rose! I would love to see your flowers! I’ll definitely be at the party!
kimberly
April 25, 2015 at 2:21 pmBeautiful!!! Thanks for linking up to Natural Beach Living for A Little Bird Told Me Wednesday Linky Party- Featuring this week.
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:38 pmThank you so much Kimberly!
KaCee
April 25, 2015 at 3:59 pmThese are so pretty! I am going to try to make some for my home!
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:41 pmThank you KaCee! I’d love to see your flowers once you’re done!
Beverly
April 25, 2015 at 6:29 pmThese are beautiful and what a great tutorial you’ve provided! Thank you for sharing on the Spring Craft Blog Hop.
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:42 pmThank you so much Beverly!
Mary Gilbert
April 25, 2015 at 7:40 pmSo realistic looking, thanks for sharing!
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:42 pmThank you, Mary! Thank you for stopping by!
heidi
April 26, 2015 at 12:58 amThese are so pretty. And your tutorial makes them look so easy to make.
Debbie
April 26, 2015 at 12:02 pmGorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing this lovely tutorial.
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:44 pmThank you so much for stopping by, Debbie!
Natasha Mairs
April 26, 2015 at 1:03 pmthis is a brilliant tutorial. look so real too x
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:44 pmThanks so much Natasha! I think the crepe paper is the key to it looking realistic. I think I’m going to end up buying a bunch of crepe paper! 😀
Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance
April 27, 2015 at 10:44 amAsh, I cannot get over how beautiful these turned out!! I have made my share of paper flowers over the years, but, nothing quite as beautiful as these! Pinned, twice!! And, I just wanted to let you know I just shared them on my Facebook page. Great work and tutorial!
Happy Monday,
Theresa
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 5:49 pmTheresa, you are so nice! Thank you so much!
Lorelai
April 27, 2015 at 4:50 pmHow pretty! We are redoing my daughters room with a ‘Springtime in Paris’ theme and maybe some homemade flowers will have an added touch! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Ash
April 27, 2015 at 6:22 pmThanks so much Lorelai! I actually have a post that fits the “Springtime in Paris” theme perfectly!
Debi @ Surroundings by Debi
April 28, 2015 at 8:48 amAshley ~ Just popping by to let you know I have featured you on my Tuesday Treasures post today! I loved your paper peonies post. You are so creative Hope you can join us again this week at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop! Have a wonderful week!
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 2:58 pmThank you so much for the feature, Debi! I really appreciate it! Thank you so much for your kind words!!
Trisha
April 28, 2015 at 1:22 pmThese are very pretty! I’ve seen some paper flower tutorials before that looked nice, but I really love how you used crepe paper. It makes them look more realistic.
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 2:58 pmThanks so much Trisha!
Stella Lee@ Purfylle
April 28, 2015 at 5:56 pmThese are so very pretty and would make a great gift for mothers day! Such an easy to follow tutorial too. Thank you.
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:01 pmThank you so much Stella!
Tara @ Lehman lane
April 28, 2015 at 6:47 pmAsh! These are gorgeous! It’s hard to tell these are made from paper…they look so real:)
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:03 pmThank you so much Tara! The key is the crepe paper!
Kristi
April 29, 2015 at 7:00 amThese are SO lovely! I would love to make a vase of them for our bedroom! Definitely pinning for later!
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:04 pmThanks so much Kristi! I’d love to see your flowers if you decide to make them!
Tianna
April 29, 2015 at 9:58 amsuch a gorgeous tutorial! thanks for sharing it ♥
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:05 pmThank you so much Tianna!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
April 29, 2015 at 11:15 amThese are gorgeous! They look almost real! I love real peonies. I wanted to plant some but everyone tells me they attract hordes of ants.
Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.
I hope you’ll join us again tomorrow.
xoxo
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:07 pmThanks Jennifer! Aww..I wish I could plant some peonies too but I manage to kill everything I’ve ever planted.
Emily @ Two Purple Couches
April 29, 2015 at 4:41 pmThese are just gorgeous!! I am smitten 🙂
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:18 pmThank you Emily!
J @ A Hot Southern Mess
April 30, 2015 at 12:40 pmI love this post so so much! The peonies are so beautiful! I already pinned this post so that others can see it! I can’t believe how pretty these are! Thanks for sharing this post with The Soiree Link Up too! xoxo
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:43 pmThank you so much for pinning them! Thank you for letting participate in the link up!
Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance
April 30, 2015 at 7:05 pmFeatured Sweetheart @ What to do Weekends now! I LOVE these!!
Theresa
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:44 pmThank you so, so much Theresa! You’re always so nice!
Sherry
May 1, 2015 at 3:53 amThese flowers are just beautiful! Pinned and featured this week on Funtastic Friday. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us. Hope to see you again this week.
Ash
May 1, 2015 at 3:52 pmThank you so much for stopping by, pinning and featuring my post, Sherry! I am so grateful! I will be there!
Tammi
May 2, 2015 at 10:29 amThese are stunning. I love peonies and your paper versions look very real and authentic. I may have to try your tutorial because it is so thorough. Visiting from SITS
Ash
May 5, 2015 at 4:06 pmThank you so much Tammi! They’re quite easy to make!
Maricaillou
May 3, 2015 at 10:25 amVery beautiful….i like those flowers.
Ash
May 5, 2015 at 4:08 pmThanks so much Maricaillou!
Akaleistar
May 4, 2015 at 11:58 amThe flowers are so pretty! My grandma used to make paper flowers, and I thought it was so magical 🙂
Ash
May 5, 2015 at 4:11 pmThat’s so sweet! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Lauren
May 4, 2015 at 2:34 pmThese are amazing!! I wish I could do this.. or at least take a papaer flower class with you guys! Have a wonderful week!
Ash
May 5, 2015 at 4:12 pmThank you so much Lauren! You CAN do it! It’s pretty easy! You should give it a try! 🙂
Shellie Bowdoin
May 7, 2015 at 2:33 amLovely idea…sorry about the theft. I don’t think the watermark takes away at all! Thanks for joining the Oh My Heartsie-Girls WW!
Shellie
http://www.thefabjourney.com
Ash
May 7, 2015 at 10:27 amThank you so much Shellie!
Debbie S.
May 7, 2015 at 4:59 pmAbsolutely beautiful!
Ash
May 8, 2015 at 12:37 pmThank you so much Debbie! I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment!
Diana Rambles
May 8, 2015 at 6:57 amYou probably already know that this was featured at Diana Rambles last week. I’m just getting around to letting you know now. It’s so pretty!
Ash
May 8, 2015 at 12:38 pmThank you so much Diana!
Crafty lady
May 9, 2015 at 3:07 pmI love flowers and theses are so beautiful and easy to make. I usually work with dried flowers when I do my wreaths and arrangements. Theses will make an everlasting accent. Where do I find the special crepe paper you used Ashley?
Ash
May 10, 2015 at 12:44 pmThanks so much! I bought mine from PaperMart.com! Their 180 gm paper is high quality and much more affordable than other online stores. I’ll email you this info in case you don’t see this reply. 🙂
bel @ Mums Take Five
May 14, 2015 at 4:38 amThey’re gorgeous! i thought they were real at first glance! lovely tutorial Thanks for sharing with us for The Sunday Brunch Magazine , Bel & Eliza xx
Ash
May 15, 2015 at 6:28 pmThank you so much!
Allison
July 21, 2016 at 1:29 pmThese are really gorgeous, I’ve been recently making my own crepe paper flowers but none as intricate as this one! I had a question about the crepe paper. I’ve been struggling with the horizontal bands the crepe paper has, and being bothered by seeing it in my finished flowers. I noticed in the photo where you showed the cut petals that you can see some of the creases I’m talking about, and was wondering what you do about them? Do you just ignore those lines? I’m creating some quite large flowers and so there’s no way to cut the petals without getting at least one or two of those horizontal bands in them and it’s been bothering me. Do you have any suggestions? I find that when I shape the petals it helps a bit, but those darn creases seem to still be visible, no matter how much I stretch out the crinkle as I shape each petal.
Thanks for any advice, and beautiful work!
Allison
Monique b
March 4, 2017 at 8:45 pmBeautiful. Can u recall about how much paper it took for each flower? I need to make about 100 for a wedding and need to order paper according. Thank U.
Melissa
April 3, 2017 at 12:15 pmI would like to try to make these, but I can’t seem to find rolls of crepe paper at my craft store. Can you give me some ideas on where to get it? Thanks!