104 In Tutorials

Paper Peony Tutorial

Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com

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! Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com

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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com Here is a side view so you can see how curved the petals should be. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com When you add your second petal, wrap it so that the petal covers the seam/opening of the first petal. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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 Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com 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. Paper Peony Tutorial | ashandcrafts.com Once you have finished your last layer, pull and stretch the petals apart to make the peony bloom to your liking.

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104 Comments

  • Reply
    Isabel Cristina
    April 21, 2015 at 5:49 am

    They are very pretty! I’m definitely gonna try this, thank you for the tutorial Ashley!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 21, 2015 at 9:06 pm

      Thank you Isabel!

      • Reply
        fatima
        June 7, 2015 at 9:58 pm

        where do you get the crepe papers from its very hard to find in India!!!!

        • Reply
          Ash
          June 12, 2015 at 2:18 pm

          Hi 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.

  • Reply
    Leslie
    April 21, 2015 at 6:46 am

    Super cute! I could actually make these and keep them through summer, since I seem to kill everything I try to plant! Haha.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 21, 2015 at 9:06 pm

      Haha Leslie! I’m just like you! Even my cactus died 🙁

  • Reply
    FarZain
    April 21, 2015 at 9:52 am

    It 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.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 21, 2015 at 9:07 pm

      Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    Heaven
    April 22, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    These are beautiful. Peonies are some of my favorite flowers. Thanks for the tutorial. Pinned. Stopping by from Creative Spark.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 22, 2015 at 5:04 pm

      Thank you so much Heaven! You always leave the nicest comments when you stop by!

  • Reply
    Angie
    April 22, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    These are absolutely amazing! I’m your newest facebook follower from the Wonderful Wednesday blog hop.
    Thanks
    Angie

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 22, 2015 at 5:06 pm

      Thank you so much Angie! Thank you for following! I’m already following you 🙂

  • Reply
    Love
    April 22, 2015 at 5:08 pm

    OMG 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 22, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      Thank you so much Love!

  • Reply
    Angel
    April 22, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    These 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 12:33 pm

      Thanks so much Angel! I’d love to see your flower if you do get a chance to try this out!

  • Reply
    Simply Suzannes at Home
    April 22, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    Hi 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 12:34 pm

      Hi 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!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    April 22, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    Love these – they’re so pretty! Thanks for the tutorial. Pinning.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 12:35 pm

      Thank you so much for taking the time to visit, comment and pin, Lisa! I really appreciate it!

  • Reply
    Christine
    April 23, 2015 at 9:40 am

    Ash, 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and pin, Christine! It really means a lot to me!

  • Reply
    Nikki Frank-Hamilton
    April 23, 2015 at 10:01 am

    Ash 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 1:40 pm

      LOL 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!

  • Reply
    Katherines Corner
    April 23, 2015 at 10:04 am

    beautiful 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 1:48 pm

      That’s so super nice of you, Katherine! Thank you so much for doing this for me. I really appreciate it!

  • Reply
    Carrie Groneman
    April 23, 2015 at 3:33 pm

    These 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 23, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      Thank you so much Carrie!

  • Reply
    Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
    April 23, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    Your 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 24, 2015 at 7:52 pm

      Thank 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.

  • Reply
    Kathleen
    April 23, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    Wow. Those flowers are so beautiful. A good tutorial with them too. At first glance I thought they were real.
    Kathleen Via home matters

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 24, 2015 at 7:52 pm

      Thank you so much Kathleen!

  • Reply
    Cheryl
    April 23, 2015 at 11:52 pm

    Beautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing this info. I don’t suppose you would sell me a bouquet of these, lol.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 24, 2015 at 7:59 pm

      Thanks so much Cheryl! They’re really easy to make! You should give it a try!

  • Reply
    Zan
    April 24, 2015 at 5:11 am

    This 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 24, 2015 at 8:05 pm

      Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    CD Loken
    April 24, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    Absolutely 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!!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 24, 2015 at 8:10 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words! Thank you so much for the feature too!

  • Reply
    Amanda
    April 24, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Peonies 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 24, 2015 at 8:15 pm

      Thank you so much Amanda! Thank you for including my post in your roundup! I really appreciate it!

  • Reply
    Julie
    April 25, 2015 at 2:30 am

    Wooah! They are amazing. Soooo pretty and you make it look like I could actually make these. Love them.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:37 pm

      Thank you so much Julie! They are pretty easy!

  • Reply
    Rose's Craft at FineCraftGuild.com
    April 25, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    I 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:38 pm

      Thank you so much Rose! I would love to see your flowers! I’ll definitely be at the party!

  • Reply
    kimberly
    April 25, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    Beautiful!!! Thanks for linking up to Natural Beach Living for A Little Bird Told Me Wednesday Linky Party- Featuring this week.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:38 pm

      Thank you so much Kimberly!

  • Reply
    KaCee
    April 25, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    These are so pretty! I am going to try to make some for my home!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:41 pm

      Thank you KaCee! I’d love to see your flowers once you’re done!

  • Reply
    Beverly
    April 25, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    These are beautiful and what a great tutorial you’ve provided! Thank you for sharing on the Spring Craft Blog Hop.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:42 pm

      Thank you so much Beverly!

  • Reply
    Mary Gilbert
    April 25, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    So realistic looking, thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:42 pm

      Thank you, Mary! Thank you for stopping by!

  • Reply
    heidi
    April 26, 2015 at 12:58 am

    These are so pretty. And your tutorial makes them look so easy to make.

  • Reply
    Debbie
    April 26, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    Gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing this lovely tutorial.

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:44 pm

      Thank you so much for stopping by, Debbie!

  • Reply
    Natasha Mairs
    April 26, 2015 at 1:03 pm

    this is a brilliant tutorial. look so real too x

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:44 pm

      Thanks 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! 😀

  • Reply
    Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance
    April 27, 2015 at 10:44 am

    Ash, 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 5:49 pm

      Theresa, you are so nice! Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    Lorelai
    April 27, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    How 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      April 27, 2015 at 6:22 pm

      Thanks so much Lorelai! I actually have a post that fits the “Springtime in Paris” theme perfectly!

  • Reply
    Debi @ Surroundings by Debi
    April 28, 2015 at 8:48 am

    Ashley ~ 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 2:58 pm

      Thank you so much for the feature, Debi! I really appreciate it! Thank you so much for your kind words!!

  • Reply
    Trisha
    April 28, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    These 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.

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks so much Trisha!

  • Reply
    Stella Lee@ Purfylle
    April 28, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    These are so very pretty and would make a great gift for mothers day! Such an easy to follow tutorial too. Thank you.

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:01 pm

      Thank you so much Stella!

  • Reply
    Tara @ Lehman lane
    April 28, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Ash! These are gorgeous! It’s hard to tell these are made from paper…they look so real:)

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:03 pm

      Thank you so much Tara! The key is the crepe paper!

  • Reply
    Kristi
    April 29, 2015 at 7:00 am

    These are SO lovely! I would love to make a vase of them for our bedroom! Definitely pinning for later!

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:04 pm

      Thanks so much Kristi! I’d love to see your flowers if you decide to make them!

  • Reply
    Tianna
    April 29, 2015 at 9:58 am

    such a gorgeous tutorial! thanks for sharing it ♥

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:05 pm

      Thank you so much Tianna!

  • Reply
    Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
    April 29, 2015 at 11:15 am

    These 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:07 pm

      Thanks Jennifer! Aww..I wish I could plant some peonies too but I manage to kill everything I’ve ever planted.

  • Reply
    Emily @ Two Purple Couches
    April 29, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    These are just gorgeous!! I am smitten 🙂

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      Thank you Emily!

  • Reply
    J @ A Hot Southern Mess
    April 30, 2015 at 12:40 pm

    I 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:43 pm

      Thank you so much for pinning them! Thank you for letting participate in the link up!

  • Reply
    Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance
    April 30, 2015 at 7:05 pm

    Featured Sweetheart @ What to do Weekends now! I LOVE these!!
    Theresa

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      Thank you so, so much Theresa! You’re always so nice!

  • Reply
    Sherry
    May 1, 2015 at 3:53 am

    These 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.

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 1, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      Thank you so much for stopping by, pinning and featuring my post, Sherry! I am so grateful! I will be there!

  • Reply
    Tammi
    May 2, 2015 at 10:29 am

    These 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 5, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      Thank you so much Tammi! They’re quite easy to make!

  • Reply
    Maricaillou
    May 3, 2015 at 10:25 am

    Very beautiful….i like those flowers.

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 5, 2015 at 4:08 pm

      Thanks so much Maricaillou!

  • Reply
    Akaleistar
    May 4, 2015 at 11:58 am

    The flowers are so pretty! My grandma used to make paper flowers, and I thought it was so magical 🙂

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 5, 2015 at 4:11 pm

      That’s so sweet! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!

  • Reply
    Lauren
    May 4, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    These are amazing!! I wish I could do this.. or at least take a papaer flower class with you guys! Have a wonderful week!

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 5, 2015 at 4:12 pm

      Thank you so much Lauren! You CAN do it! It’s pretty easy! You should give it a try! 🙂

  • Reply
    Shellie Bowdoin
    May 7, 2015 at 2:33 am

    Lovely 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

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 7, 2015 at 10:27 am

      Thank you so much Shellie!

  • Reply
    Debbie S.
    May 7, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    Absolutely beautiful!

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 8, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      Thank you so much Debbie! I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment!

  • Reply
    Diana Rambles
    May 8, 2015 at 6:57 am

    You 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!

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 8, 2015 at 12:38 pm

      Thank you so much Diana!

  • Reply
    Crafty lady
    May 9, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    I 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?

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 10, 2015 at 12:44 pm

      Thanks 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. 🙂

  • Reply
    bel @ Mums Take Five
    May 14, 2015 at 4:38 am

    They’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

    • Reply
      Ash
      May 15, 2015 at 6:28 pm

      Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    Allison
    July 21, 2016 at 1:29 pm

    These 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

  • Reply
    Monique b
    March 4, 2017 at 8:45 pm

    Beautiful. 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.

  • Reply
    Melissa
    April 3, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    I 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!

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