A few years ago I taught myself how to make crepe paper flowers. I bought a few books, watched a gazillion videos, bought some supplies, and started making paper flowers. It was that easy!
Why did I want to make crepe paper flowers? They look gorgeous, last forever, and are really fun to make. Since the very first time I made my first flower, I have made hundreds of crepe paper flowers. I can’t wait to show you today how to make a peony and poppy crepe paper flower without a cutting machine!
All you need is a pair of scissors to do the cutting.
How to Make Crepe Paper Flowers
I get asked all the time if making crepe paper flowers is hard. The true answer is, it depends.
And, the easiest way to describe it is, the more petals, the harder the flower. So start with a flower with fewer petals. Like a poppy!
If you use a Cricut Maker machine, it will also save you time.
But you need to know that you can make flowers without a cutting machine. That’s what I am going to show you today.
When I first started making crepe paper flowers, I started out making poppy paper flowers, then made paper peony flowers , quince branches, paper tulips, paper daffodils, and all of the flowers you see below.
I also made some paper peonies and added them to a wreath.
The photo below shows the quince flowers I made. These are really easy as they only have about five petals.
Someday I may attach them to branches. But I really like how they look in this vintage crock too!
The poppies that are pictured below only have about 8 large petals. These are really easy to make and I love making them.
The flowers get harder to make as the detail and number of petals increase.
These Gerber Daisies have two rows of about 16 petals petals but they aren’t too hard to make either.
Peonies also aren’t difficult to make as they have large petals in a few rows. (The larger the petal, the easier the flower!)
I think the hardest flower I have made were these hydrangeas. All I can say is they had a gazillion petals.
I might just make these hydrangeas once.
How to Make Paper Flowers
My “flower mentor” is a gal named Lia Griffith and I have learned so much by watching her wonderful flower making videos. She also has a craft group and that is where I get all of my flower patterns. She has free downloads for all of her monthly members and she is so talented!
How to Make Crepe Paper Poppies
The complete instructions to make a paper poppy flower can be found here.
I used the Lia Griffith Poppy flower template.
Look how easy these are to make! I outlined the patterns and cut them out with scissors.
Here are my cut pieces for the poppy.
I also use Pan Pastels to color the petals. It makes all the difference in the world.
How fun is this? I love making this part of every flower.
Adding the petals is very easy.
I really do love how these came out!
How to Make a Crepe Paper Peony Flower
These peonies are made without a cutting machine! The complete DIY is listed here.
Just look how easy they are to make!
I use paper flower patterns which were created by the very talented Lia Griffith. Here is the link to the peony pattern.
One of my favorite parts of paper flower making is making the stamen. Did you know there are scissors that cut crepe paper in thin strips? It is amazing the difference a gold felt marker can make!
Here you can see how the flower is put together. The petals are just glued to the stamen.
I love how the peony petals create a beautiful flower.
This is the finished peony. It’s gorgeous!
I love making bouquets of paper flowers. This bouquet consists of the first flowers I ever made. The bouquet consists of poppies and peonies. (And a pretty weak attempt at a tulip or two.)
Here is a video I created on how to I made crepe paper poppy flowers.
How to Make Poppy Flowers Video
I hoped you enjoyed the video!
Here are some more posts about paper flowers by my blogger friends.
I also joined up with three other bloggers to share our paper flowers. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to see their amazing flowers. You will also find the DIY how-to video I created which explains how I made a paper poppy flower.
Christina from the DIY Mommy shares how to make easy paper roses with dollar store streamers. You aren’t going to believe how easy these are to make.
Jennifer from Tatertots + Jello made easy spring wall art with paper flowers. How adorable is this?
Janine from Happy, Happy, Nester made some wonderful crepe paper flowers. I love her minimalist palette. It’s gorgeous!
I hope this blog post has inspired you to try to make paper flowers. It’s so much fun and the end result is gorgeous. Be sure and watch my video and let me know what you think!
Links to Similar Items
Silk Coral Poppies 
Vintage Faux Peonies 
Silk Poppy Flowers 
Silk Peony Flowers 
Poppy Kit 
Extra Fine Crepe Paper
Secret Garden Collection
Pan Pastel Set 
Dual Temperature Hot Glue Gun 
Floral Tape and 16″ Stem Wire 
1″ Styrofoam Balls 
22 Guage Floral Wire 
Fringe Scissors 
Poppy Template 
Peony Template 
Cricut Maker 
DIY and Craft Favorites Shopping
Pin the image below to your decor boards on Pinterest (just click the Pin button in the top left corner). You can also follow along with me on Pinterest!
For more real-time updates, follow me on Instagram @My100YearOldHome
35 Responses
Thank you for this post. Your flowers are beautiful. It brought back wonderful memories of my grandmother teaching me to make crepe paper roses over 65 years ago.
Oh my goodness Patty, I love this so much. What a wonderful memory you have with your grandmother!
These are gorgeous Leslie, you are so talented!!!
Hugs, Tanya
Thank you so much Tanya!
Leslie
These flowers 🌺 are amazing and so real. I’m excited about trying my hand at these, you make it look so easy. As soon as I recuperate from rotator cuff surgery (my right shoulder) and out of this sling this will be one of my next crafts. As I don’t have a cricut machine, I will be cutting everything myself, but what fun and beauty!
Ouch! Get well soon! Definitely start with the poppy flower if you don’t have a Cricut. The pattern is easy to follow and available on Amazon. Easy to cut and assemble! What a lovely way to celebrate recovery!
Years, okay decades ago, I wanted to become a florist. I even went through a program. However, I was very sensitive to chemicals…so no go! (Long story) You are such an inspiration! Love YOUR florals! I ordered the supplies and now anxiously await there arrival. Now I can become a florist! Thanks bunches for your kindness in sharing your talents!
Laurie
Would you please tell me the brand of crape paper you use? There are so many out there with different thickness. Thank you. Your work is lovely.
Hi Marlene, I use the Lia Griffith extra fine crepe paper that is linked in the blog post. Here is the link again for easy reference: https://amzn.to/3hGEKyF. The pan pastel application is really important to the beauty of these. Here is the link to that as well: https://amzn.to/3wpmqOD. Happy flower making!
It’s so important for all of us to share our talents: crafts, writings, singing, acting, dance, poetry, baking cakes or what ever makes us stay in the presence of “flow.” Some may be in a stage of “inertia”, some may be fighting “resistance”, or some like you Leslie, are in the present sharing your home, talent and an over abundance of character. Thank you for that! I am inspired. KC
KC, your words have put the biggest smile on my face. Thank you so much. I am sharing what I love and I couldn’t be happier doing it!