Have I told you how much I love flowers? I grow flowers all around my house, and I love to have fresh bouquets in my home and office. So it’s no wonder that I love crafting paper flowers, too. It’s not difficult, but you do need the right supplies. That’s why I decided to write this ultimate guide to paper flower supplies.
If you have ever wanted to get started with making paper flowers, then this post is for you. I’ve pulled together all the types of materials and tools that you might need to craft the best paper flowers possible.
For your convenience, I included affiliate links which means I may make a commission, but it won’t cost you anymore. Read my entire disclosure here.
What Types Of Paper Do I Need?
While you can use just about any type of paper, cardstock and crepe papers are the most commonly used papers for making paper flowers. Technically, you could use plain copy paper or construction paper, but neither of those will hold well. Stick with cardstock and crepe paper as your basic paper flower supply.
Cardstock is the go-to material for paper flowers
It is essential to use good quality cardstock for paper flowers. I most often use 65 lb cardstock, but 80 lb can work well, too. See my curated list of paper flower supplies below for my recommendations.
Cardstock comes in various sizes. Most of my cardstock for paper flowers is 8.5 x 11, but you can also find it in 12×12.
So when should you use which size? It really depends on what size flower you plan to make and what paper size you have on hand. Since most of my cardstock is letter-sized, an individual paper flower petal can’t be larger than 8.5 x 11 inches, right? But that makes a fairly big paper flower.
You can also find 50 lb paper on rolls, but I haven’t made any paper flowers with this material.
Solid Core vs. White Core
One important thing to remember when choosing your cardstock is to check whether it is solid core or white core. So what is the difference between the two?
Imagine that you cut a small piece off of a blue sheet of cardstock. Now, look at the cut edge. Is it white or blue? If it’s blue, then the cardstock is solid core, meaning that it is the same color all the way through.
If the edge is white, then it is a white-core cardstock. The white core means the color is only on the front and back surfaces, not all the way through the sheet of cardstock.
Solid core cardstock will give you a more professional and realistic finish to your flowers.
But white core can have its place, too. Since it is typically a little less expensive, I will often use it when I am practicing or trying out new designs or methods. Then when I am ready to make my final piece, I will switch to solid core cardstock.
Crepe paper
Crepe paper has an interesting history outside of being a material for making paper flowers. In the early 1900s, folks often used crepe paper to create costumes.
One of the biggest reasons that crepe paper is a popular paper for creating flowers is because of its stretch. Unlike cardstock, crepe paper is made to stretch which makes it easier to manipulate.
Keep in mind that the crepe paper that we use as a material for paper flowers is NOT the same type of paper that party streamers are made of. While the streamer paper is similar, it is not as strong or flexible as crepe paper.
Crepe paper is usually packaged in sheets or as streamers which are much narrower and well, longer.
Look for crepe paper that is between 60 – 180 grams. This weight will allow you to fashion beautiful and realistic-looking flowers of all types.
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Cutting Tools For Paper Flowers
Scissors -A Basic Paper Flower Supply
Scissors are indispensable tools for paper flower making. You will need high-quality paper scissors to cut the cardstock and crepe papers. Get a good pair and guard them the way a sewist protects her fabric scissors!
In addition to your main pair of scissors, it often helps to have a few specialty pairs. Fringe scissors are used to cut edges and borders on petals, and you can use them to cut fringe to craft a flower center. I want to buy a pair of fringe sheers for my craft studio, so I don’t have to rely on my cutting machine for small fringe projects.
Another specialty scissor similar to the fringe scissors is the pinking sheer. Sewists use pinking shears to keep the fabric from raveling as well as for a decorative edge. Paper flower makers can use pinking sheers for decorative borders, too.
One other pair of scissors that is a helpful tool for making paper flowers is a pair of detail scissors. Use these scissors to make tiny cuts for detail.
While fringe and pinking scissors aren’t absolutely necessary, it is important to make sure that your primary scissors are of high quality and that you have a pair to help with intricate, detailed work.
What about a cutting machine?
Cutting machines, like a Cricut or a Silhouette, are often used to cut flower petals and can be helpful if you are making a large number of flowers. I like to design flower patterns and use my Cricut Maker to cut them out.
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Find my paper flower patterns and tutorials in my Maker Library! Join for free.
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While a cutting machine makes it easier, it is not necessary for making beautiful paper flowers.
Benefits and disadvantages of using a cutting machine
| Pros | Cons |
| Quickly make cuts | Cost of the machine |
| Cuts have smooth, crisp edges | Not as paper-conscious/saving |
| Consistency of cuts |
Shaping Tools for Making Paper Flowers
While you can create nice-looking paper flowers without shaping tools, to make truly beautiful and realistic flowers, you will need to shape the petals and leaves. Having the right tools can make this much easier.
General shaping tools
Most types of paper flowers can benefit from a few basic tools such as dowels, markers, scrapers, or burnishers.
Dowels and markers (or anything cylindrical like a fat pencil) can be used to curl leaves and petals. Crafters roll the edges of the paper around these items to fashion just the right amount of curl.
Scrapers (such as the one you might have gotten with your cutting machine) and burnishers are also used to shape leaves and petals of paper flowers. These work best for gently massaging the edges of the paper. I often use a scraper as I would a pair of scissors when curling ribbon.
Fondant Tools
Yes, you read that subhead correctly. Fondant tools are tools that bakers and cake decorators use most often, but paper crafters can also use them to fashion their paper blooms.
Fondant tools have a metal ball on each end of a rod about pencil length. Each ball is a different size and a set of tools can provide 6 to 8 sizes to work with.
I typically use a fondant tool to dimple or cup my petal by placing the paper in my palm, then pressing and rolling in a small area (such as the center) to form the correct shape.
Quilling Tool
A quilling tool is used to create gorgeous quilled paper designs, but it can also be used to craft marvelous rolled paper flowers. A traditional quilling tool is a pencil-like tool with a metal tip. The tip has a thin slit where the end of the paper is fitted.
Once the end of the paper is in the quilling tool, then you just roll the strip of petals around the tip while holding it in your palm.
Many folks have made a DIY version of a quilling tool by cutting a slit at the end of a dowel. Other folks use tweezers, and most prefer a cross-action style of tweezer.
I prefer using the quilling tool when making rolled paper flowers, but the tweezers work well, too. I have not tried my hand at making a DIY quilling tool, so I can’t comment on how well they perform when making flowers.
Adhesive – a Necessary Paper Flower Supply
At the most basic level, you could create paper flowers with just 3 items – paper, scissors, and some type of glue! Here are the different types of glue most often used to create paper flowers.
- Hot glue – a hot glue gun and glue sticks are what I use most often for crafting paper flowers from cardstock. Hot glue works great for giant paper flowers, layered flowers, and rolled flowers. If you are purchasing a hot glue gun, try to get one that has temperature control.
- Tacky glue/gel glue – these glues were well if a strong bond isn’t necessary.
- Craft glue sticks – glue sticks are my least favorite type of glue to use. This type of glue is only recommended when a light hold is needed.
- Double-sided tape – I don’t use this much to put the paper flowers together, but sometimes I use them to set a paper flower in a certain space on a canvas.
Other Paper Flower Supplies and Tools
Depending on what kind of project you are planning to create, you may need additional paper flower tools and supplies.
To create realistic-looking crepe paper flowers, it is good to have pre-formed stamens or to craft your own stamens with wire and small cotton balls, pearls, or wooden balls.
In order to create flowers with stems, you will need floral wires (18-22 gauge), floral tapes or corsage tape, and/or dowels. Any time you are working with wire, you will need to have wire cutters and needle-nose pliers.
Distressing inks and acrylic paints are also important paper flower supplies to have in your toolbox. In nature, flower petals, buds, leaves, and stems are rarely uniform in color. Having distressing inks or acrylic paints means that you can apply color to the different parts of the flower to create a more realistic paper flower.
Distressing inks are translucent and allow the background paper to show through the ink. Acrylic paints are more opaque, allowing less of the paper to show through.
Both acrylic paint and distressing inks can be diluted with water to achieve your desired effect.
Two other supplies and materials that you will need to do some projects are floral foam/styrofoam and bases, such as a vase or jar. Often, I use objects that I already have as bases. A hand-made pitcher that I received as a gift makes a terrific base.
These are the typical paper flower supplies. So what can we make with them?
Designs and Tutorials For Paper Flower Supplies
Now that you have the materials and tools that you need to create paper flowers, where do you find designs for the flowers and tutorials on how to make wonderful paper flowers?
Well, for starters, look for patterns and tutorials here on Payne and Simple! I have several posts already with more to come!
- Craft A Giant Paper Sunflower You’ll Love Forever
- Create A Quick And Easy Giant Paper Flower
- Super Rolled Paper Flowers For Fourth Of July
- How To Make Amazing Rolled Paper Roses
- How To Make Beautiful Letter Art With Simple DIY Layered Paper Flowers
- How To Make Beautiful Layered Paper Flowers Even If You’ve Never Made Them Before
If you have a Cricut cutting machine, you can find several free, Access, and Premium images and image sets for various types of flowers.
You can also find lots of designs and SVGs at Creative Fabrica (affiliate) as well.
Projects for Paper Flowers
So now you have your tools and materials for paper flowers AND you have some designs and tutorials under your belt, so what kinds of projects can you make? Oh man, there are so, so many!
Many folks like to make wall hangings for themselves and to give as gifts. In my studio, I have added several of my flowers to the wall to use as a backdrop when I film. They make me happy when I look up at them!
Some folks make hundreds of paper flowers, add them to foam board, then use them as backdrops at bridal, wedding, or baby showers. Sometimes they are used for formal dances such as proms.
One of the most popular projects for rolled flowers is to create several and then add them to a shadow box. You can do this in ombre for a neat effect. This is a project that I want to try. I have several shadow boxes waiting on my shelf.
I see lots of wreath projects that use rolled and layered flowers. Sometimes the wreath is made entirely of paper flowers, but other times the flowers are used as accents or a ‘pop’ on the wreath.
And, of course, you can add stems and make bouquets, and then add them to vases. Any of these projects can be packaged and given as a gift!
How to Hang Paper Flowers
If you are like me, though, you will prefer to use the paper flower projects for yourself – either to decorate your home or office! I like to hang paper flower projects on the wall, but then I have to make a hanger.
Paper Flower Supplies for Hanging
I often use wire to form a loop, then hot glue the loop to the back. It is easy to hang on the wall or door using the loop.
Mounting tape and command strips can also be used. If your project is big enough, you can add a command strip to the back just as you would when hanging a picture.
I have to admit that one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to hang a project is to use a thumbtack. Several of my giant flowers are just thumbtacked to the wall!
Velcro is another option, although I have not yet tried it. I can see where it might be useful on a project where you will need to remove the paper flowers.
Ready To Give It A Try?
While it is possible to go down a rabbit hole with purchasing supplies for crafts, the tools and materials for paper flowers don’t have to break the bank. In fact, at a basic level, you won’t need many paper flower supplies at all to craft gorgeous flowers!
You need three foundational items:
- Paper – either cardstock or crepe
- Scissors
- Hot Glue
The other tools and materials can take your paper flowers to the next level, so give them a try, if you can!
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For my detailed Curated List of Tools And Materials For Paper Flowers click here and join my Maker Library for FREE!
