DIY Paper Flower From Paper Plates

Marybeth Santos
by Marybeth Santos
3 Materials
Do you need a pretty pop of graphic brightness somewhere in your home? I've got the project for you! These paper flowers made from paper plates are easy, cheap and pretty!
First up, gather your materials. You'll need paper plates (the plain, cheap white ones), scissors and a hot glue gun. Yup, that's it!
The flower has 4 layers.  The first three layers are all the same, just the 2nd is smaller than the first and the third is smaller still.
 Trim the outer rim from the plate.  This is the part of the plate that is sort of rippled.  Reserve this as you will use it for the fourth layer.  The remaining circle of plate will be the bottom and largest layer of your flower.  Cut two more circles from two more plates, each a little smaller than the previous.
Cut into the paper plate to create triangles, or spikes, depending on your attitude on any given day.  The triangles should be about an inch long on each side.  Totally eye-balled, this is by no means an exact science as I'm sure you have guessed already.  Cut triangles all the way around each circle.
You are now going to use a pencil or the end of a paintbrush to curl the points of the triangle.  Before curling them, you can also round off the pointy ends of the triangle with scissors is you'd like a softer look to your flowers.  I did a few both ways. Repeat this with each of the three circles you cut out. 
For the fourth layer, or the inner part of the flower, you're going to take the rim portion of the plate that you cut off previously and cut strips into it.  You will only need about half the length of the rim for this part.
Roll this piece into itself, dotting a bit of hot glue as you go so that rolled plate doesn't fly open.
Smoosh down the inner part of the flower to fan out the paper a little bit. Then, hot glue each layer of the flower together, the biggest part on the bottom, then the second biggest, then the third, then the inner part. Be sure to hop over to the blog to see the two other types of flowers I made!
And that's your finished masterpiece! These would be great as a wreath, or to decorate a large frame. I'm up-cycling an unframed mirror I've had around the house for some time. I just need to make about 50 more flowers...
Suggested materials:
  • White Paper Plates
  • Scissors
  • Hot Glue Gun
Marybeth Santos
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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