Make a Bouquet of Flowers From Ribbon and Paper

Want to make flowers? Can't decide between ribbon and paper? We have instructions for making both ribbon roses and paper daisies.

All materials needed are listed in step 1.

Want to make a rose first? - Continue to step 1

Want to make a daisy first? - Skip to step 14

Step 1: Materials Needed

For ribbon roses:

- 1-inch wide ribbon (various colors)
- Green floral tape
- A pair of scissors
- A pair of cutting pliers
- A measuring tape
- Dolly (¼ inch preferred)

For paper daisies:

- Smooth or textured paper (various colors)
- Green floral tape
- A gel glue stick
- A pair of scissors
- A pair of cutting pliers
- A compass or a circle template (a drinking glass or anything that can help you make a perfect circle; choose one that has the dimension (i.e. 3 inches in diameter) you desire)
- Dolly (¼ inch preferred)
- Optional supplies: A long ruler (12 inches long or above), a protractor, a pencil, an eraser

Step 2: Instructions for Rose Heads

Measure and cut 30 inches of ribbon.

Lay it down horizontally on a flat surface, so it is easier to handle.

Step 3:

On the left end of ribbon, measure 4 inch of ribbon and fold 90 degrees.

Leave this end of the ribbon untouched until all other 90 degrees fold have been made.

Step 4:

Using the other end, create a 90 degree fold in same downward direction as in step 2.

Make sure there is about ¼ inch of gap between the two folds.

Step 5:

Continue making a 90 degree fold in the clock-wise direction.

By this step you should see a small hole in the middle.

Step 6:

Make another 90 degree fold, thus completing one layer of folds.

Step 7:

Repeat making 90 degree folds until you run out of ribbon.

Make sure you have at least 4 layers of folds.

Step 8:

Now that you have completed making folds, take the end of ribbon that you made initial fold with and stick it in the hole that you have created in the center.

* While doing this, make sure to hold the flower securely with your hand so that ribbon won’t unravel.

Step 9:

Pull the ribbon through the hole slowly.

While pulling slowly, twist the ribbon in a clock-wise direction.

By doing this, the layers should start to twist and have a petal like appearances.

Step 10:

Once you get your desired flower look, pinch the two ends of ribbon together.

Step 11:

Take green floral tape and wrap it around the pinched ribbons.

* If you have any extra ribbon hanging off below the tape, cut it off.

Now you have created one full flower head for a rose.

Step 12: Instructions for Rose Stems

Take ¼-inch dolly and cut the desired stem length wanted for the flower. 

* Make stems with various lengths so that it will be easier for you to arrange them in a bouquet or a vase.

Take one end of the dolly and stick it in between the ribbon that are held together by green flower tape.

* Don’t stick it in too far so that it won’t unravel the ribbon.

Step 13:

Now take the green floral tape and wrap it around the dolly in a spiral-downward direction, creating a stem like appearance.

You have successfully created one full flower with stem.

Step 14: Instructions for Daisy Heads

Use the long ruler to set the distance from the point of the compass to the pencil's lead at 1.5 inches.

Place the point of the compass on a colored paper, gently press it down and turn the compass through 360º to draw a circle.

* Keep in mind the size of your daisies. Two to three-inch circles make your flowers look nice and precious, but five-inch circles will really have an effect. Also, make sure that your paper is stiff enough to maintain its shape if you decide to make larger blossoms.

Step 15:

Draw and cut two circles for each bloom you want to make.

* You may use an upside-down drinking glass to provide the circle cutting template. However, if you want to make flower heads in different sizes, a compass will be more useful.

Step 16:

Make eight cuts as indicated by the straight lines in the illustration below.

Each cut is about 1 inch long.

* You can do this set of cuts on 3–6 disks at once to speed up the project.

Step 17:

Fold each petal in half, lengthwise, as shown in the picture below.

* You do not need to sketch these folds beforehand since it requires more time and effort but does not improve the results significantly. A simple crease will be sufficient.

* Modify the way in which you crease those pieces to achieve variations in the final results. Try soft creases or partial creases at just the tips or even hand-shape each petal to make your daisies look natural.

Step 18:

Repeat steps 14 to 17 to make the number of flower heads that you want.

Step 19:

Layer two disks together, one on top of the other.

Align them in such a way that allows the petals on the bottom layer to peak through between the petals on the top layer.

Affix them with gel glue.

Step 20: Instructions for Daisy Centers:

Cut narrow strips from a piece of colored paper in dimensions of 1/8 inch x 12 inches (roughly the length of A4 paper).

Cut five strips for each flower center you want.

Step 21:

Wound a strip into a tight spiral disk and glue it in place to retain the spiral shape.

You now have a small flower center.

Step 22:

To make a bigger flower center, attach the second strip to the spiral from step 21.

Affix the tip of the second strip to where you end on the first spiral with gel glue.

Continue to wound it in into a tight spiral disk and glue it in place.

Step 23:

Repeat step 22 with three more strips.

You now have a big flower center.

Step 24:

Attach the flower center to the center of the two-layer disk from step 19.

Glue them together.

Now you have created one full flower head for a daisy.

Step 25: Instructions for Daisy Stems

Take ¼-inch dolly and cut the desired stem length you want for the flower.

* Make stems with various lengths so that it will be easier for you to arrange them in a bouquet or a vase.

Now take the green floral tape and wrap it around the dolly in a spiral-downward direction, creating a stem-like appearance.

Step 26:

Glue a piece of paper on the one end of the stem.

* You can bend the tip at the paper-end of the stem to achieve a more realistic appearance.

Step 27:

Affix a complete flower head from step 24 to the paper-end of the stem piece.

You have successfully created one full daisy with stem.

Step 28: Display Your Bouquet

To make a bouquet, repeat those steps above. When you have all of the flowers you want, take the green floral tape and wrap all the stems together to create a bouquet. If you want to display your flowers in a vase, you can either use true leaves as models to decorate your bouquet or add a piece of green paper to enhance the floral greenery.