How to Make Large Paper Flowers By Hand or With a Cricut

Written by Kimberly Coffin · This post may contain affiliate links · 73 Comments

Learn How to Create Stunning Large Paper Flowers from Cardstock Using FREE SVG Cut Files and Printable Templates.

Cut these gorgeous paper flowers by hand or with a Smart Cutting Machine. I'll teach you everything you need to know from creating a flower center to making a sturdy base to hang the flowers from.

Paper flowers backdrops make a jaw-dropping statement at events, in home decor, and they are perfect for decorating a nursery!

You can easily create them out of cardstock and add a pop of color to any room.

How to make large paper flowers, a tutorial featured by top US craft blog, Sweet Red Poppy

After hundreds of requests over the past few months, I'm finally sharing my Giant Paper Flower Tutorial.

These large paper flowers are SO fun to make and they are surprisingly easy! With just a few materials you can create one-of-a-kind party decor on a budget!

Table of Contents

What Type of Paper Should I Use to Make Paper Flowers?

Before we get started, let's talk about the paper for this project! It's essential to use the right kind of paper to get great results.

Using the correct type of paper will give you flowers that look realistic and lifelike. It also ensures that it's easy to work with and manipulate.

When shopping for cardstock paper, you'll want to pay attention to three things: the weight, finish, and the core.

Cardstock Weight

I recommend purchasing paper between 60-80 lbs, as it will curl and manipulate the easiest.

My personal preference is 65 lb cardstock because it's on the lighter side, and it's easier to control. Heavier cardstock can be harder to work with because it's more rigid and doesn't curl or shape as easily.

Looking for even more paper flower tutorials? Click the links below!

Solid Core

When shopping, look for cardstock that is marked as having a solid core! This really elevates the look of your paper flowers.

White core paper is a cheaper cardstock with color printed on each side. When you cut into it, it is white on the inside. It tends to look inexpensive when it's used with paper flowers, and it detracts from the overall design.

Instead, you'll want to make sure you select a paper that says, "Solid Core." Solid core paper has been dyed and has the same color inside and outside.

If you're unsure if your paper is solid core or white core, just tear a small piece off. If the color is consistent throughout, it is a solid core paper. If the paper is white on the inside, it's white core paper.

Smooth Finish

I love cardstock with a nice smooth finish! It makes the flowers look chic and polished. You can also use satin, matte, metallic, silk.

I tend to avoid using textured or embossed paper, as this type of paper doesn't look great with paper flowers because of its dimension.

My Favorite Cardstock

My personal favorite paper is Bazzill Cardstock from JOANN. That's what I used for all of the flowers in this post. I shop from the Smoothies collection, an 80lb solid core smooth cardstock.

You can purchase it online in a 25-pack or in person by the piece.

Since it's not always in stock online, I purchase it in-store from the open cardstock aisle. I like to watch out for cardstock sales and stock up on my favorite colors.

Cardstock Must-Haves

60-80lb Cardstock
Smooth (not textured) Finish
Solid Core

How Much Paper Do I Need to Make Paper Flowers?

Large Flower
- 18 - 20 Pieces of 12" x 12" Cardstock
Medium Flower
- 13 - 15 Pieces of 12" x 12" Cardstock
Leaves
- 1 - 2 Pieces of 12" x 12" Cardstock

If you choose to make the gold flower center instead of the rosebud center you can subtract 1-2 pieces of cardstock from your total.

I like to cut as many petals as possible from each page to save on waste. If you're using a Cricut, take a minute to rearrange the images on the mats so that you can fit multiple petals to each mat. This will save you a significant amount of cardstock!

When in doubt, cut extra petals! Accidents happen, especially when you're working with something as light as paper.

I recommend cutting extra petals, stamen, and greenery whenever you make paper flowers just in case something goes wrong! You'll also find it's nice to have extra pieces while you're creating your flowers in case you need to fill in an empty spot or add a bit of extra volume to your flower.

Large Paper Flowers Supplies

Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore, or Other Cutting Machine
- These flowers can be made by hand or with a smart cutting machine
Bazzill Cardstock Paper (65-80lb)
- You'll find the best selection in Joann's store in the open stock paper aisle!
Gold Sparkle Cardstock Paper
Fine-Point Blade (If cutting with a machine)
StandardGrip Mat (If cutting with a machine)
FREE SVG Files
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue Sticks
Scissors
Cake Boards
Chopstick, Wooden Dowel, or Pencil for curling petals
Wire
Wire Cutters
Finger Guards
- This is helpful to protect your fingers from hot glue burns
*Optional - Printer
- You'll need to print off the template if you are not using a smart cutting machine

Download the FREE Paper Flower PDF & SVG File Here!

You can upload the SVG files to your smart cutting machine or download the PDF, print it off, and use it as a guide to hand cut the flowers.

Need Extra CRICUT Help?

Looking for help learning how to use your Cricut machine? Get access to my online course, Cricut Made Easy with Sweet Red Poppy.

This incredible self-paced Cricut course contains 50+ video tutorials, 60+ printables, 20 projects, 100+ SVG files, a private Facebook group, and a 242-page ebook.

Click here to enroll in this incredible online course!

Cutting Machine vs. Scissors, Which is Best and Why?

In this tutorial, I used a combination of cutting flowers by hand and cutting them with my Cricut machine.

There are benefits to both methods. With the Cricut machine, you get perfectly rounded edges and it does an amazing job cutting the more intricate leaves. The downside is it takes a bit of time to load and unload the mats, but the results are perfectly cut petals and leaves every single time.

Cutting by hand allows you to cut multiple sheets at the same time which saves quite a bit of time. the downside is the edges aren't as crisp and clean as a cutting machine. It's up to you which method you use!

For me personally, I like to cut the largest petals out by hand while my machine cuts the smallest petals, flower centers, and leaves.

How to Construct a Large Paper Flower

Step One: Cut Out your Paper Flower Petals

Begin by cutting out all of the petals for your flowers.

If you are using a Cricut, upload all of the SVG files to Design Space. There's a variety of different sizes of petals and leaves. You can use them as is or you can resize them.

To create a large rose with a closed center bud use the following cutting guide.

Small - 8 Petals
Medium - 8 Petals
Large - 5-7 Petals
X-Large - 8 Petals

For a medium-sized rose, skip the X-Large petals.

If you plan on using the gold center instead of the bud, you can subtract 3-5 small petals from your cutting list.

*PRO TIP: Cut a few extra petals just in case one gets damaged while you are creating the flower.

If you are cutting the petals by hand, print off the PDF template onto cardstock paper. Cut around the template and use each petal as a guide to trace and then cut.

I find it's helpful to stack 3-4 pieces of cardstock together and cut multiple petals at once.

Continue this process until all of your petals and leaves have been cut out.

Step Two: Create 3-D Petals for your Large Paper Flowers

Using a wooden dowel or the end of a spatula, curl the edges of the flower petals to give them a realistic shape.

To do this, lay the paper out in front of you, place a wooden dowel along the edge at an angle and gently curve the paper around the dowel, rolling the paper back and forth to create more volume.

This step is really important because it transforms your petals from flat pieces of cardstock into 3d petals. Take your time to curl every single petal!

You can do this with several petals stacked at once to speed up the process.

Repeat until all of the petals have been shaped.

Flip the x-large and large petals over so the rolled edges are facing the table. The medium petals should have the rolled edges facing upward.

Cut a slit into the bottom of the petals on the medium, large and x-large petals about 2 inches deep.

Add a drop of hot glue to one side and overlap the slits. Hold the paper in place until the hot glue cools.

The more you overlap your slits, the more volume the petal will have. I like to overlap the medium-sized petals more than the x-large and large so that the petals stand up more as they get closer to the center of the flower.

The x-large and large petals should have their curved edges bending backward while the medium-sized petals should bend forwards.

This will create a more realistic-looking flower where the petals gradually come inwards towards the center.

Step Three: Assemble your Large Paper Flowers

In this step we will be creating the closed rosebud. If you are planning on making the gold open flower center, you can skip this step.

Glue two small petals together with the ends overlapping slightly. Add two more small petals to create a T.

Carefully lift one petal upwards and curl it inwards onto itself. Place a dot of hot glue on the leaf to secure the leaf in place.

*You can see this step demonstrated more clearly in the video tutorial.

Continue curling each petal around the center petal to create a closed rose bud.

With the other 4 petals create a slightly larger T by connecting just the ends instead of overlapping them.

Place the rosebud in the center of the T and continue making the rose bud. Each petal should be slightly more open than the previous petal.

Flip the flower over and begin gluing petals to the back of the rosebud using the medium-sized templates.

Make sure that each layer of petals is offset from the previous layer to create a more natural look.

Step Four: Create the Large Paper Flower Base

Create the base for the flower by attaching wire to a cake plate. This will give the flower a sturdy base and allow it to be easily hung on a wall.

I cut a slit about 1 - 2" wide on either side of my cake plate and feed the wire through the slits, creating a loop for hanging on one side and tying the loose ends on the other.

Secure the loose ends on the back with a dab of hot glue.

Begin with the X-Large petals and evenly spread them along the edge of the cake base. The petals should be curling away from the center of the flower.

Using the Large petals, create a slightly smaller circle taking care to stager them to fill in any holes.

Step Five: Attach the Flower Center

Attach the rosebud to the center of the cake plate with plenty of hot glue.

To create a flower with a sparkly center, skip the rosebud center and attach all petals to the cake plate starting from the largest to the smallest. Curl the edges of the flower center to give it more dimension and glue it to the center.

Fill in any holes with extra petals.

You can hang the large paper flowers using command strips to avoid damaging your walls.

I can't wait to see what you create with this tutorial!

Don't forget to join my Crafting and Sewing with Sweet Red Poppy Facebook group and share how your paper flowers turn out!