Tissue Paper Roses

A little more fiddly than the tissue paper flowers, so perhaps not for very young ones (though they can manage this with help), but still easy to make and very effective in a bunch.

Before you start - This is all you need to make tissue paper roses.  We've used tissue paper, but you could use crepe paper or any paper that seems thin enough, is easily manipulated and keeps it's shape when bent or scrunched fairly well.  We have also used long pipecleaners, but straws (paper 'craft' ones, or plastic drinking ones) or anything similar would do just as well for the 'stalks' of the flowers.

Step 1 - First make your petals. To make the petal shapes: take one of the strips (1), then fold it into thirds (steps 2 & 3), then fold that in half (4). Then cut that folded piece into the 'petal' shape (5) - which will give you six petals. Do this until you have as many as you feel you need.

Step 2 - Bend one end of your chosen pipe-cleaner round to form a 'ball' shape.

Step 3 - Take one long strip of tissue paper to make the central 'bud' shape. Before you start you can fold one edge diagonally lengthwise like this (see picture below) so as to make the paper narrower at one end. This will help to make a more realistic 'bud' shape, but don't worry too much if that seems overly complicated. Start with that narrow end, wrap it round and round the knot/ball at the end of the pipe-cleaner. To make a more realistic effect, fold back the fatter end of the strip as you wrap it round (though this is optional). Secure with sticky tape.

Step 4 - This is one finished central 'bud'. You could leave some like this as rose buds in your bunch. Otherwise, to make a full rose, start adding petals one by one.

Step 5 - Add the petals one by one, each time overlapping them until you have added as many as you feel are needed. You don't need to tape down each petal, just keep tight hold of them and add them one by one and then tape the lot down at the end. Smaller children will need an adult to help with this bit since they might find it a bit fiddly. In this picture these roses only have a few petals on.

You're Done! - Here is a close up of a finished rose. Do not worry if the petals fold or bend as you wrap them round the bud - in fact that adds to the effect of making them look more like roses.

A lovely bunch of roses for you to give to someone you love fisabilillah!