How to Make Giant Hawaiian Tropical Paper Flowers – Tutorial and Templates

I love creating paper flower templates because of how easy they are to make for any season, theme, or style. Summertime is a wonderful season to craft, especially with kids out of school. Or maybe you are planning to throw a summertime party and need some tropical party decor ideas. Today’s tutorial will teach you how to make giant Hawaiian paper flowers perfect for a tropical theme party or summer party decorations! This Hawaiian paper flower tutorial is easy enough for kids to enjoy this as a summertime craft.

In addition to my Hawaiin flower design, I also created a similar tropical wallflower made almost the same way. My Alana-style tropical paper flowers have a slightly different petal shape, but I will show you how to create four layers instead of only two like the giant plumeria Hawaiian paper flowers.

Need more summer crafts? Check out my giant hibiscus paper flower, small crepe hibiscus tutorial, and free crepe plumeria flower tutorial. 

Supply List of Giant Hawaiian Paper Flowers

• Glue Gun
• 65 lb card stock 
• Circle punch
• Scissors and/or cutting machine. Cricut Explore or Maker machines will work. Are you interested in purchasing a Cricut? Take a look at my complete buyer’s guide!
• Fringe scissors (optional)
• Rhinestones and half of a foam ball (optional). See our jewel center tutorial here!
• Hawaiian giant flower templates

Cutting Out Your Hawaiian Flower Petals

To get started, cut out the Hawaiian paper flower templates. I love to use my Cricut machine for all my crafts, but if you do not have one, you can also cut by hand with scissors just as easily! Paper flower SVG cut files and flower petal PDF printables are included for both designs featured here.

After you download your Hawaiian and Alana style flower templates, cut out the following number of petals: 

Hawaiian Flower

• Extra-large petals – 7
• Large petals – 7
• 1 medallion center

Alana Style

• Extra-large petals – 6
• Large petals – 6
• Medium petals – 6
• Small petals – 5

Hawaiian Paper flower video tutorial

How to Make Hawaiian Paper Flowers 

Unlike my other flower tutorials, no slit will be cut at the bottom of the petal for this flower. Instead, we will be rolling the flower at the bottom and creating a cone shape. It’s fun to cut the large petals of the Hawaiian templates in a different color for a cool ombre layered look – this is optional but creates a delightful color contrast.

Love ombre and the ease of creating cone petals? – then, you will love my giant Dahlia rolled wallflower design here.

Start building the Hawaiian flowers by gluing one side of the petal to the inner side of another petal. Keep going until all the petals meet together in a circle. When gluing the petals, close the flower and pinch the petals together until the hot glue is fully dry.

Glue your 3-4 inch circle over the back. Flip your flower over and glue the medallion in the center on the front side.

I used a 2-inch foam ball cut in half and rhinestones for the jewel center. You can see the assembly for the center here. 

Alana-style tropical paper flowers – Video Tutorial

Alright, so the Alana flower is made the same way despite a slight difference in the petal shape, but I will show you how to create four layers instead of two. I created both the Alana and Hawaiian flowers to complement each other, making them perfect for tropical party decor or a flower backdrop! 

You can find the Alana templates here or in download these flower templates in the Vault and watch the full video tutorial below, or scroll down for a picture tutorial. 

Just like with the Hawaiian flower, roll all your petals into cones – the large, medium, small, and extra small Alana petals. 

Glue all six petals together and add the circle base just like before. Alternatively, to help keep your placement, you can also fold the circle into thirds to create six-segment guides for your petals and glue each petal to the circle base. 

Alternate Your Petals

From there, it is pretty simple. You will add each petal between the petals below to alternate and are not directly stacked. The tip of each cone you are adding in will naturally slightly tilt forward into the middle of the flower – this is where you want to add your glue for the best connection.

Continue this pattern until you have all four-petal layers complete for your Alana-style flower. 

I ended up with six petals in layers 2-3 and 5 petals in layer 4 – this may vary for everyone according to individual style and the placement of your petals.

Once my petals are together, I like to place a circle over the center for a more finished look, and it helps create a flatter surface for my center to be glued to.

The last step is to add in a pompom or jewel center – or you can combine both by wrapping the pompom around the jewel ball! Watch my pompom and center tutorial here or my jewel center option.

Both the Hawaiian flower and Alana templates make a 21-inch flower diameter! They are great for tropical party decor, like a Moana theme! Check out a few customer-shared images below!

Summer Party Decorations with giant paper flowers

Would you use these for summer tropical party decorations or home decor? Check out some of the amazing paper flower backdrops created with these tropical Hawaiian paper flower templates!

How adorable is this fun Summer luau party?! Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing your creations! Come over to the Facebook group and share them!

Keep the Craft Party Going!

My mission is to inspire you to nurture the creative magic inside your soul – bringing you fun, easy-to-learn DIY projects, and quality template designs. Interested in more flower tutorials?! I’ve created dozens of signature designs for you to enjoy – starting with my bestseller, The Art of Giant Paper Flowers, the Giant Flower Library, and my shop of endless paper designs and flower templates.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Start here with my tried and true Resource List!

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