Penelope Paper Rose DIY Tutorial
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I’m feeling the sweet sensations of Spring these days and that’s my queue this time of year to create new flowers like this new free poppy design that you guys are currently obsessing over. We just left behind the season of love-inspired crafts, which was awesome. You guys made me hit record views on my blog! Thank you!
With Spring in sight, it seemed like the perfect time to try a new rose design, so today, we will be making paper flowers with this Penelope paper rose DIY tutorial.
Feel free to follow along with my video tutorial at the bottom as you read through the step-by-step process on the blog!
Supplies for Penelope Paper Roses
- 65-pound cardstock
- A Cricut cutting machine
- Scissors if you are cutting by hand
- Penelope paper rose templates, or find other free options in the craft resource library via the pink button below!
- Glue gun
- Wood dowel to roll the petals
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Making Paper Flowers – Penelope Paper Rose DIY Tutorial
Step 1
Cut out the following number of petals:
– XL petal – 8 cuts
– Large petal – 8 cuts
– Medium petal – 8 cuts
– Small petal – 8 cuts
– Center petals – 12 cuts
– One 8-sided base
Helpful Hint: If you’d like to downsize the overall size of your flower, just exclude the largest petal size from your assembly & you’ll end up with a smaller completed rose.
Step 2
Start with XL petals. Cut about a 2-inch slit in the bottom center edge of the petal vertically. Add a touch of glue on one edge and slightly overlap the two pieces. This will create a slight bowl shape to the petal.
Step 3
Use your dowel or marker to roll the top edges of your petal in a downward direction. You can do so by placing the dowel on the underside of the paper at the edges and pressing the paper around the shape like a mold. Do this with all of your XL, large, and medium petals.
Step 4
Using your 8-sided base piece, begin to glue an X-Large petal to each side of the base. Using an 8-sided base allows us to insure that our flower is symmetrical.
Step 5
Moving up to our second layer, place a large petal in between each of the extra large petals. Glue the bottom edge of each large petal about 1 inch closer to the center of the base than the previous layer. Continue this all the way around the shape.
Step 6
Moving up to our third layer, we’ll continue the same process. Place a medium petal in between each of the large petals and glue the bottom edge of each medium petal about 1 inch closer to the center of the base than the previous layer. Continue this all the way around the shape.
Step 7
Set your in-progress flower to the side and we’re going to work on our small petals. Using the same process as with our other petals, cut a small vertical slit in the bottom edge each small petal, but this time only about 1 inch deep.
Using your dowel or marker, roll the top edges of each petal, but this time, roll the edges inward towards the center of the petal. These petals will form the curled in center of our flower base.
Step 8
Begin to glue in your small petals at the center of your flower base. Again, alternate placement of each petal in between the petals above it.
HELPFUL HINT: Slightly bend the bottom edge of your petal inward before gluing. This helps the petal stand up straighter in the center of your flower.
Step 9 – How To Make the Rose Center
Step 10
Count out 8 of the 12 center petals. Take 2 petals and add glue to the bottom of one. Overlap the other petal’s base with it, creating a bowtie shape. Fold the bowtie shape half inward and begin to wrap one petal’s top edge around the other, forming a flower bud center for your rose. Secure the edges of the outside petals to the other with glue.
Step 11
Taking 2 more center petals, glue the bottom edges together like before, creating another bowtie shape.
Glue the bottom of your in-progress rose center to the center of your second bowtie shape. Make sure your base is going in the same direction as the center of the second set of petals.
Add dots of glue to the upper corners of each new petal. Fold each side up and secure the new petals into a second layer around your rose center. Leave a bit of space between the first and second layers so that you can see the structure begin to form.
We’re going to continue building our rose center out, one petal at at time on each of the four sides, gluing the bottom edge of a petal to the base, adding glue dots to the upper edges, and wrapping around the rose center shape. Continue rotating around your rose center structure, adding the next petal on the next side.
Step 12
With your last 4 center petals, bend the bottom edge at a 90 degree angle. Add a strip of glue across the bottom of each petal and glue to the base of your rose center. This time, we’re going to add a dot of glue to each side about an inch up from the bottom, instead of at the top. Using a pinching motion, press your petal into your shape to secure, this time leaving a wider gap between your petal and the rose center. Repeat this with your last 4 center petals all the way around.
Place your finished rose center into the middle of your flower base in whatever placement looks best to you! Make sure you glue it down securely and you’re all done!
Be sure to watch the full video tutorial below for more in-depth visuals. Ready to make this rose? Head over to Catching Colorflies for my Penelope rose templates, or download the Penelope rose templates on Etsy!
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Full video tutorial
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Penelope Paper Rose Tutorial
Penelope Paper Rose DIY Tutorial
Materials
Instructions
Step 1: Cut Out The Petals in the Following Amounts:
– XL petal – 8 cuts
– Large petal – 8 cuts
– Medium petal – 8 cuts
– Small petal – 8 cuts
– Center petals – 12 cuts
– One 8-sided base
Step 2: XL Petals and the First Layer
- Cut a 2-inch slit in the bottom center edge of the petal toward the middle.
- Glue one edge of the slit to the other to slightly overlap them. This creates a shallow bowl shape to the petal.
- Curl the edges of the XL petals backward using your wooden dowel.
- Glue the bottom edge of each XL petal to one of the 8 sides of the base, creating your bottom or first layer. Be sure to overlap petal edges counterclockwise.
Step 3: Large Petals and the Second Layer
- Repeat step 2 for all the large petals.
- Place a finished large petal in between the overlap of the XL petals.
- Glue the large petal about an inch closer to the center of the base. Continue adding this second layer around the base. Remember to overlap petal edges counterclockwise.
Step 4: Medium Petals and the Third layer
- Repeat step 2 for all the medium petals.
- Create a third layer by gluing the medium petals on the base in the same manner as the large petals. Be sure to alternate and overlap petal edges.
Step 5: Small Petals and the Final Layer
- Repeat step 2 for the small petals, except use a 1-inch slit.
- Use the wooden dowel to curl the petals inward (opposite the other petals).
- Glue the small petals inside the flower, forming the fourth layer. Remember to alternate the placement of each petal.
Step 6: Making the Rosebud
- Take two of the center petals and glue the straight-edge bottoms together, slightly overlapping, creating a bowtie shape.
- Fold the bowtie in half inward and wrap the petal top together in a bud shape. Secure these overlapped petal edges together with drops of glue.
- Repeat the bowtie with two more center petals.
- Glue the bottom of the first bud into the center of the second bud.
- Add drops of glue to the upper corners of each new bud petal and secure petals from the outer bud layer to the inner bud layer.
- Continue building the bud by adding one center petal at a time and securing the overlapping petals with glue. Continue working around the bud.
- Bend the bottom edge of the last four center petals at a 90-degree angle.
- Glue the bottom of each of these four center petals onto the bottom of the rose center.
- Add glue to the middle of the petal edges and pinch into shape. Do this with the last four center petals.
Step 7: Finishing the Penelope Flower
- Glue the finished rose center to the middle of your flower.
- Fluff the petals to your desired shape.
Congratulations! Making paper flowers is easy and fun! Feel free to add foliage or other adornments and enjoy!
