How To Make a Paper Rose for Valentine's Day

Looking for a unique and meaningful Valentine's Day gift or accent? Make a paper rose for your beloved, and thrill her with your creativity and romantic flair!

 Supply list:

• Paper 8x10
• Clear tape
• Wire for stem
• perfume (optional)

We need to decide on paper to use. You will need crepe paper, colored tissue paper or in a pinch even a napkin. The last time I made these we improvised with what we had around the house. The roses will all be different, just like real ones.

Then you need a small piece of wire, if you have twist ties in green these work well, or florist wire works. Tape will also be needed to hold the stem in place against the future petals. One more item you might want to consider that adds a touch of realism to the roses is perfume. I learned this trick in school; once we finish the rose we will add its wonderful fragrance.

1. Take the soft crinkle paper and size it, you will need a quarter of an 8x10 sheet.
2. Cut the paper in 4 equal parts; put the three other pieces aside for now.
3. Make small accordion folds. I make about 10 folds per flower.
4. Now after you fold the paper, you should have a small folded strip.
5. Take this and fold it in half again. So that it is doubled over on itself.
6. This will be the bud site for your rose.
7. Take your twist tie now and wrap it around the middle of the folded paper, right where you doubled it over.
8. Secure the wire with the clear tape, just around the underside of the folded paper.
9. Now you should have a folded piece of paper, with a wire tail.
10. Slowly take each side of the folded paper and separate the layers.
11. As you work your way around the folds, space will become tighter, fluff the paper several times, until you have the "petals" how you want them to look.
12. At first there will be two distinct sides to the flower, but the more you fluff the paper, and separate the folds it will become seamless.
13. Once you have it the way you want, put a small piece of tape around the base to hold it in place.

And finally we add smell! What makes a rose so wonderful? When we can smell its fragrance. So take a natural rose spray or your favorite perfume and lightly add just a drop to the center and put in a plastic sandwich bag for a couple hours. The end result is a rose fit for your sweetheart on Valentine 's Day!