These bright and beautiful tropical paper flowers are made from scrapbook paper and card stock. This is a fun project for kids, adults, and seniors too. These tropical paper flowers would make great table decorations for a summer party!

blue mason jar vase holding tropical paper flowers

Why this project works

These tropical paper flowers were inspired by the gorgeous tropical flowers in warm weather climates. Imagine you’re hosting a Hawaiian luau party or a summertime barbecue for friends where you decorate with colorful paper flowers as centerpieces or strung on a banner.

This is a great project for almost any age. We’ve seen photos of these flowers made in senior centers, children’s summer camps, and even during a girl’s night out! My tropical paper plate fish were so popular that I knew I needed to make an adult-friendly tropical project too.

young girl holding a bouquet of paper flowers

I live in Wisconsin, so aside from lilies in the summer, we don’t get to see a lot of tropical foliage. I remember a trip I made to San Diego one year and how I was so blown away at all the beautiful flowers!

If someone asked me to use only one word to describe San Diego, that word would be “botanical”. Seemed like just about every house we passed had gorgeous, colorful flowers in their yard and in flower boxes. Stunning!

So whether you simply enjoy paper crafting or you’re like me and can’t have the real thing, then here’s how you make these tropical paper flowers.

Craft supplies you will need

labeled supplies for paper flowers — Get full list of supplies and directions in the printable version at the end of this post.

RELATED: How to Choose the Best Glue for Your Craft Projects

Helpful Project Information:

Age Level: 6 and up
Mess Factor: Low
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Time to Complete: 20 minutes
Cost Estimate: Less than $3.00

How to Make Tropical Paper Flowers

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this project. Please scroll down to simply print out the instructions!

Print out pattern. Trace the larger template onto card stock and the smaller template onto scrapbook paper.
Use the smaller template to cut out scrapbook paper pieces.

girl tracing template onto scrapbook paper

adult woman tracing template onto scrapbook paper

Use a glue stick to attach the small scrapbook paper flower to the larger card stock flower.

girl holding paper flower template with glue on it

girl pressing paper template to card stock

Roll the flower up tight, spread the top out as if you were forming a cone shape.
Seal cone shape with a glue dot.

young girl and adult woman rolling paper flowers

Thread a pony bead onto one of the short yellow pipe cleaners.
Bend at the top to close it around the bead.

two hands holding pipe cleaner with pony bead on the end

Repeat this for a total of three.
Wrap the ends together with the end of a green pipe cleaner to attach them all together. Poke the end of the green pipe cleaner down into the center of the flower. Hot glue in place.

woman putting pipe cleaner into paper flower

Wrap each flower petal around a paintbrush or a pen to curl them.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Use whatever colors you like. Brightly colored card stock works best with patterned scrapbook paper.
This project is great for all ages, but a grown-up might need to help kids with the glue gun.

More flower crafts

If you like this, you may also like some of my other flower crafts! I’ve hand-picked several for you below.

These paper flowers are a great craft project for adults, seniors, and kids. They are pretty and fun and easy to make. They also are the perfect homemade gift for Mother’s Day and Grandparent’s Day!

little girl holding bouquet of paper flowers

several paper flowers sitting on a table

Print Project

5 from 8 votes

Tropical Paper Flowers

These bright and beautiful tropical paper flowers are made from scrapbook paper and card stock. I was inspired by the gorgeous tropical flowers in warm weather climates.

Prep Time10

Crafting Time10

Total Time20

Age Group: Adult Crafts, Kids Crafts

Project Type: Crafts

Supplies

Card stock in bright colors orange, red, bright green, turquoise, yellow
Scrapbook paper in colors that compliment card stock colors
Flower pattern
5 green pipe cleaners 1 per flower
15 pony beads 3 per flower
5 yellow pipe cleaners (1 per flower) cut into thirds
Glue stick
Glue dots

Craft tools

Hot glue gun
Scissors
Color printer

Instructions

Print out pattern. Use the larger template to cut out card stock pieces. Use the smaller template to cut out scrapbook paper pieces.
Use glue stick to attach the small scrapbook paper flower to the larger card stock flower.
Roll the flower up tight, spread the top out as if you were forming a cone shape.
Thread a pony bead onto a one of the short yellow pipe cleaners and bend at the top to close it around the bead. Repeat this for a total of three. Wrap the ends together with the end of a green pipe cleaner to attach them all together.
Poke the end of the green pipe cleaner down into the center of the flower. Hot glue in place.
Seal cone shape with a glue dot. Wrap each flower petal around a paintbrush or a pen to curl them.

Expert Tips & FAQs

Use whatever colors you like. Brightly colored card stock works best with a patterned scrapbook paper.
This project is great for all ages, but I grown up might need to help kids with the glue gun.

When I decided to make these flowers, I drew my initial inspiration from these beautiful felt flowers from Crafty Staci. Hers were so pretty and colorful that they caught my eye the very first time I saw them! I decided to use paper because there are so many pretty patterns available in scrapbook paper that you just can’t get in felt. And I love the way that the patterned paper compliments the solid colors of the card stock.

5 different color tropical paper flowers — Our original photo from 2014

This post originally appeared here on June 21, 2014 but has since been updated with new photos.

Author
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Amanda Davis

Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.

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