Sometimes, the most beautiful of things can be made from the simplest of things. I realized this after I found I was disposing of my paper towel rolls at an alarming rate. I am the type of person who hates to waste, and when I saw all these paper towel rolls being thrown out, I decided to make something beautiful out of them. There are countless tutorials online for how to create flowers from paper towel rolls. One day I was feeling inspired by these tutorials, so I created my own version.
Materials
– Paper towel and toilet paper rolls
– Tissue paper
– Scissors
– Pen
– Ruler
– Liquid glue that dries clear
– Tape
Directions
1.Take your paper towel and toilet paper rolls and set them on their side, horizontally. Using a pen and ruler, mark the rolls into pieces that are about an inch and a half wide. Following this step, use the scissors to cut the rolls into these inch-and-a-half pieces. Lightly flatten the paper towel and toilet paper rolls so that they may be easier to cut.
2. Next, let’s create the center of the flower. The pieces of the rolls from step one should be a slightly round shape, but for this step, these round pieces need to be cut in half. Flatten about three pieces of the paper towel/toilet paper rolls, and then cut along the crease that was formed from the flattening. After this step, there should be about six pieces that are slightly curved.
3. The center of the flower should be a circle, which is why it is essential that the pieces from the last step be curved. To form the circle, glue the ends of these curved pieces together. Because the pieces are curved, they will begin to loop around until the first piece is being touched by another piece. Glue these pieces together on the ends to complete the circle. After the glue has dried, I like to reinforce the circle by taping the pieces together.
4. Let’s create the petals. The petals should be formed from the paper towel/toilet paper roll pieces that were not cut in half (the pieces from step one). Pinch these pieces to form slightly pointy petal shapes.
5. Now let’s decorate the flower center and petals. Marte Ravn Tovik paints her pieces a brown shade to decorate.
I, however, utilize tissue paper of different colors. Cut the tissue paper into square pieces that are slightly larger than the flower center and the petals. For the center of the flower, a 3 in. by 3 in. piece should work, and for the petals 2-inch by 2-inch pieces should be suitable.
6. Lightly dot glue on the tops of the center and petal pieces, and then lay the tissue paper directly on top so that the empty spaces within the circle and petal pieces are completely covered. Fold the tissue paper down the sides of the pieces, gluing or taping it in place.
7. Once the center of the flower and the petals have color, it is time to move on to the final step, which is to assemble the flower. Working around the center piece (the circle), attach the petals by gluing a pointy end on to the circle. The petal pieces may also be glued to one another on their sides. After the glue has dried, flip the assembled flower over and use tape to keep all the pieces attached.
Once completed, this project results in a beautiful flower that can be used as a wall decoration, or perhaps a window decoration. It is amazing to create something so gorgeous and so beautiful from something so simple and eco-friendly. Let your creativity shine with these flowers, ladies!
Photo Credit: Marte Ravn Tovik, Catherine Ellen Bazley