How to Make Paper Daisies

As another in a series of paper flowers, (see
www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Paper-Roses/), this instructable depicts daisy type flowers. These are one of the easiest (and most fun) flowers to make. Follow along and see what you think!

As in making paper roses, all that is needed is colored papers, scissors, glue, stem wire, floral tape and other, minor, miscellaneous tools and materials.

I actually go out into the garden and collect specimen flowers to copy from. There is no better way to construct a flower than learning from the real thing!  Dissect the flower(s), and use the petals and leaves as models to make templates, or simply draw the shapes onto the paper.

After dissecting the daisy and counting the number of petals, the petals are cut out of the paper of choice.  I've found the easiest way to do this is to measure the length of the petal(s) and cut a strip of paper to this width. This will insure that the flower is uniform in structure, just as in nature.

A disc of about 3/4 inch is cut from paper. Use white or the same paper used in the petals. This will be covered by the petals, so color is of no issue. The important thing to remember here is to point the petal(s) to the exact center of the circle.  This is crucial to the achievment of realism which we are after.

Several things can be used for the centers of the daisy, such as paper mache, styrofoam, wood buttons, buttons, wood dowels, etc.  I used wood dowels for the centers shown and it's a simple matter to round off the dowel first by sanding, then cut to about 1/8 inch with a cut off saw.

For the stem, I used 16 gauge floral wire, about 6 to 9 inches in length. On the end of the stem, hot glue a piece of paper as shown in the pictures.  Bend the end of the wire to achieve a realistic appearance, and hot glue the flower to the stem piece.

Again, use true leaves as models, and cut several pieces, 5 or 7 per stem, to complete the flower and stem.

If several daisies are made, they can be an arrangement on their own.  Also, the flowers can be used as filler flowers for other arrangements, as wanted.