Paper Dandelion Flower

This is a great project for those who have lots of paper and tape. This is easy for kids, but adults can also have fun. This project can upcycle old paper and be a stylish decoration or statement piece.

-Paper (about 250 pages for large)

-Tape (preferably scotch clear tape)

-Scissors (optional)

This project will be very difficult if you use glue because it will take a while for everything to dry and project will take from a few hours to many weeks.

This step has multiple sub steps which are simple and easy. Then end product should make a cone.

1. Take one corner of the paper and fold it so the short side of the page goes directly above the long side. This should make a triangle with a rectangle above it (As shown in the big picture).
2. Take the corner of the triangle farthest from the rectangle and move it so it is above or next to the rectangle. (As shown in the top right picture).
3. This step is the trickiest. Take the rectangle and wrap it above the bent triangle (As shown in the middle right picture). Then gently twist the bottom of the rectangle so it tightens the new cone (As shown in the bottom right picture). Add tape so the cone does not come lose. Not a lot of tape is needed for the cone to not lose it's shape.

Side Note

• You can make the cone however long, short, thin, or wide you want by where you start twisting and where the triangle starts folding into the rectangle. The cones do not need to be the same size and it could add depth and variation to the project.
• The steps will look a little different if you use different sizes of paper. The concept and general ideas of the steps will remain the same.
• The end product is about two feet diameter if using full sheets.

Bring the bottoms parts of the cone together from two thin triangles to a thick triangle (As shown in the big picture). Tape the bottom and top-middle part with tape. Make sure the tape goes into the crevice' so when you are farther along, other cones will fit into place. Tape both sides, mainly at the beginning. This step does require more tape than the making of the cones because it will make the overall structure of the project stronger and less likely to break. Keep adding one cone at a time, taping the bottom tips together and the middle-top parts (As shown in the smaller pictures). A small piece of tape on each side (that goes into the crevices) should hold everything together.

• This is flammable because its paper. Don't put lights in it.
• If you feel like the overall shape is not secure or when you are building along and there are some open gaps between cones, you can always add tape to the rims on top of the cones. This is not necessary, just a precaution. Don't do the double sided circle tape ring on this project. It will fall apart.
• You can make all the cones at once then tape them together or make one cone then tape it on one at a time. I made a bunch of cones AND did it one at a time AND just made the triangle pages then made them to cones then taped them on. There is a lot of freedom on this project and you can make it however you see fit.
• This project was originally made for a full sphere, but I ran out of paper and it was already really big, so its half a sphere. The first one I made was a sphere, but it was made out of small pieces of paper and about a foot in diameter. This proves how flexible this project really is. You can do a quarter of a sphere or just five cones and it will still look cool.
• THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT. Most people have never seen this before and will not notice the mistakes you see. Most people tell me "WOW, that's so cool! What is it?" You can tell them anything, I don't care.