Materials:

Tissue paper in a variety of colors including complimentary colors if you can find them

Scissors

Chenille stems or pipe cleaner

Ruler

Vase or tall empty container

Chop sticks or dowel rods

1. Stack two pieces of one color tissue paper and two pieces of another color tissue paper.
2. Make a one-inch fold at the short end. Turn the stack over and make a one-inch fold again. Continue to fold back and forth until the entire stack forms a strip (like an accordion).
3. Fold the stack in the middle and cut it in half.
4. Round off the corners of each strip.
5. Wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle of a strip and twist it tightly.
6. Fan out the tissue and pull on one layer at strip of papers at a time.
7. Repeat steps 4 -6 with the second strip.
8. VARIATION: Using the complimentary colored tissue papers, stack two pieces of blue and two pieces of orange and repeat steps 1 – 7.
9. Continuing to use complimentary color combinations, stack two pieces of purple and two pieces of yellow tissue paper and follow steps 1 – 7.the chop sticks
10. Using red and green, stack two pieces of each color and follow steps 1 – 7
11. When finished making the flowers, attach them to the chop sticks or dowel rods using the pipe cleaners. Put them in a vase or jar and decorate your favorite room.
12. Attach the various color combination flowers to gifts or the covers of photo albums and journals. Paper flowers have lots of uses!