Poinsettia flowers mean “old fashioned Christmas” to me. These tissue paper poinsettia flowers are such an inexpensive and simple way to add a little holiday cheer- and there’s no need to remember to water them!
What do you need to make tissue paper poinsettias….
The bare bones of these tissue paper flowers are tissue paper and pipe cleaners. In the pics below I used traditional red and green for my poinsettias. (I used a Christmas tissue paper pack like this one!) Glitter pipe cleaners add a fun touch too but use what you have!
Real poinsettias come in all sorts of beautiful whites and pinks. I think these tissue paper poinsettias would be really fun in a variety of colors. Next on my list is fuchsia and lime green!
How to start your tissue paper poinsettias…
You want to start these flowers by tracing a circle, any size you want. In my example the red and green portion of the poinsettia flowers are the same size, with the inner yellow circle being much smaller.
Cut the circles out. You’ll need two circles, of each color for each flower. Tissue paper is super thin and easy to cut. I cut through about six pieces at once and then just pulled off a couple of circles to use at a time.
To make the petal shapes you’ll follow this same process for each color. Pick a color and grab two circles. Fold together first in half, and then into quarters.
Cutting petals…
I started this poinsettia craft thinking I’d provide you with a printable template but as I played with cutting “just right” shapes I realized you don’t need a template for these…at all. Once your circles are folded into quarters cut three skinny, super basic petal shapes. Reference the pictures above or just play around and see what you prefer.
No flowers are the same or perfect. Every time you make a tissue paper poinsettia it will come out a little differently – which is great- it will make your poinsettias more interesting and real looking! Unfold the tissue paper flower and check your results. You can always fold it back up and trim more!
Layering your tissue paper flower….
Each flower will use two layers of green, or whatever color you choose for your leaves and two layers of the red, or flower color. We added in an extra two layers of yellow near the center. This is optional, but I think i’s a fun detail. Each poinsettia flower will have six layers of tissue.
Grab a pipe cleaner and poke it through the center of the bottom most layer, a leaf color. Add a dot of glue or a dab of clue stick to the next leaf layer and do the same to it. Try to stagger the leaf shapes before the glue touches the tissue paper layer that’s already there. Once it touches, it’s down for good!
Continue the process with the layers of red and the layers of yellow. Adding a touch of glue now and then helps the whole thing stay together but it’s not necessary every time!
That’s it! You’ve made one poinsettia flower. Make a few more and they’d look beautiful in a vase or tucked into your Christmas tree!
Do you like to learn by seeing…
Me too! Check out the free video tutorial below and make your own tissue paper poinsettia right along side me as I show how I make mine.
More Christmas crafts from KTC….
Print these Christmas tree templates, decorate, and fold into tiny Christmas tree luminaries.
Decorate these stand up snow globes template and they’re the perfect winter-y decoration for a special mantle or table.
Try painting a pine tree with no paint with this no mess painting experience! (And free video tutorial!)
Use these six free winter themed sketchbook prompts to get your little people drawing in minutes!
