How to Make a Paper Sunflower (Easy Craft Tutorial)

Start with a sheet of yellow chart paper or any sturdy yellow craft paper. Construction paper works, cardstock works, even a yellow file folder works. Mark out three 18cm by 18cm squares with a pencil and ruler.

The exact size is less important than the consistency - all three squares need to match, because they become the three stacked petal layers. If you cut one square smaller than the other two, that layer won't sit right in the stack. Measure twice, then cut all three at once if you can.

Take one of your yellow squares and fold it in half diagonally - corner to corner - so you have a right triangle. Run your fingernail along the fold to crease it sharply.

Now fold that triangle in half again, point to point, to make a smaller triangle. Crease it. Then fold one more time the same way. You end up with a narrow folded triangle eight layers thick at the open edge. This is the same fold you'd use to make a paper snowflake. The eight layers are what give you the eight petals when you unfold later.

Lay the folded triangle on your work surface with the closed point at the top and the open edge at the bottom. With a pencil, draw a long curved petal shape from the top point down to the open edge. The shape should taper to a sharp point at the top and widen toward the bottom - imagine drawing one half of a long leaf.

The line you draw is the cut line. Everything outside the line gets cut away. The wider you make the petal, the wider the petals on your finished flower. A narrow petal gives a delicate look; a wider petal gives a more solid sunflower silhouette.

Holding the folded triangle firmly so the layers don't shift, cut along the pencil line with scissors. You're cutting through all eight layers at once, so use sharp scissors - dull craft scissors will chew the edges and leave the petals ragged.

Take the curve slowly. The smoother the cut, the cleaner the petal edges look when you unfold. Discard the trimmed waste paper - what's left in your hand is the petal layer.

Carefully open the folded paper. As you unfold each layer, smooth it flat with your hand so the petals lie evenly. When you reach the last fold the paper opens into a flat eight-petal flower shape.

The fold creases stay visible as ridges running down the middle of each petal, which is exactly what you want - those creases give each petal a natural three-dimensional curve so the layer isn't completely flat. Set this petal layer aside and repeat steps 2 through 5 with the other two yellow squares so you end up with three identical layers.

This is the step that turns a yellow paper flower into a sunflower. Take a scrap of paper and crumple it tightly into a small ball about 2cm across. Coat the outside of the ball with white glue - really coat it, every surface needs glue on it.

Tip some ground coffee or used coffee grounds into a small bowl. Roll the glue-coated paper ball through the coffee so the grounds stick all over it. Press gently so the grounds bond into the glue. You end up with a dark brown textured ball that looks remarkably like the dried seed disc of a real sunflower. Set it on a piece of waxed paper to dry for a few minutes.

Lay one petal layer flat. Put a dot of glue in the center, then place the second layer on top, rotating it so its petals fall in the gaps between the first layer's petals. Press the centers together until the glue grabs.

Repeat with the third layer. Rotate it again so its petals fall in the gaps left by the first two layers. The offset stacking is what makes the finished flower look full and three-dimensional instead of like a flat 8-petal cutout. You end up with what looks like 16 to 24 petals radiating from the center.

Put a generous dot of glue in the very center of the stacked petal layers - right where all three centers meet. Press the coffee-ground textured ball firmly onto the glue and hold it for ten or fifteen seconds so it bonds.

Let the whole flower dry for an hour. Once everything sets, you have a finished paper sunflower ready to display. Glue it to a wooden dowel or pipe cleaner for a stem and stand it in a vase. Tape it to a greeting card for a birthday. Or string a few together as a garland for a summer party.