A paper rosette looks like it took real skill and comes together in a few minutes. Sarah Naber of Sarah Loves to Stamp walks through her go-to method in this Quick Tip Tuesday: two strips of patterned cardstock scored, folded, glued into two half fans, then joined into a pleated circle. She uses a scoring die for even folds, but a scoring board and a bone folder do the same job.
The trick that makes this version easy is her flattening tip. Press the center flat and run glue across the back seam so the rosette holds its shape instead of springing back into a loose spiral. That one move is the difference between a floppy fan and a crisp medallion.
Strip width vs finished size
The rosette comes out about twice as wide as your strip. Strip length controls how full it is.
| Strip width | Strips | Finished rosette | Score every |
|---|
| 1 in | 2 x 6 in | about 2 in | 1/4 in |
| 1.5 in | 2 x 12 in | about 3 in | 1/4 in |
| 2 in | 2 x 12 in | about 4 in | 1/4 in |
| 3 in | 3 x 12 in | about 6 in | 1/2 in |
| 4 in | 4 x 12 in | about 8 in | 1/2 in |
Why even scoring matters
Every pleat has to be the same width or the circle comes out lopsided, with one side bunched and the other gaping. Score the whole strip before you fold anything, and keep the paper pushed tight against the board's top rail so it cannot creep.
Which glue holds
- Hot glue is the fastest and the strongest for the joins under tension. Low-temp is kinder on fingers.
- Tacky glue works but you have to hold each seam for a minute or clip it.
- Strong double-sided tape is fine for the end-to-end seams on small rosettes. On anything over 4 inches it creeps open overnight.
Keeping the center flat
Glue a cardstock or chipboard circle to the back, about a third of the rosette's width. It locks every pleat at once and gives you a flat face to stick to a card or pin to a wall. A matching circle, button or gem on the front hides the point where the folds meet.
Ways to use them
Big ones in a cluster make a party backdrop, often with paper pom-poms in matching colours. Small ones top a card or a wrapped gift. Flat medallions sit well on a scrapbook page, too.
Common mistakes
- Paper too thin. Printer paper will not hold a pleat. Use cardstock or heavy double-sided scrapbook paper.
- Two seams showing. Line the joins up with the fold direction and park a center embellishment near one.
- Skipping the back glue. Without it the rosette relaxes into a cone within an hour.
Same accordion fold, other projects: a paper fan, softer tissue paper flowers and rolled paper flowers. Once you can fold them, this paper rosette layout uses nine of them in a grid.
