DIY Crepe Paper Peonies
Beautiful Blush
I have a lot of beloved flower favorites. But at the top of that list is the peony. There are so many varieties in colors and form that I could design another dozen version of DIY crepe paper peonies quite easily. You may remember the peony I posted last fall using the watercolor design onto printer paper. Or this version where I make them from simple cupcake wrappers. These peonies are both very pretty and fun for different uses. This set of crepe peonies is my test run for a wedding this summer. We are going to include the pale cream and blush peonies into a real flower bouquet with garden roses for an English garden feel. What do you think?
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Become a MemberWorking with floral crepe is fun and quite simple. A few tips I will pass on to you. First, there is a difference in crepe paper weights and therefore the amount of stretch it will have. For these outer peony petals, it is important they can stretch enough to have a rounded cup shape.
Second tip is to make sure you cut along the grain. On my pattern below, I have included grain lines to show you the direction to place and cut. My third tip for these DIY crepe paper peonies, specifically, is that since the flower head is very heavy, it is important to use the additional support of the three leaves on their own floral wire stems. You can see the details of adding the leaves in the tutorial below.
My last tip is about the floral tape. It will work best if you glue the ends of the tiny leaves surrounding your bloom base onto the wire and begin your wrap over the top of the green paper leaves. I even added just a touch of glue to keep it in place as I twisted the tape down the wire. Remember to activate the stick of the tape, you must gently stretch as you wrap.
I am so excited about these peonies! The crepe paper has given me the look I was wanting for that large lush wedding style of peony. I will share the final wedding photos with you here this fall so stay tuned! ~ Lia
Tools
Materials
- Lia Griffith Heavy Crepe Paper – Blush, Vanilla, Emerald
- 18 Gauge Floral Wire
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120 Comments
Hello! Quick question…is there a video for this flower? I am not seeing it but could have easily missed it. Thanks so much!
This peony is one of the originals we made almost ten years ago, so it does not have a video. We have so many others that do though! This version is very close and you could replace with the pink colors. https://liagriffith.com/how-to-make-crepe-paper-peonies-for-fall/
Great! Thank you and do you think it would work to do these with the extra fine paper?
You can give it a try. It might not hold the shape as well since the paper is softer.
Sorry Lia! I just read the answer to my question on the fall -colored peonies about the extra fine crepe paper. I should have checked first. Sorry to bother you! Thanks for everything you all are doing!!
No worries! Never say never though. You might want to give it a try. 🙂
Wow, This is amazing and a great work on paper peonies and the designs, I love that.
Keep sharing such amazing post with us!
Lia, Thank you so much! Great work on paper peonies and for this article too! Keep Posting and good luck with your next upcoming post.
Thanks!!
I love these. Looking for an idea for a friend undergoing chemo. This may just be what I need! Thank you!!
Beautiful! Did you use s Cricut to cut the crepe paper? If so how did you remove it from the mat without tearing?
Thank you, Dawn! We occasionally use the Cricut Maker to cut crepe, but have to say I still prefer cutting by hand. The fabric mat works well though, the crepe doesn’t tear!
Thank you so much for the beautiful creations that allows us as makers of your product to bloom. I love this peony and am going to be making several that I have to cut by hand. Is it possible to make a SVG file for this particular peony. If you say yes, I am going to upgrade from my Explore One to the Cricut Maker. Please, please say yes, and then I will have an easy job of convincing my husband of 54 years that I can’t live without one. Love your website!
Elaine Wilkins
Ok Elaine, your wish is my command! The SVG has been uploaded 🙂
Hi Lia and team, well, I have another question about the file that you so graciously made into an SVG file….. did you know that this particular file, when I printed out the original template was for a regular size peony and not the jumbo? I went to make it on my Cricut One, just to see what it was going to look like and low and behold it is a huge peony. Can this be changed back to the original size, which is what I am committed to making two dozen of for a friend or do I keep my original template and cut them all by hand? I hate like the devil to be a pest, but I am so in love with the crepe paper flowers that I just hate to think of not being able to make them on the future Cricut Maker that I would like to buy and will buy if I can make the very popular peony on the Cricut. thank you for always being so kind to respond to my questions. I so appreciate it.
Hi Elaine, thanks for the comment. This project is a regular size peony, not the jumbo peony (which has its own PDF and SVG). Once you have the Maker, you can resize the petals in Design Space and cut your crepe petals any size you prefer 🙂
Of course, I should have realized that. As soon as I saw your response, I tried it on my Explore One and it worked great. Sorry to have bothered you and I appreciate that you are always so gracious. You can tell that I am a newbie. By the way, I ordered the Cricut Maker and can’t wait to receive it. Thank you.
It’s no bother, we’re happy to help when we can!! Can’t wait for you to get the Maker– it’s AWESOME! 🙂
Awesome !!! Every Flower is Looking very attractive .
Thank you 🙂
Hi Lia,
Thank you for inspiring me to make these for my wedding June 17, 2017. I am making three to a table and placing them in antique aqua colored mason jars. I’m looking for the link to the video tutorial you have on these, but all I can find is the one on the sarah peonies. Trying to send the link to my bridal party so they can watch it and I’d like to have it available when I’m making them on my own. SOS please!
How exciting! The only video tutorial we have right now is the peony for the floral crown. Hopefully the photo tutorials will help– but check back in the next couple months as we plan to add more crepe flower video tutorials!
Lia – thanks so much for your fabulous pattern. Made some yesterday (in New Zealand) and so thrilled with how they turned out. Mine look more like oriental poppies because of how I placed my out petals. Love them. Linked to you.
http://lynettecollis.blogspot.co.nz/2016/06/birthday-play-day-crepe-paper-flowers.html
Thank you Lynette, yours look beautiful!
Hi Lia,
Firstly, I absolutely love your peonies crepe flowers!! So, I’m going to try my hand at them – cross all fingers and toes. You have made note that the thicker (180g) paper does not always capture the finer details of intricate complex blooms, such as these peonies and that a finer crepe paper should be selected. Would you recommend the 140g or 60g crepe paper for these peonies?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I’m sure your peonies will turn out beautifully. I would recommend using my crepe when it becomes available for purchase! 😉 I would say that my extra fine crepe is most comparable to 60g crepe. You can see the peonies I made with my extra fine crepe in this post: https://liagriffith.com/extra-fine-crepe-paper-line/
When will your crepe paper become available?
There’s been a slight delay so most likely at the end of July! We are (im)patiently waiting and will make a big announcement when it’s ready!
UPDATE. For anyone else who has experienced this difficulty – I found a workaround. Click on the link to the template page, copy the URL from the blank template page and paste it into a new browser window. Hit return and there it is! Why this extra step is needed – no clue – but just happy that I’m able to get the templates and begin making beautiful flowers.
Hi Libby! I’m glad you’re able to download the templates. You might want to try a different browser, sometimes the PDF downloads get “stuck” and won’t fully download into the browser.
Hi Lia,
I’ve been researching paper flowers for my daughter’s wedding and just love your flowers. I just started my membership and although I can download the SVG files, when “click, download, and print” the template is the only option, I just get a blank page. I’ve tried several different paper flowers with the same result. I don’t know if it makes a difference that I have a Mac and not a PC.
Hi Lia,
Could you please let me know what colour crepe paper from Carte Fini you used for the stamen for this peonie?
Thank you!
Hi Kate, I’m sorry I don’t remember the name of the color. Hopefully you can find a soft, buttery yellow that will work for you!
Hi Lia,
I was wondering what shade of green crepe paper did you use? I noticed on cartefini that there are a number of shades of green: sage, leafy green, emerald isle, ivy green, etc. Which shade would you recommend?
Thanks!
I picked up the crepe paper at our local craft store and don’t recall the the color name, but I used two soft shades of green that I thought would look nice with my blooms. Our line of crepe will be coming out mid-summer, stay tuned! 🙂
Hello, sooooo happy to have join the group!
Question: your template is actual size when I print it?
The print that came out shows me that the big flower is 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches, is that correct or I need to adjust something on my printer?
Thanks
Happy to have you here! 🙂 The template should be true to size when printed if you make sure that in the print dialogue it is set to “actual size”.
Just wondering if you use your cricut to cut your flower patterns in crepe paper. I tried to put the crepe paper on my mat but it wouldn’t stick… I saw your video on cricut vs cameo and you mentioned loving the machines because you don’t have to hand cut anymore… I need to make tons of flowers and using a cutting machine would be ideal if it works!
I actually don’t cut my crepe paper on the Cricut. Because of the texture of the crepe it ends up tearing. So I guess I do a little bit of hand cutting still:-) Just not nearly as much as before
Hallo, I am new member (payed for 1 year) and can not dowload this peonies tutorial.
Thank you.
Greetings from Luxemburg (Europe)
Hello there, we don’t have a downloadable tutorial for this project but we do have a video. You can find the link for this video in the post. So happy you are here!
bonsoir, je suis française et j’aime beaucoup votre bouquet defleurs pourriez vous me donner les explications pour que je puisse le faire ma fille se marie au mois d’avril et j’aimerais décorer les tables avec ses petits bouquets je vous remercie infiniment si vous pouviez me transmettre les explications
I am not sure you can understand what I am saying but watching this may help: https://liagriffith.com/crepe-paper-peony-video-tutorial/
Hi Lia!
I’ve just gotten my crepe paper and I’m so excited to start making these flowers. They look so beautiful!
I (mainly) wanted to leave a comment because I really struggled finding Italian crepe paper in Australia. As a last resort, I looked on Etsy (a website I’ve rarely frequented but I find myself looking at it constantly recently!) and found two people on there that stock it. I ordered from the shop, RubyJu and I cannot recommend Bec enough. I received the best customer service from her. She was so helpful and responded to me so quickly. Better yet, I ordered the paper and received it the next day!
If you are Australian, don’t give up hope, you can make these! Get yourself an Etsy account and order from Bec, you won’t regret it!
So awesome!!! I have heard a lot of readers in Australia having this struggle. I am so glad to hear you found a great resource! Have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Lia,
I’m in love with these flowers and wanted to make these peonies to create a garland backdrop for my daughter’s baptism. What do you think is the best way to string them and ensure they stay in place?
I would say to use fishing line or twine, and then some hot glue. You can check out these two tutorials for inspiration! https://liagriffith.com/cascading-paper-flower-garland-tutorial/ and https://liagriffith.com/white-vellum-paper-flower-garland/
Hi, Ma’am
i really have fell in love with these beautiful peonies, great tutorial.
Can u give me a tutorial for tulips and especially for roses. I checked many tutorials but still looking for those perfect roses.
I am so glad to hear you like them! I have many different rose and tulip tutorials on the site if you want to browse around or type them into the search bar 🙂
Ma’am! is it possible to make “Moss” with crepe paper? if yes! then how?
thanq ma’am
I suppose you could try, but I have never done that before…It would probably be much easier to just buy a pack of moss from a craft store!
hi Lia,
I had some old crepe paper & I was searching on Google how ot make flowers out of crepe paper. I saw your flowers and got hooked on to your website. i have also seen your videos. You are just amazing. God has blessed you well. I tried making flowers by watching your tutorials. Unfortunately where I live we dont get such lovely crepe paper. I live in Mumbai, India. Can you share any dealers name here so that I could also get such lovely crepe paper and all the other materials?
Thanks for sharing your designs and patters with us. Really appreciate it. Can you add me in your mailing list for new patterns?
Thanking you.
Warm regards,
Shubhangi
Thank you for your kind words! We get all of our crepe paper from this site here: http://www.cartefini.com/
I am not sure if they will ship to India but I am hoping for the best for you!! If you are interested in receiving the daily email newsletter, you can type your email address in the box that says “Inspiration in your inbox” at the bottom of the homepage 🙂
Hi Lia,
Watched your video for making these and fell in love. Thinking about making bouquets for my wedding-how many flowers do you think I would need?
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!! How many you will need for your bouquet just depends on the size you are going for but for the wedding bouquet you probably want to make a statement so I would aime for 15-20 and see how it looks.
I love these! I’m getting married next May and want to use real peonies in my wedding bouquet but definitely want to make these to decorate the chapel! The plan is to string them up and have them hanging behind us during the ceremony. Just ordered a couple rolls of paper to practice!
oh, that sounds very pretty!
We are soooo happy you are here. 🙂
Hi Lia, I really wish to have great hands like you! if you don’t mind, could you please share the tutorial on making peonies buds like in this website –
Many thanks
I will add it to my list:-) In the meantime I have this one https://liagriffith.com/diy-crepe-paper-peonies/
Just sent you a pic. Can’t stop making them haha 🙂
Love it, can we share it on our Facebook page?
Hi Lia, I have had so much fun making your flowers! I am excited to find the peony, one of my favorite flowers. Thanks again!
Love your website 🙂
Sue
One of my favorites too:-) Happy to hear you had fun, please share a picture with me at hello@liagriffith.com
Thanks Lia, it worked. Can’t wait to try this!!
Yay!
These are beautiful. I can’t seem to get the template from the link though – I can only see a jpeg of the tutorial. Can you help?
So sorry Charlotte. The link has been fixed now.
The pdf template link seems to be broken as it loops back to the picture tutorial but doesn’t go to the pattern. Please help!
Thanks for letting me know. The link is fixed now. 😉
Where can I get the pattern of these petals? Thank you.
Hi Sammy, the pattern (pdf) is towards the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
Hi Lia! I’m going to do these pretty poenies for an especial opposition but I don’t know how to find and print the flowers. Can you show me or give me the link? Thank you 🙂
Hi,
The link for the pdf template is at the bottom of the post. I cut mine out on Crepe Paper from Carte Fini. Here is a link to a video tutorial https://liagriffith.com/video-crepe-paper-peony/ Enjoy:-)
I am going to tackle these for my wedding centerpieces–they are so gorgeous! Before I buy, what is the final estimation on how many flowers I can get from each sheet?
How fun!! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!! Each roll of the Crepe Paper I purchase from Carte Fini will make 2-3 of these large peony blooms.
Oh, how lovely! I find so much more to adore in these peonies–with their handmade quality and defining grain–than in any silk flowers I have ever seen. I plan to make a bunch with shades of orange and peach to go against my navy room. Thank you, Lia, for your thoughtfulness in putting this DIY together!
That makes me so happy to hear:)
Hello Lia,
I was very hard pushed to decide which flowers to make – peonies have won for now 🙂
Is the cream on Carte Fini the same as the Ivory on the crepe paper site? I am very excited to try these – THANK YOU!
I changed the links to Carte Fini now. Yes, you are right. 😉
Hi Lia!
I am debating whether to purchase from Paper Mart or Carte Fini. I saw that you posted that Paper Mart isn’t floral crepe paper on an earlier post. What does that mean in terms of how the flower turns out, if I use the Paper Mart crepe paper?
Paper Mart has craft crepe which does not have as much stretch and is thinner. You can make pretty flowers from their crepe, it will just look more crafty. The colors are also a bit more saturated and less soft.
Hello! I am ordering 32 rolls for my upcoming wedding for the actual petals, but I am unsure about how many roles of yellow and green I should order for the inside of the flower and the petals. Advice?
I am thinking 2 rolls each would do. Make sure you share photos of your process and finished flowers. How exciting!!
That is wonderful! I would like to know when it is available for purchase. Please put me on the email list when it out. Thank you very much.
Warm Regards,
Migdalia Cosme
I will keep you posted! 😉
I’ve been making a lot of these for my May 2015 wedding. I plan on cursing them for my center pieces. They have came out beautifully! My friends and fiancé have been really impressed with the amount of detail. I just have one question. Do you have advice/suggestion on how to store paper flowers before my wedding. I plan on making about 60 of these and about 100 coffee filter roses.
Congratulations! Please share pictures with us!!!! I would put them in boxes, protected the edges so they don’t get crushed, don’t over-pack and close the lid so they don’t get dusty. And of course keep them out of the rain;-)
You need to write a book ! All your flowers are fantastic !!!
Great news! There is a book in the works!!!! Page Street Publishing should have it on the store shelves by Fall of 2015.
I am absolutely blown away of your talent. Thank you so much!
This ideed is beautiful! I love it! PUerto Rico Nov 10 2014
Thank you that warms my heart!
I made a bunch of these for my wedding bouquet. Thank you so much for the tutorial and template!
http://www.enis-erlebnisse.blogspot.se/2014/09/hochzeitsbilder.html
They look so pretty! Perfect for your special day!
Hello Lia,
Why can i not find The pattern for The peonys ?
It is at the end of the post. Look for the grey ribbon button that says download and print. Also, there is a video tutorial for this peony. Just look in my videos dropdown.
I love these. Looking for an idea for a friend undergoing chemo. This may just be what I need! Thank you!!
Awww, she will love these.
I have been making flowers out of crepe paper,paper napkins, and construction paper a while ago. I stopped when I had too many flowers. now I came upon your crepe paper flower. now I am wanting to make some. thanks I need to get some more made. I gave away most of what I made. thanks . Martha Lofton
That is great Martha! Make sure and check out all of my flowers too. I have a lot of variety in paper types.
These look absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait to try this! But, may I ask for clarification? You state that each roll from the Crepe Paper Store makes 2-3 blossoms, but according to their web site, each roll is 19 inches by 8 feet in length, which seems like quite a bit of paper to only get 2-3 blooms. Am I missing something? Thanks so much!
Thanks Amy! I will be honest, I did not measure or use a whole roll, so the likely hood of you getting more than 3 blossoms is high. I am going to guess (generously) 2 feet per bloom makes 4 flowers, but you may be able to get more. I have a class I am teaching and at that point will know exactly how many per roll. ;-+
Gorgeous, as always!
Thanks Anne!
They are so beautiful, you have a gift.
Thank you Linda. I am doing my best to share it with as many people as possible. 😉
Also wanted to add my favorite crepe paper suppliers!
You cannot beat Paper Mart’s prices. They are based in California and have lots of colors to choose from. They are the only ones I’ve found with a peach colored crepe paper.
Carte Fini is Italian Crepe paper and is available on Amazon. Their prices are higher than paper mart, but similar to The Crepe Paper store listed in this post.Overall Carte Fini has the BEST colors I’ve seen from any crepe paper store. All the colors are muted and look very natural which is perfect for flowers. They also sell other paper flower making supplies.
Happy paper flower making!
Thanks Hope. The crepe that Paper Mart sells is a craft grade rather than a floral grade, hence the low prices. They are also out of stock and looking for a new supplier. I have all of their papers though. Carte Fini is the same brand that they sell at Crepe Paper Store. It seems the Amazon prices are a little higher, but you can buy directly from the Carte Fini site as well. Yes, this brand is the best and all that I use for the more detailed flowers. I also did a little bleach dip on the pale pink blooms. Crushing on crepe. 😉
Just wanted to let you know that I’m LOVING this tutorial and pattern! I’ve made a few for my wedding and plan to make more. I printed out the template in different sizes (as small as 55% copy ratio) and am hoping to be able to make a variety of sizes for the personal flowers at my wedding! I’ve bought numerous books on making crepe paper flowers and used other tutorials and none have been as simple and beautiful as these. These will be the only flowers I will use for my bouquet!
Thanks Hope! I have tried to see what else is out there for patterns and I agree that this one is my favorite. Can I say that since it is mine? Haha. My pattern makes a very large bloom so reducing it for variation is brilliant!
wooow these are so beautiful and pretty!
i have made as well in my 18th many crepe paper flowers, but they weren’t so pretty as yours;-D
thank you for the sharing and the greate tute and templates.
Thanks Jet! Keep practicing. 😉
These are utterly gorgeous Lia! These blooms look so real!
Thanks Kimberly! They are my fave!
Gorgeous. .. peonies were my wedding flowers. .. never heard of this type of crepe paper… where do you buy it?
Check out the links on this post for suppliers.
Lia I love all of your paper flowers. They are phenomenal. Thank you for always sharing.
Denise x
Thanks Denise! I love sharing them!!
these are so pretty, I’m limited to the supplies I can get so I’ll have to try these with regular crepe paper, I’ll let you know how they turn out!! I also just adore peonies but we dont get them where I live 🙁 so I’ll have to make some crepe ones instead!! I can’t wait for more flower tutorials/templates!! I just love them! 🙂
If you can swing two rolls of the crepe from the link, you could paint your inside pieces. The less expensive paper has less stretch, but they still make pretty flowers. Let me know how it goes.
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