Giant Paper Poppy Flower Decoration

The Martha Stewart Show, May 2009

I’m taking this one straight from Martha. It’s more craft than art – they’re just so similar! I imagine decorating an art show with these.

Tools and Materials

Petal template
Heavy card stock
Scissors
Canson colored artist paper in a variety of colors
Scissors
Pencil
Skewer
Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
Heavy-gauge wire for stem (optional)
Green paper

Giant Paper Poppy Flower Decoration How-To

1. Print template on heavy card stock and cut out. Trace and cut 7 petals from colored paper. Drag paper over edge of table to loosen fibers. Cut a slit as shown in template.

2. Crinkle petal by alternating folding over a pencil and a skewer.

3. Bend and overlap bases of two petals; hot glue in place. Repeat with a third petal.

4. Use hot glue to attach remaining petals around the central petals, as for a flower; gently fold back top of outer petals.

5. Cut a 6-inch circle from another color of paper and fringe with scissors all the way around. Cup circle in hand and curl edges into a cup-like shape. Glue into center of poppy.

6. Cut a 4-inch circle from another color of paper and cut wedges from it to make 1/4-inch thick “spokes” around the center. Curl edges as you did for the other circle. Cut a 1-inch circle from the same color paper and glue “spokes” of first circle to it to secure in place. Glue this piece to the center of the fringed cup inside poppy.

7. To make a stem, wrap a thick wire with green paper and secure with glue