How to make your own paper snowdrops
Wild flowers should not be picked, but left alone to grow for everyone – including important pollinators – to enjoy. These paper blooms are simple to make and look lovely.
YOU WILL NEED
Green and white tissue paper; yellow beads; thin wire (florist’s wire works well); scissors; sticky tape; glue; a small vase or container.
METHOD
1. Cut some lengths of wire about 15cm long for the stems and about 25cm long for the leaves. Make sure they are as straight as possible.
2. To make a stem, take a 15cm wire and lay it on a 15cm by 6cm strip of green tissue paper. Stick it to the paper with sticky tape. Cover the tissue in glue and roll/twist tightly around the wire. Leave to dry. 3. To make a leaf, bend a 25cm piece of wire in half to make a long, thin V-shape. Cut two pieces of green tissue the same length as your wire and 3cm wide. Use tape to stick your wire down to one piece of green tissue paper. Glue all over the surface of the tissue paper and stick on the second piece to cover the wire. Leave to dry.
4. For the snowdrop flower, cut a very thin strip of white tissue paper and wrap it around the end of the stem leaving a little bit of wire poking out. For the petals, take white tissue paper and cut out a flower shape. Make a small hole in the centre and thread the flower onto the stem behind the roll of white paper and stick the petals down. Glue on a bead to be the centre of your flower. Leave to dry.
5. Bend the head of your flower over to look like a snowdrop.
6. To make the leaves, cut around the wire shapes carefully and shape them to look like snowdrop leaves.
7. Arrange your flowers and leaves in a posy (wrap green tissue paper round the bottom to hold all the elements together) and display them in a small vase or other suitable container.
Use the same technique to make other spring flowers for your bouquet.