Paper Poppies These bright and cheery blooms will last long past Valentine’s Day. Create a unique card by attaching a flower or two with decorative tape, or gather them together for a pretty bouquet. RED20IN 15 FEAFTeU bruary mes the Better Ho ® f issue od Gardens an e in z maga Produced by Suzonne Stirling Paper Poppies MATERIALS START WITH THE CENTER PREPARE THE PETALS Yellow crepe paper streamers Scissors Crafts glue (we used Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue) 20-gauge floral wire Self-adhesive florist tape in green 20530-inch tissue sheets Flower petal templates 1. Cut a 7-inch piece of streamer and fold it in half lengthwise. Then make little cuts along the unfolded edge. (You can also use fringing scissors, which make multiple cuts at once.) 1. Unfold a sheet of tissue paper. Starting from the short side, cut twelve 3-inch strips. Fold each strip accordion-style, making folds wide enough for cutting around the petal templates. 2. Place the streamer on a flat surface, fold in half widthwise, and loosely pinch together. Dab crafts glue on the folded edge and press around a piece of floral wire. Wrap a small piece of florist tape around the base. 2. Align template with the bottom edge; cut around the template. Repeat until you have 6 petals of each size per flower.  CUT HERE  B A CREATE THE FLOWER 1. Each flower will have 6 two-layer petals, 3 small, 3 large. Start with the small. Stack two cut-outs, bring the bottom edges together to create a concave shape, and glue around the yellow center. Repeat twice to create the inner layer of petals. 2. Repeat process with the large petals and glue to bottom of the flower, around the smaller petals. 3. Finish by wrapping a piece of florist tape around the base of the flower. 4. To make the flower “bloom,” bend the flower head forward just a bit and open the petals slightly. Supplies are available at crafts and party supply stores. We got our tissue paper from Paper Mart (papermart.com) and Nashville Wraps (nashvillewraps.com). BHG.com/Poppies ©Copyright 2015, Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.