Easy Paper Swirl Rose

Just in time to Valentines Day this month, here’s a quick way to make some cute flowers. Saw this idea on dozidesigns where Wendy said she got it from Martha way back when.

I made two out of pink scratch paper, exactly as shown in the tutorial. And they were nice, especially if you’re going for a simple, modern flower. But I wondered if I could make the swirl edge look more petal-y…

Like in Wendy’s tutorial, I sketched a light swirl. Couldn’t find my cardstock scraps so I rifled through the girls’ construction paper drawer.

Rather than cutting a smooth line, I cut scallops, using the sketched line as a directional guide.

If you want narrower petals near the middle of the rose and wider petals near the outside, remember that you start rolling from the end of the swirl so that’s where the narrow scallops would need to be. I didn’t remember that fact until about 5” into my cutting. I think next time I might make all the petals even wider…

Starting from the outside end of the swirl, roll up the paper. Since it’s curved, it will naturally flare out more along the top/outer edge.

Roll it all up into a tight coil…

…then just set it down and watch as it unfurls itself a bit.

Wendy used her flowers as part of a lovely table setting. Depending on your intended purpose, e.g. a wreath, you might want to add a dab of glue at the base to keep the rose properly coiled. Sophie also added a paper loop to the bottom to make a fancy ring for herself.

The end.