Easy Valentine Fun: Tissue Paper Flowers

My children and I sat down today to make some special surprises for our relatives who live far away.

We made tons and tons of tissue paper flowers.

Tomorrow I will box them up and send them off to brighten the Valentines Day of our Grandparents and Godparents, Great Uncles and Aunts and even one Great Grandparent! They were so easy to make and such fun that I thought I would share.

You will need:

Scissors

Tissue Paper in many colors (I save mine from gift bags!)

Pipe cleaners at least 12 inches long

Heart-shaped paper doilies

Instructions:

1. Cut the tissue paper into rectangles about 6 in. wide by 8 inches long.

2. Carefully stack the sheets on top of one another so that the edges line up.

3. Starting from the short side, fold the stack like an accordion or fan.

4. Twist a pipe cleaner around the middle of the flower 1 1/2 times, or until it holds securely.

5. Starting with the top sheet of tissue, gently pull it up and toward the center of the flower, separating it from the rest of the stack. Repeat with the other layers, being careful not to tear the paper.

6. Write your valentine greeting on the center of a paper doily. Cut a slit in the top and bottom of the heart and thread the flower stem through.

I took a picture of my crew with their garden of paper flowers and used it to create homemade Valentine cards to send with the flowers.

I can't wait to hear how our loved ones like them. We are so blessed to have many generations of our family still living. I want them to know that they are a treasured part of our family.

It's wonderful that a holiday like Valentines Day gives us the chance to do just that.

- Midwest Mom