Use Your Newspaper to Make Flowers

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them,” Henri Matisse said. Even in this newspaper — just glue a skewer between two pieces of colored or painted newspaper and snip it into simple flower shapes.

Group the flowers together for an everlasting and inexpensive centerpiece for your spring table, or place one at each place setting. Mini versions can be used as place cards; they’d make even a tiny gathering feel special. If you leave the bottom of the skewers undecorated, you can poke the flowers into a cake or cupcakes for an instant decoration. Or cheer up someone’s work-from-home situation with a potted paper bouquet; they’ll thank you a bunch.

Supplies

• Newspaper (find colorful spots or paint it)

• Acrylic craft paint and paintbrush (if you want to paint the newspaper)

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Wooden skewers

• White glue

• Small bowl and a paintbrush (optional, for the glue)

• Glue stick (optional)

• Small flowerpots, vases, recycled bottles or jars.

• Fine gravel or sand (available in craft stores, optional)

Make the flowers

1. If you’d like to, paint a few sheets of newspaper.

2. Cut two pieces of paper to the height and width of your planned flower, leaf and stem or just the flower head.

3. Brush or squeeze a thin strip of glue down the center of the paper, place your dowel on top and apply some more glue over it. Apply a think layer of glue over the rest of the newspaper and place the other piece on top. Gently press it down. (If you want to use as cake toppers, leave the end of your dowel bare.)

4. Lightly pencil a design (you can use the ones here as a guide or make up your own) and cut out. Let Matisse’s flowers inspire you.

5. “Plant” the flowers in small flowerpots, vases or repurposed bottles or jars. Pour an inch or two of sand or fine gravel into the container to anchor the stems.