There is nothing quite like a mother’s love! Mother’s Day is a time to thank all motherly figures for the unconditional love and support they show every day. Flowers are a very popular gift option, but what if there was a way that they could last forever? Ever since I was young, handmade gifts have been common in my family and are, especially for mothers, worth more than anything that can be bought in a store. Let me show you how I make paper flower bouquet of lavender that any mother is sure to cherish forever!

You will need:

• Paper in your mom’s favorite color! A shade of green will also be useful!
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Tape
• Toothpick

Follow the steps below and use the picture at the top of the blog to help you if needed!

• Step 1: Cut a 9 cm by 28 cm piece of green paper to make the stem of the lavender. I recommend green for a realistic outcome but be as creative as you like!
• Step 2: Take your toothpick and starting at the tip of the corner of the paper, tightly wrap the paper around the toothpick. Continue rolling until all the paper is rolled up. You can remove the toothpick as you are rolling or leave it inside your stem for extra support. Tape the corner to hold it in place.
• Step 3: Set aside the stem to start creating the lavender. Pick your choice of color for your lavender and cut an 8 cm by 28 cm piece of paper.
• Step 4: Fold the paper in half like a hotdog and crease the edge.
• Step 5: Hold your paper horizontally so that the folded side is facing you (the opening of your hotdog is away from you) and cut thin strips vertically along the crease. Do not cut all the way through! Leave about a ½ cm border at the top of the paper. At the end, it should look like a very long comb!
• Step 6: Once you are finished, open your paper like you are reading a book and flip it over. Tape the long, uncut edges together. This is why we left a border in step 3! At this point, our lavender will look like a series of small arches.
• Step 7: Take your stem from step 1-2 and starting at the end of your lavender, wind it around the tip of the stem so the arches are on the outside. You may need a small piece of tape to hold the lavender in place as you wind it.
• Step 8: Continue to twist the lavender around the stem, moving slightly further down with each rotation. The small arches should expand a little bit to create a lavender shape.
• Step 9: When you reach the end of your lavender, tape the end to hold it in place. Cut the end of your stem if it is too long and you’re all done!

Optional: Want to include some extra details? Add some leaves!

• Step 1: Cut a 5 cm by 7 cm piece of green paper.
• Step 2: Leaving about a ½ cm border, like in step 5, cut out a row of long, thin triangles.
• Step 3: With the ends of your triangles pointing up, roll the leaves around the bottom of the lavender where the bloom ends. You do not need to move down the stem, keep your rotations horizontal. Tape the ends to hold in place. Cut off any extra leaves if you do not want as many!
• Step 4: Bend the leaves with your fingers to curl them.

Repeat the above steps to create a full bouquet of lavender! Happy Mother’s Day!

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