How to Make a Paper Corsage

by outofthewoods in Craft > Paper

78756 Views, 123 Favorites, 0 Comments

How to Make a Paper Corsage

paper corsage 143.jpg
Okay guys, nothing will make a girl feel special like a beautiful corsage to wear out to that fancy dinner you're planning for her for Valentine's Day. The problem is, flowers die! So here's a corsage that you can make for her that will last forever!

Gather Supplies

paper corsage - supplies.jpg
paper corsage - glue.jpg
Template : the template for this project can be downloaded from the Canon website here
The instructions can also be downloaded there, but I found them rather lacking. So that's why I decided to put this instructable together.
Glue: I used both a glue stick (not pictured) and Aleene's Tacky Glue
(I find Tacky Glue much easier to use if I pour some in a plastic tray and use a toothpick to spread it)
Scissors: you can use a pair of regular scissors, but you might also like to use a pair of shorter detail scissors, like those pictured.
Stylus
Ruler

Cut Out the Petals

paper corsage - cut petals.jpg
paper corsage - cut petals2.jpg
Cut out the rectangles surrounding each petal piece, along the solid lines. You really don't need to worry about the part numbers!

Glue and Fold Petal Pieces

paper corsage 012.jpg
paper corsage 016.jpg
Using the stylus and ruler, score along the dashed line on each petal piece and fold. Open and spread glue along one half. I used a glue stick for this because it won't warp the paper and it dries quickly.

Cut Out Each Petal

paper corsage 022.jpg
paper corsage 025.jpg
Cut out the petal shape from each piece. Also cut a slit along the red line separating the numbered tabs.

Score and Fold Tabs

paper corsage 031.jpg
paper corsage 033.jpg
Score and fold along the dashed line of each numbered tab.

Glue Tabs Together

paper corsage 035.jpg
paper corsage 040.jpg
paper corsage 038.jpg
The lowest numbers on the tabs correspond to the part numbers on the Canon instructions. So, for example, the petal piece with tabs numbered 5 and 6 is Part #5 in the instructions. In order to help keep things straight I glued them so that the lowest numbered tab was on the outside. Apply Tacky Glue to the highest numbered tab and fold the other tab on top of it.

Curl Petals

paper corsage 045.jpg
paper corsage 051.jpg
paper corsage 053.jpg
paper corsage 057.jpg
paper corsage 068.jpg
paper corsage 070.jpg
Using the stylus as a guide, curl the petals as stated below:
On Part #5 curl both edges of the petal inward with one overlapping the other
On Part #6 and Part #7 curl both edges of the petals loosely inward
On Parts #8 - 14 curl both edges of the petals outward

Make Rose Center

paper corsage 058.jpg
paper corsage 063.jpg
paper corsage 060.jpg
paper corsage 066.jpg
paper corsage 064.jpg
Apply glue to the bottom of Part #5 and press it on top of Part #6, wrapping the edges of Part #6 around Part #5. Put glue on the bottom of Part #6 and glue it inside Part #7 in the same way. You should now have a rose center, with one petal wrapped tightly between two other petals.

Adhere Outer Petals

paper corsage 072.jpg
paper corsage 077.jpg
Apply glue to the bottom of the rose center and adhere to Part #8. Continue to apply the rest of the petals (Parts #9-14) in the same way, overlapping the petals slightly. It may seem like they don't fit together very well, but trust me, it will come out looking okay! Paper is very forgiving!

Make Other Two Roses

paper corsage 079.jpg
Repeat steps 2-9 for the yellow and blue roses.

Cut Out and Assemble the Base (Part #2)

paper corsage 082.jpg
paper corsage 085.jpg
paper corsage 086.jpg
paper corsage 090.jpg
paper corsage 093.jpg
paper corsage 097.jpg
paper corsage 094.jpg
Score and fold along the dashed lines, opening it back up after each fold.
There are two #2 tabs; apply glue to the white area of one of the tabs and fold the other one over it.
Apply glue to the white area of the #2 tab that is now on top and fold the remaining tab down on top of it.
Note - this will be a three dimensional pop-up pyramid type piece. It is not supposed to be flat, so don't squish it down!

Adhere Roses to Base

paper corsage 099.jpg
paper corsage 103.jpg
paper corsage 107.jpg
paper corsage 109.jpg
Glue the roses to the white areas of the base piece. I found it helpful to use my stylus to press the base to the flower from inside the base.

Cut Out and Adhere Leaves

paper corsage 135.jpg
paper corsage 143.jpg
Cut out the larger rectangle surrounding the leaves. Fold it in half and glue it just like you did the petal pieces, then cut out the leaves. Adhere the leaves to the base. You can shape the leaves a bit by bending them back, if desired.
As you can see in the picture, I also glued a ribbon bow to the back of the leaves. I thought this would make it easier to pin it on as a corsage.