How to Make Paper Roses

Download and print paper rose templates; trace and cut petal shapes through both layers of each coffee filter. (Eight filters will make one fully bloomed rose.)

Shape the rose: With one coffee filter, take four connected petals and poke an 18-inch length of 16-gauge floral wire down through the center of the bottom of one end petal so that 1/2 inch of the wire remains sandwiched between two opposite petals.

Wrap adjacent two petals tightly around first two petals; wrap with floral tape around base, then 1/2 inch down wire, to secure. (Tip: When working with floral tape, pull it as you work to expose the sticky part of the tape.)

With the second coffee filter, take four connected petals and sandwich a "flower bud" between two opposite petals. On the adjacent petal pair, gently tear the perforation of the base so that you have a strip of two side-by-side petals. Wrap this petal strip around the other two petals and secure with tape.

With the third coffee filter, take four connected petals and gently tear the perforation at the base to create a strip of four petals. Wrap this petal strip around flower bud and secure with tape.

With the fourth coffee filter, gently tear the perforation at the base of petal shapes to create a strip of five petals. Wrap this petal strip around flower bud and secure with tape. (The folded petal gives rose stability and a more rounded form.)

With the fifth coffee filter, place three petals, overlapping slightly on rose and wrap just once (to avoid bulk) with floral tape to secure.

Wrap remaining three petals opposite the first three. Repeat for shapes cut from the sixth, seventh, and eighth coffee filters. Use your thumb and index finger to separate the petals, creating air pockets and making petals curve outward from the base. Use three or four extra single petals to fill in holes and give a rounded shape.

Paint the roses using watercolor paints mixed with a bit of water. Paint the base color, first doing the bottom, then the top, working from the inside out. Accentuate with a darker color on the tips. Use a flat brush to apply a third color of undiluted watercolor to edges. Let dry overnight.

Once painted roses are dry, curl left and right sides of outer petals around a bamboo skewer to create a point. Work your way from the outside to the inside of rose. Curl inner petals just slightly by wrapping top straight down around bamboo skewer. Secure leaves to stem with floral tape.