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May 21, 2018

DIY: Make it/Take it Paper Dahlia Wreath

DIY: Make it/Take it Paper Dahlia Wreath

By: Cindy Christy

If you have visited the Adult Services area in Noblesville recently, you might have noticed the paper dahlia that is hanging behind the desk. Still one of my most popular crafts, it gets a lot of attention due to the size of the finished product. Many people say, “Oh, I could never make that!” If you follow these easy steps, you will be able to create your own paper dahlia.

You will need:

  • 12 sheets of colored paper for your center color
  • 33 sheets of colored paper for your middle color
  • 32 sheets of colored paper for your outside color
  • Tape
  • Stapler
  • Hot glue gun
  • White foam board, 20” x 30” x 3/16”, cut in half to use as backing for dahlia  (these are $3 at Michaels)
  • Marker
  • Ruler
  • Large binder clip to attach to the board so you can hang it from the wall

Step 1. Draw or trace an 8” circle in the center of the foam board.

Step 2. Draw or trace a 6” circle in the center of the 8” circle.

Step 3. Shape each piece of paper into a cone and place a piece of tape along the seam. Here is a video that shows two different ways to make the paper cones:

Step 4. Placing each cone so that the point is on the bottom of the cone, staple every cone about 1” from the tip of the cone. Here is a picture of how the opening should face up and the tip should be on the bottom of the cone:

Step 5. Starting with the color for the outside of your dahlia, place a pea-sized dollop of hot glue between the tip of the cone and the staple. Line up the staple along the line of your outer circle, and press the cone firmly onto the foam board. Be careful not to burn your fingers! Evenly distribute all of the outer cones around the circle in the same manner until you have attached all of them to the outer circle.

Step 6. Follow this same process with the cones you have made for the middle of the dahlia. This time, you will line up the staple with the line of the inner circle. Continue until all of the cones in the middle color have been attached.

Step 7. Fill in the small opening in the center of your dahlia with the cones in the center color. This will probably be a tight fit, but you should be able to squeeze all of them into the center so that no part of the white board is showing.


If you prefer, you can do all of your cones in the same color. All that’s left to do is attach the binder clip to the back of the board, hang it on the wall, and then sit back and admire how crafty you are! Here are a few pictures of the dahlias that were made by people who had never made one before, just like you!