3-D Magazine Flowers

We owe this great craft idea to Susan at Organized 31. We are always searching for low-cost, easy activities for our families and it is an added bonus when we can up-cycle an item which would otherwise be recycled or tossed.

You will need:
old magazines
pipe cleaners
hole punch

We cut our strips with a paper cutter to make sure they were even. If you don't have a paper cutter, trace a straight line with a ruler as your cutting guide. We looked for pages with bright colors and used a portion of the page for one flower. We cut the strips from 1/2 to 1 inches wide. The 1/2" results in a daintier flower, but 1" strips may be easier for younger children to work with.

Fold the strip as shown in the picture below, making sure that both ends overlap. 

You should have a total of 3 holes in each strip. We used a 1/8" punch because we had it on hand. You can use a regular hole punch you will just need to make your twists bigger. 

Continue folding, punching and threading your folded petals onto the tip of a pipe cleaner. 

Once you have enough petals, fold, twist or knot the pipe cleaner section behind the flower.

Complete the flower by twisting the pipe cleaner at the front of the flower. 

Place in a vase to enjoy. We used empty 8.5 ounce soda bottles.

If you cut the pipe cleaner in back, you could also use for a gift decoration; it is nearly free to make and better for the environment than a purchased bow.