DIY Paper Plant: Flowering Bromeliad

A DIY paper plant can be the perfect solution if you need an inexpensive and festive party centerpiece (especially if you need a bunch) and best of all they can be made in any size that works for you. Not all the paper plants that i've seen in blogland have been quick to make, so I've come up with one that truly is.....ta da, introducing the paper flowering bromeliad. And I have to say, I haven't seen any flowering paper plants, with the exception of a cactus, so I'm happy to present you with an idea that is quick, budget friendly and can be made to suit your color scheme! Oh, and did I mention that this is a great craft for kids as well? Bingo!

Regardless of your thumb color you can now fill your home with greenery, so lets get crafting!

 You'll Need:

1. letter sized colored card stock, 2 sheets green, one sheet pink/red
2. cardboard tube, mine is from aluminum foil
3. craft glue, high tack, and/or hot glue (used with adult supervision if kids are involved)
4. a wooden skewer
5. a small recycled container for pot (tin can, jar, plastic food container) mine is a plastic peanut butter container
6. a lid to serve as plate under pot

How To Make A Paper Bromeliad:

1. Fold green paper horizontally in half, and in half again and so on, until you have 8 panels. For flower, fold sheet of paper in half vertically.
   
   
2. Draw shapes on folded paper with a light pencil, according to photo above..
   
   
3. Cut out 16 leaves and 2 flower strips. Fold leaves in half as indicated by dotted line in photo. Crease and unfold. Curl leaves by pulling leaf through thumb and forefinger several time until paper curls.
   
   
4. Cut tube to 3/4 height of container. Glue bottom of leaves around outside of tube. If using a toilet paper tube, glue first row to inside of tube. Refer to photo below.
   
   
5. To make flower, apply glue to bottom edge of strip, and wrap around top of skewer.  Fold and sculpt paper as necessary so all layers are adhered to one another. Cut skewer to desired height and cover with narrow strips of green paper. Refer to photo below.
6. Place tube into container, and flower into tube, and that is it! If desired, glue tube to bottom of container and flower to inside of tube. Now go make a bunch more!

Simple right? Now go make a jungle and don't be surprised if you just can't get enough of these fun paper plants, they really do look amazing. And yes, I did of course make more than just this one kind of bromeliad in my exploration of paper plant making, so stay tuned for more!