Paper Flower with Pinwheels

Made a big paper flower to give to my little friend at her dance recital - very easy to make and look how cute it is! I wasn't sure if I'd like it tho, so as a back-up plan I found some little pinwheels at the Dollar store just in case; when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to put in the center of the flower I thought of the pinwheels and combined the two together (using a rubber band so she can take them apart if she wants), I love how it turned out.

You can easily make these bigger or smaller depending on how long you cut the strips, I did a couple of them to see which I liked better. I also experimented with types of paper - regular weight paper (like printer paper) bends and sticks easier than cardstock, but the thicker cardstock stands up and holds its shape better. I recommend using lighter weight paper if you're making smaller flowers, and heavier weight for a big flower.

For the one I gave her I mixed the two papers together, the heavier cardstock is the back row and then I did the lighter on top - the main reason is because I cut a bunch of lightweight strips before realizing I needed the heavier paper to help hold it up and I didn't want to waste the paper!

Cut a 3" circle out of cardstock for the back of the flower, and cut paper strips about 1/2" wide and 2 different lengths. I did strips 8" and 11.5". Glue the longer strips down first (see the photos). Add rows until you like how it looks, I ended up with 1 row of cardstock and 3 rows of lightweight. Put a smaller circle in the center to finish it - I did glittery paper before adding the pinwheels. To finish I wrapped it in cellophane so it'd look more like a flower bouquet :)