These paper palms make a dramatic statement in a vase or arranged with dried flowers and, even better, they're really simple to make! Here's how...
I made these using heavy-weight A3 paper but there's nothing to stop you making them with A4 or go even larger for an extra bit of drama. The technique works with any size of paper.
YOU WILL NEED:
Sheets of A3 (1 per palm) 120gsm coloured paper
Scissors
Ruler
Tape (gumstrip sealing tape or floristry tape work well)
Dowelling or straight sticks
STEP 1:
Place the paper landscape-wise in front of you and fold it in half. Open the paper out flat and using the ruler make a mark 10 cm up from the bottom corner. Make it 5cm up if you're working with A4 paper and 20cm up if you're working with A2 paper, and so on.
STEP 2:
Join this point to the top centre point by drawing a smooth curve. If you are making a few palms you could experiment with the angle of the curve as this determines the shape of the leaf. To make a pointed palm like the blue one in our photo, draw a straight line between the side point and the centre point rather than a curve.
STEP 3:
Fold the paper back in half with the line showing. Cut along the curve through both of the layers.
Open out the paper and turn the short edge towards you.
STEP 4:
Make a straight fold approximately 1cm wide along the short edge of the paper. Turn the paper over and fold back in the other direction. Take time to get the folds even as there is a tendency for them to get larger as you fold. Keep folding to create a concertina along the length of the paper.
STEP 5:
If you want to make your palm leaf spiky, cut V shapes into each of the valley folds before attaching it to the stick. The V's will need to be deeper as you work towards the edges.
STEP 6:
Place your stick in the central valley fold. Hold it in place then wrap tape around the bottom of the paper to secure it in place and continue wrapping it down the stick. We used gumstick brown paper tape which you wet before wrapping and then it dries beautifully to look like matte paper but floristry tape would work well too. Or use sellotape and then cover this with paper by cutting it into strips and applying glue to the back.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Keep an eye out for more summery ideas and garden makes coming up in the next few weeks. We have lots of ideas and inspiration for you. Comment below to let me know how you get on.
Happy folding!
Katie xx