DIY: Making paper flowers!

So many people have expressed interest in my paper flower "factory" that I thought I would put together a little how to for you lovely ladies! Today I will be making the luminaria style.

First, you will need:
Tissue paper
Scissors
Floral Wire
Wire Cutter (Didn't have this this time and used a razor blade--NOT RECOMMENDED!)
A ruler

For other types of flowers, you need:
Floral tape
A 1" styrofoam ball

The first step is cutting the tissue paper into 10"x 5" rectangles. You will need 5 or more for each flower. My experience with these flowers is that NOTHING HAS TO BE PERFECT. So don't stress about cutting or lining up perfect rectangles!

Now, you line up five of the rectangles and start making accordion pleats/folds. You will want to be folding the short side (see the photo for clarification).

Now you take the accordion-ed rectangle and fold a piece of floral wire over the center of it. I usually have approximately 1" of wire that folds over the tissue and then you simply wrap the short end around the "stem".
The next thing you will want to do is cut the edges of the flowers. With only five sheets of tissue and decent scissors you can cut through the stack in one chop. I prefer rounded corner but you can also do peaked corners for a different look.

Now you have to fan out the accordion pleats. You will need to separate the layers of tissue and pull them toward the center. You will quickly learn the "right" amount of pressure. Too much and it rips, too little and you don't get enough separation. This takes the most time. Here's a photo of me-mid separation. You can see that the opposite side hasn't been separated yet but is already fanned. I usually really work the "seam" and try to pull the layers apart from here. I think this adds volume.

After you fan out all of the layers, you end up with this:

I am making a bunch to try and make a pomander. All you need for this is a bunch of flowers with very short stems and a floral foam ball. Here's how far I've gotten: