They say that April showers bring May flowers but we just couldn’t wait until then! Add some colorful flowers to your home with these simple painted paper plates. Since we love paper plate crafts so much, we always have a stash of the plain super-thin ones in our craft stash – they’re really easy to cut through and don’t have a glossy finish on either side which makes them perfect for painting. If you don’t happen to have these at home, you could always just use the backs of recycled cereal boxes and cut them into whatever shape you like! Or if you do have some assorted paper plates in your party stash, you can use those too. If they’re already colorful or have patterns on them, use them as-is or trying painting over them either on the fronts or backs. This project can totally be customized to whatever you happen to have on hand, so don’t let our examples limit your creativity!

• Paper plates (in various sizes)
• Folk Art Acrylic Craft Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue or double-stick tape

Step 1
Draw out some flower designs onto paper plates. Do an image search online for inspiration if you like! We tried to mix and match different sizes of plates and number of petals. You’ll also want to keep in mind if you plan to layer the plates like we did – smaller plates stacked onto the bigger ones can be cut into matching or contrasting shapes! There are no real rules here, so get creative and have fun.

Step 2
Once you’ve drawn out all your flowers, pick out your paint colors. Use a brush to apply onto the paper plates. Don’t forget to think about what color combinations you want for those layered flowers! Let dry completely.

Step 3
Use scissors to cut out the flowers along the pencil lines you drew.

Step 4
Layer the flowers together as you had originally laid them out. Use glue or double stick tape to secure them together.

Step 5
Hang! Use washi tape on the walls or push pins into a bulletin board. Or display them in a window to put smiles on the faces of any passers-by.

Happy crafting!!