teacup and napkin flower mother's day centerpiece

Seasons > Mother’s Day > Mother’s Day Decorations > Teacup and napkin flower Mother’s Day centerpiece

Make a centerpiece bouquet of flowers by lining up a row of cups down the middle of the table, and topping each one with a flower. You can line up teacups that you own, or buy cheap ones at a dollar store, or make cups out of paper (see instructions below). Then fold the napkins to look like flowers--that is a lot cheaper than buying fresh flowers! Cut out letters to say, “Thanks, Mom!” for an inexpensive, but pretty Mother’s Day table.

How to make carnation napkins (serviettes)

Make carnations by opening the napkin into a rectangle, then fold it in half so it is a narrow rectangle. Note: if you do not have colored napkins, stack 3-4 sheets of colored tissue paper for each flower so you can have layers of petals. Cut the paper into 30 cm. squares. Then fold into a rectangle (as in the middle photo), then fold in half again (as in the photo on the right.)

Make sure that the folded edge is on the inside of the flower, and the loose edges are on the outside. Begin pinching the bottom folded edge to make gathers.

As you continue gathering, coil the first end to the middle, and make the next gather go around the outside of that. Continue pinching and gathering the bottom folded edge until all of it is gathered together.

To make the cups, cut strips of paper out of stiff paper, such as card stock or poster board. The tall cups are 4 x 8 1/2 inches, the shorter ones are 3 x 10 inches. Glue the ends together to form cylinders.

Fasten the bottom gathered edge with a wire, such as a twist-tie, or some thread, or wrap a rubber band around it.

Pull the layers apart to make as many petals as possible--this will help it look more like a carnation. Be gentle, though, because it is easy to tear.

To make the handles, cut small strips 1/2 inch by 6 inches long. Glue the ends together to form teardrops. Glue the teardrops to the cups to form handles. Glue them over the seam to hide it.