How to Make Hanging Paper Cone Vases for Flowers with Step by Step Photos

I wanted to share a really easy craft tutorial with you for the Spring. It’s so easy to make a hanging paper cone vase for flowers or Mother’s day, Valentine’s Day or just because it’s pretty! They are such an easy way to dress up a bouquet of flowers and a fun and easy DIY project. You can use scrapbook paper, construction paper, wrapping paper or cardstock to make your own paper cones. You just want a paper that will hold it’s shape. When I was a kid we would call these “Mayday flowers “. We would create a hand-picked bouquet(mostly from dandelions and Queen Anne’s Lace) and then leave it on someone’s door and ring the doorbell. It was kind of like ding-dong ditch with flowers now that I look back at it. These paper cone are traditionally called Tussie-Mussies in Victorian times, but I think they are perfectly modern in today’s day and age with pretty scrapbook paper! If you love paper crafts, check out how to make and decorate these pretty paper party lanterns! These paper cone cups can also be used for non-flower items such as treat cones, party favors at a wedding reception or use with food safe paper and make some old school popcorn cones.

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Supplies needed to make paper cones

-Heavy paper or cardstock of choice 12 in x 12

-Scissors

-Non- toxic Craft glue or double-sided tape

-Ribbon

-Embellishments such as ribbon, stickers, fabric trim etc.

-Hole punch

-Parchment paper

How to Make Paper Cones

To create your paper cone use scissors to cut a triangle using a square piece of paper, cut it down the middle on a diagonal ( use a pencil and a ruler if you’re worried about a straight cut first!) and go from corner to corner.  The size of your triangle will determine how big your finished paper cone shape will be. We used a 12 x 12 piece of paper for ours cut on a diagonal. These are some pretty scrapbook paper options. If you don’t have scrap book paper, use colorful markers to make designs on plain paper. Roll  along the long side of your triangle, keeping the triangle pointy end part at the top and create a funnel shape and secure. You can use  a rectangular sheet of paper, just trim off the excess edge to a square shape and then continue from there.

Use double stick tape at the seam to hold the rolled edges together. At the top corners of the paper at the top of the cone, punch holes where they meet. Glues or tapes any edges together if needed,  and thread ribbon through to hang, tying a knot at the top. If you don’t have ribbon you can also glue a strip of paper, but it won’t be as sturdy if you want to hang your paper cone full of flowers.

To decorate the outside of  the paper cone, use non-toxic craft glue  (or hot glue) to add some really cute trim around the top of the hanging paper cone vase to finish it off. Let your creativity shine and use stickers or other fun embellishments or just pick a pretty paper …The flowers are the real decoration.

Add a ribbon through the punches holes at the top corner of the paper for hanging and tie a sweet bow! You can arrange beautiful flowers and greenery and it’s a perfectly sweet gift. The secret to keeping the flowers fresh is putting the stems in either in floral tubes or a dampened paper towel in a double-bagged plastic lunch bag so you don’t get any water leaking and the flowers stay fresh! If you want to create the perfect, easy to grow backyard bouquet, check out this post. I would love to get a sweet bouquet like this for Valentine’s Day, or just every day!

And it’s all set, ready for your fresh flowers! It’s the perfect May day bouquet or even  a Mother’s Day treat, Some pretty flower options in spring are lilacs, daffodils, viburnum, and forsythia. If you are worried about using real flowers, make some paper flowers or paper roses out of crepe paper and it will last forever!

Paper Cones for Snacks and Treats

If you are going to use the cones for a food use, create a cone the same size as the cone you are making out of parchment or baking paper. Roll it slightly tighter than the cone it’s going into and then and slip it inside of the pre-made cone so it goes all of the way to the bottom of the cone, no tape or glue needed.  Trim the top if needed. Then you can add your snacks like popcorn or pretzels to the inside of the cone. If you are going to use these for a food use, I wouldn’t use any embellishments.

Other ways to use this project

Paper cones or paper funnels have something about them the says fun. Have custom paper printed at your local printer for an event. Or fill them with goodies at a wedding or party or make Christmas decorations out of them and fill them with vintage garland and ornaments.  Creating a larger cone with a curved bottom could even be used as party hats, party favors by putting the goody in the bottom and tissue paper on top. For easy display group them in a basket together. Or, for Halloween, turn them into paper DIY  witches hats for Halloween by using the cone template in this post. There are so many possibilities!

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