How To Make Origami Poinsettia

Using red construction paper, I folded origami poinsettia to spruce up my cupcake liner Christmas wreath. Here is an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide.

On the web, you’ll find a lot of tutorials for folding poinsettia origami. Some are simple while others are amazingly complicated.

I chose this method for my cupcake liners wreath because I like the small folds inside each petal. And, more importantly, this design was doable for a not so advanced origami enthusiast like me.

The size of the petals depends on the dimension of the paper that you use. You can make small petals (they’re specialized leaves to be more precise) by using small squares of paper. The paper used for this tutorial measures eight inches on all sides.

Start by cutting the paper into a square.

Next, fold the paper diagonally to make a triangle. To make things easier to follow, let’s refer to the left bottom tip of the triangle as Point A and the right tip as Point B.

Fold Point A and Point B inward to make a smaller square. It doesn’t matter whether you fold in Point A or Point B first. The result will be the same. Now, let’s call the left and right center folds Side C and Side D, the top sides of the square as Side E and Side F, and the left and right bottom sides as Side G and Side H.

Now take Point A and fold it outward so that Side C is perfectly aligned with Side G. Fold Point B outward so that Side D is aligned with Side H.

You now have two scalene triangles on top of the square. If you remember your geometry, a scalene triangle has no equal sides.

Open up each of the two scalene triangles. Fold the left triangle so that Side C is aligned with Side G, and Side D is aligned with Side F. You now have two “kites” on either side of the square. Let’s call them Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

Fold the tips of Fig. 1 (Point A) and Fig. 2 (Point B) inward to form two isosceles triangles (meaning triangles with two equal sides) on top of two larger isosceles triangles. The long side of the top left isosceles triangle should be aligned with Side E while the bottom side of the top right isosceles triangle should be aligned with Side D.

Fold Fig. 1 inward right down the middle. Do the same for Fig. 2.

Apply glue on the outermost sides of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Weigh down the glued sides with a book or keep them together with a document binder to keep them from coming apart while the glue is still wet.

So, you now have one petal of your origami poinsettia. Make four more to complete a set. When you have five petals, glue the centers together. This is where it gets really tricky. You’ll have to glue two petals first and press them together until the glue has set. Attach the third petal and, again, wait for the glue to dry. Repeat until all petals are in place.

There are many ways to use origami poinsettia. I made them specifically as the focal point of the cupcake liners wreath that now hangs on our front door.