Thursday 11 November 2021

Craft: Making Paper Poppies by Upcycling Packaging


Whether you want to wear a poppy for Remembrance Day on November 11, or create a wreath or flower crown for a pagan rite to honour the dead, here's an easy way of making paper poppies. You can do it by upcycling packaging and scrap paper to reduce waste and help the environment.

In the picture on the right you can see the English Heritage carrier bag and Bewitched Botanicals soap packaging I repurposed for the red poppy. The white poppy is stuck to an old hairgrip, but you could also use icecream or lolly sticks, or just a small stick from the garden. 

What you do is cut a square of paper of the main colour for the outer poppy and a smaller square of black paper for the centre. Fold each square in half diagonally, then in half diagonally two more times. 

Cut a curve around the edge of the folded paper, as in the photo. Open them up. With scissors, snip around the edge of the black paper so that it looks a bit like the stamens. Stick the black paper to the middle of the paper poppy.

Red artificial poppies are traditionally worn to honour war veterans. Purple poppies remember animals that suffered in wartime. Black poppies remember the People of Colour who served in wars, while white poppies have a focus on peace. Artificial poppies are usually sold by organisations to raise money for charities, but if you make your own you can then donate to a charity of your choice.

Over at the Moon Books Blog, I wrote more about November in the Wheel of the Year. I looked at the themes of sacrifice and remembrance as well as the folklore and magical symbolism of poppies.

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