Peony SVG Free Download for Cricut (Paper Flower Tutorial)

Let's create some paper peony flowers for Spring with a free download template.
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Paper Peonies made with a free template for Cricut and Silhouette

I started making paper flowers pretty soon after getting my first Cricut machine and I'm not going to lie, I didn't love it. Now, I have come to a place where I am making a new paper flower every single week! So, let's work together to create some beautiful paper flowers.

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Materials and Tools Needed:

In terms of craft supplies, you don't need too much for these which is always nice. The paper peony flower can be created out of 3 sheets of cardstock if you size appropriately which means you can create a lot of these without running through a whole pack!

A cutting machine: I used both my Cricut machines and my Silhouette Cameo 5 to cut out multiple flowers at once!

Card stock paper: I recommend using a 65 pound card stock for these paper flowers (I used both 65 lb and 80 lb for these and preferred the lighter weight). For colors, I always like to leave that to you, I opted for a creamy white, a light pastel pink, yellow centers for both, and green leaves!

Ball tools: for this you are going to need a tool for rounding and shaping your petals, if you aren't convinced yet on special tools, you can also use the back of a measuring spoon. You will also need a mat or foam to roll the petals and shape them.

Tweezers or a quilling tool: I always tend to lean on my tweezers for rolling things up!

Hot glue and gun: I prefer this for building my paper flower, I just find it easier to work with.

Craft glue: this will be used for rolling up the center of the paper peony

Optional: Floral wire for if you want them to be stemmed for a DIY bouquet.
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Free SVG File Download:

To download my free SVG file for your Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine, please look under my community SVG file vault. You can sign up below for my newsletter and the password. You can find download instructions here for Chrome/desktop and here for iPad/iPhone/Safari. These free SVG files do come with a commercial license for small business use! Thank you for being a part of my craft community! Right now, I have over 800 free SVGs for you to download instantly!
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Looking for even more paper flower templates and tutorials? Check out all of my paper flowers here.

Cricut Design Space & Silhouette Studio Set Up

Once you have downloaded the free SVG file, you can upload into your respective design software. The peony SVG vector is all in one and includes the flower petals, center, leaves, and calyx.
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Cricut Design Space set up of the paper peony svg file free download.

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After you have uploaded this, my first suggestion is to resize the file as you see fit. I made mine about 18 inches wide (the whole file) so that my petals were roughly 4.5 inches wide. I also made a 6 inch flower and this is big!! The 4.5 inch flowers I was able to fit one flower on a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock paper.

After you resize you can send over to be cut - always do a test cut when working with new materials!

Assembling the Paper Peonies

Here is the good news: these go together FAST! My only problem (at least for me) is the hand cramping when using that ball tool but honestly I think that is user error.

There are two sets of petals for the paper peonies, the outer petals are a little larger (there are 3) and the inner petals have a bigger gap in between petals (there are also 3).

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Shaping paper peony petals with a metal ball tool.

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The first thing we need to do is shape our petals. I use my ball tools and a decent amount of pressure on my foam sheets in a circular motion around each petal. I find doing them individually best.

I also use a circular motion in the center of the peony petals to give the paper flower a nice curved shape.

Next you want to attach all your center pieces with some craft glue, there is a little flap at the end to give you some room to glue each one end to end.
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Using craft clue to attach the center of the paper peony together.

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After you have them all attached you can use your quilling tool or your tweezers to roll the centerpieces and glue the end flap down to keep it shape.
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Rolling up the center of the paper peony.

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Now we can start gluing the petals together, starting with the larger outer petals you add glue to the center and layer, turning as you add a new layer to fill in any space.
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Attaching all the petal layers of a paper peony.

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The inner petal pieces will be a little smaller and should fit nicely inside and then you can finally place the center inside. Be aware that layering the hot glue may mean that it needs a little longer to dry and it may slip around.

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Placing in and fluffing the center of a paper peony.

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When you center is placed you can use your fingers to fluff it out and make it look more full.

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Making a paper calyx for a paper peony flower, pitching the paper to give it some shape.

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I shaped the calyx piece with my fingers, slightly pinching the leaves and then only gluing the center onto the bottom of my paper peony. Leaving the leaves free to flow around and making a more realistic looking paper flower.

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Adding on a stem with floral wire and paper leaves to a paper peony flower.

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Optional: You can poke a hole in the bottom of the calyx and even the bottom petal layer and add in some floral wire to make a stemmed version of the paper peony. I have included some paper leaves to attach to your floral wire as well. I suggest making the stemmed flowers slightly smaller so the floral wire does not easily bend over from the weight.
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Once you have done this, you have completed your first paper peony! Paper flowers can seem intimidating at first but honestly, they all use similar techniques and after time, you will become a paper flower master!
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