The Best Cardstock for Creating Paper Flowers

If you're looking to create paper flowers, then knowing which is the best cardstock for paper flowers is an important tip! We have so many amazing papers to choose from at 12x12 Cardstock Shop, so let me help narrow down which paper would be best for the type of flower you are making. 

Best Cardstock for Rolled Flowers

When making rolled paper flowers, you need something that has a bit of flexibility to it, so that your flowers will roll nicely and be easy to shape. There is a fine balance between cardstock that is too heavy or too light for these kinds of flowers. Like Goldilocks you want to find one that is just right. Typically 60# - 85# paper is ideal for this and you want to choose solid core cardstock so your flowers don't have white edges along the cut edge. 

Here are our top recommendations for cardstock for rolled flowers:

• Astrobrights Cardstock: 65# weight paper in bright, vibrant shades.
• Core'dinations Sandable Cardstock: 80# weight with a cool sandable finish that can be distressed. These are different colors on front and back adding a fun contrast. 
• Sirio Pearl Cardstock: 85# weight with a shimmery pearl finish on both sides of the paper.

• Translucent Vellum Cardstock: Most of our translucent vellum is 27# so it's much lighter than we'd typically recommend, but oh my goodness the results are amazing! Just be really careful when rolling and shaping and you'll get some pretty, delicate paper flowers for wedding crafts and more. We have vellum in tons of colors.

Best Cardstock For Large Paper Flowers

Giant paper flowers are much more forgiving than rolled ones, and when it comes to choosing a cardstock for these types of paper flowers, you have a lot more options.

Here's what the flower makers on our Design Team have chosen as the best cardstock for paper flowers: 

American Crafts or Bazzill Cardstock: 80# weight in both textured or smooth options. Both of these cardstock companies create sturdy cardstock in so many colors. It's flexible enough to shape, but sturdy enough to hold that shape. Steer clear of Bazzill Card Shoppe for paper flowers, as it's just too thick for these. 

Astrobrights Cardstock: 65# weight paper in bright, vibrant shades.

Bazzill Bling: 80# weight textured cardstock with a fine pearl finish. If you want your flowers to sparkle and shine, this is an amazing option.

Core'dinations Sandable Cardstock: 80# weight with a cool sandable finish that can be distressed. These are different colors on front and back adding a fun contrast. The distressing looks especially cool on large petals.

Sirio Pearl Cardstock: 85# weight with a shimmery pearl finish on both sides of the paper. It shapes beautifully.

Choosing Which Colors of Cardstock to Use for Handmade Flowers

When picking colors for your flowers, one option is to go with an ombre effect by choosing different shades of the same colors. Get our free monochromatic color chart here.

Or you can go with contrasting colors in the same vibrancy. That means choosing all bright or all pastel. The American Crafts Variety Packs come with coordinating colors already chosen for you, so they are really handy.

Mix and match different styles, sizes, and shapes to create an interesting paper flower bouquet. Here's a close-up look at how gorgeous these flowers can be:

Paper Flowers Supply List

We suggest shopping by colors for paper flowers. You can use our home page to select Pinks, Reds, Yellow, Greens, and more. Click HERE to shop.

You can also shop our Variety Packs HERE for suggested color combinations.

To incorporate some of the other specialty cardstocks we carry at 12x12 Cardstock Shop, consider using them as leaves on your flower creations. Glitter paper, foil paper and other specialty cardstock that does not fold or shape as well, will look beautiful when added as accents to you paper bouquets. Check out how Design Team Member Kathleen used glitter paper for paper flower leaves here. 

Hopefully these tips of how to choose the best cardstock for creating paper flowers will help you be successful at creating your own paper garden!