The Perfect Craft for Nursing Homes

Making crepe paper flowers is an ideal project for nursing homes. No super skills are needed to create an attractive finished product—and most residents will remember making them as children. Crepe paper flowers have been out of style for some years, but now Martha Stewart has helped make them popular again. 

With so many flower-making projects to choose from, it is easy to find one that suits the ability of each resident. If arthritic hands make cutting difficult, the facilitator can cut leaves and petals for several residents by stacking layers of crepe paper, stapling it together, and cutting around the pattern through all the layers at once. 

Because there are so many types and sizes of flowers that can be made, and so many uses for the flowers once they’ve been made, residents can enjoy this craft time and time again. 

Materials are easy to find and inexpensive. A “fold” of crepe paper can yield dozens of flowers. Crepe paper in streamers can be used for smaller flowers and their leaves. Crepe paper can be found in craft supply stores and over the Internet. It comes in a wide range of colors, and can also be colored in a variety of ways. 

Old fashioned crepe paper was not waterproof, but you can easily find crepe paper today that is bleed resistant. 

The flowers are bright and cheerful. Even if a resident smears some glue, it will dry clear and not affect the final beauty of the flower. Residents can use them to decorate their rooms, to adorn gifts, as corsages or hair adornments, as party decorations, as gifts. 

There’s no need to attempt life-like flowers (though that can be done, with enough skill and patience). Let the crepe paper flowers be frankly fake and enjoy orange daisies, blue roses, or whatever delightful color combinations can be devised. 

Through the 1950’s, crepe paper flowers were a family project. They might be used to decorate bikes and wagons for a neighborhood parade, or given to friends on May Day. As residents make their flowers, a stream of memories will surely be evoked. 

Flower patterns are available to suit every holiday. Residents can use holiday-themed flowers in wreaths, to decorate mirrors or tissue boxes, as corsages—now that “senior” proms are in vogue, a paper flower corsage could add just the right nostalgic touch. 

Residents needn’t make a whole bouquet to have a nice gift. If memories don’t spur imagination, try gluing magnetic tape to one side of a clip clothespin and a crepe paper flower to the other. Voila! An attractive way to hang notes on the fridge! 

Crepe paper flowers are an inexpensive way to decorate for birthdays and other parties, too. Residents like to know they are useful, and making party decorations is one way to demonstrate that. The Art of Making Paper Flower is full of ideas for using crepe paper flowers. Not only does each flower have suggestions, but there is a whole chapter that lists dozens of ways to use the flowers. 

When groups visit the residence, a corsage or boutonniere made with a crepe paper flower or two makes a lovely thank you present. 

If you search the Internet, you can find instructions for crepe paper flowers. But we’ll bet that none of those instructions will be as easy to read and follow as those in The Art of Making Paper Flowers. Take a look at the sample instructions. Notice that all the materials are listed, so you can have everything ready. The instructions are step-by-step, with helpful hints where we’ve found them. 

Making crepe paper flowers is a craft that nursing home residents can enjoy again and again.