Easy Tie Dye Coffee Filter Flowers Craft

These easy tie dye coffee filter flowers are a great craft to celebrate springtime, as well as making cute gifts for Mother’s Day or birthdays.

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Back in 2015 when I started this blog, I was a young mom with 2 tiny kids at home who needed easy crafts and activities to do together. I quickly found out that everyone was happier when the craft or activity was simple. If you’ve ever put a bunch of time into setting up an activity for your kids, only to have them not want to do it or spend 5 minutes before moving on, you know what I mean.

So when it comes to kids crafts, my favorite kind are the ones that take little prep and use supplies that are inexpensive. This tie dye coffee filter flowers craft is a spin off of one of my most popular posts: Tie Dye Coffee Filters.

I’ve included an abbreviated version of the instructions below for how to get the tie dye effect, but you can also check out the original post for additional tips.

Supplies Needed

• Coffee Filters
• Water-based Markers (such as Crayola washable markers)
• Spray Bottle
• Scissors
• Pipe Cleaners
• Pencil

How to Make Tie Dye Coffee Filter Flowers

Step 1

Take one coffee filter and flatten it out the best you can. Using water based markers, such as Crayola, let your kids color all over the filter. Encourage them to use a variety of colors and not worry about drawing a specific scene or picture. If your kids are younger, you may need to help them distribute the color around so they aren’t just coloring one big spot in the middle.

*PRO TIP* Don’t worry about having them go all the way to the edge or filling in all the white space. All the colors will blend together in the next step.

Step 2

Fill a water bottle and take the colored coffee filters outside. Lay the coffee filters on a flat surface, such as the sidewalk or driveway. Use small rocks (or similar) to weigh them down so they don’t blow away. Spray the coffee filters using the water bottle until they are wet, but not soaked. If they get too wet, the color could seep through the filter and transfer to the ground. Let the filters dry.

*PRO TIP* If it’s not sunny or warm, you can do this step indoors using a cookie sheet.

Step 3

Lay the dried coffee filters on a flat surface, such as the table or counter. Fold them in half, then in half a second time and then a third time. (See below.)

Step 4

Using scissors, cut a repeating petal shape along the top. You can use a pencil to lightly draw a pattern before cutting. The age and skill level of your child will determine if this is a step they can complete on their own. Repeat this step until all flowers have petals. You can refer to the pictures below for suggestions on petal shapes.

Note that this step is optional and you can move onto step 5 if you don’t want to create petal shapes for your tie dye coffee filter flowers.

*PRO TIP* Keep the petal patterns simple. I found that trying to do more than 3 petals at the top made it difficult to cut. Scalloped edges were the exception.

Step 5

Get your pipe cleaners out and choose one for your stem. To make the flower, gather the middle of the coffee filter and pinch it with your thumb and pointer finger. Twist it around a few times.

Step 6

Take your pipe cleaner and wrap it around the twisted part of the coffee filter 3-4 times, leaving a short tail on the pipe cleaner.

Step 7

Then wrap the pipe cleaner around the tail and twist it together until all you have is the long stem.

Step 8

To create a more flower like shape, wrap your thumb and pointer finger around the base of the flower and pull up. You do not need to squeeze or pinch. Repeat this step until you like the shape. Different flower shapes will be created depending on the pattern you cut in step 4.

Step 9

Choose a container for your tie dye coffee filter flowers. It could be a shorter round vase or a taller vase. Another option for display is using a clear plastic cup.

Want to save this post for later? Hover over one of the images below and click the “Pin It” button. Then save it to your Pinterest board!