Happy Cinco de Mayo - Create Your Own Paper Flowers for Your Dog's Collar

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Hope you're able to have a nice tasty margarita or perhaps a tasty taco at some point today. For those of you who aren't really sure what Cinco de Mayo is, it literally means "5th of May" in Spanish. It is celebrated in Mexico and the US on the same day that the Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862. The Mexican army won the battle against the French who were going to invade Mexico City. This day celebrates that victory, even though the French eventually did go ahead and make it to Mexico City later on. The Battle of Puebla is remembered as a victory that was won against all the odds. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day.

Here in Texas where I live, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated quite a bit. Mostly with some margaritas and tasty Mexican food - who doesn't love that? I am not hispanic but my boyfriend as well as my 2 children are, so we like to do some fun stuff for Cinco de Mayo. Of course, you don't have to be hispanic or Mexican to celebrate!

I decided to make some of those pretty Mexican paper flowers with Lily over the weekend. Then I got the idea to put one on Shiner's collar. I'm going to show you how you can make your own pretty paper flower for your dog's collar. That way, they can look extra festive on Cinco de Mayo!

You'll need some tissue paper, scissors, and green pipe cleaners. I usually have an abundance of different colored tissue paper from birthday parties and Christmas.


Cut your tissue paper into squares that are approximately 12"x12". Then layer about 6 or so pieces of paper on top of each other. Make it colorful! Then you can begin folding the stack of paper like an accordian.

Fold your stack of tissue paper like an accordian.

Once you have your paper all folded up, you can wrap a pipe cleaner around the center of it. You could also use a bread twisty tie.

Wrap your pipe cleaner around the middle.

I kept forgetting to do this part, and you don't have to but it might make your flowers prettier if you do. Cut the ends of each side of the folded paper strip into either a triangle point or curved point. This makes it look more like petals.

Next, you can start fluffing out your flower. Gently pull the top layer of tissue paper up and towards the center where the pipe cleaner is. Keep doing this one layer at a time until you're done!

Lily is fluffing out her petals.

Here are all the flowers we made. We put more than one on Shiner's harness for the photo shoot, but obviously just one will do. I just twisted the pipe cleaner around her harness a little bit. I gave them to Lily afterwards and she's decorated her room with them.

Shiner models the sombrero look. 

Hello! Don't I look muy fabuloso!?

Hey girl, I know that you have a treat - hand it over! 

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Hope you all have a mucho gusto Cinco de Mayo! Don't drink too many margaritas or Coronas! Adios!