Savvy DIYer Turns Coffee Filters Into Breathtaking Decor: 'So Simple Yet So Beautiful'

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At the beginning of November each year, Mexicans around the world mark a holiday called Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, to honor friends and relatives who have passed away. They do so with festivities and rituals that utilize in abundance a native flower, the marigold, or cempasúchil in the indigenous language of Nahuatl, which Aztec lore says lures their ancestors back to them with its strong musky smell. During the two-day holiday, the vibrant orange and sometimes yellow marigold blooms are used to line Day of the Dead altars that also have candles, photos of loved ones, and painted skulls. But not everyone has access to fresh marigold flowers or can tolerate their pungent aroma, so some families have come up with their own tradition of making them from paper. 

Instagram user Sibia Torres Padilla, better known as Sibster, offers a quick tutorial for making breathtaking versions of marigolds out of paper coffee filters, which are dipped in bowls of water colored with orange and yellow food dye. She says she grew up putting them together each year with her mother. As commenters point out, these coffee filter marigolds make fabulous long-lasting decor for year-round enjoyment. "So simple, yet so beautiful and genius!" one person commented. "Love the way you create." To complete the project, you'll need white coffee filters, small bowls, food dye (such as the Treedoa food coloring liquid set, which features bright orange and yellow dyes), a stapler, and a pair of sharp scissors. 

First, layer several coffee filters on top of one another and secure them in place with a staple at the very center. Then, fold the filters in half, and then in half again, and once again, making a small triangle. Next, cut small scallops along the top, wider edge of the folded filters, mimicking the ruffled petal tops of the marigold. Holding the bottom corner, dip the paper lightly into the food coloring and watch as the filter paper quickly absorbs the vibrant pigment. Once dry, the paper flowers are fluffed into shape into a large altar-ready cempasúchil.

Padilla's techniques are so versatile they can be used to make other coffee filter flowers. For instance, you could make zinnias or peonies by using different petal cuts and colored dyes. And if you don't want individual floral decorations, the coffee filter flowers could even be used to make an entire wreath.

For most people, coffee filters are a ready supply in the kitchen, but if you don't drink coffee and don't happen to have them stocked, you could experiment with making floral decor using absorbent kitchen towel, tissue paper, or crepe paper. Just follow the same basic steps Padilla uses for cutting and dyeing. You can adjust for different paper's absorbency by adding more or less dye to the water or leaving the paper in the water longer.