Flower Crafts
From LoveToKnow Crafts
Flower crafts are fun for kids and adults alike. They are a great way to learn about nature and to bring a little bit of the outdoors in when it is just too hot to be outside. There are two main categories of flower crafts: those that involve making flowers and those that use real flowers in crafts.
Flower Crafts: Making Flowers
There are many different ways that flowers can be made. Most commonly they are either drawn on paper or crafted out of some kind of paper.
Construction Paper Flowers
Draw petals on different colors of construction paper and cut them out. Fold the petals for extra depth. Use a circle of construction paper or a paper plate for the center of the flower, and a pen wrapped in green tissue paper for the stem.
Tissue Paper Flowers
You can also make the flower itself out of tissue paper. Just fold sheets of tissue paper like an accordion, tie in the center with a twist tie or pipe cleaner, then pull all the folds apart to make the petals.
Handprint Flowers
If drawing petals is too difficult, trace your child’s hand on various colors or kinds of paper (construction paper, paper plates, computer paper, etc.) and stack the prints on top of each other in a spiral flower shape. You can also fold a handprint cutout into a cone shape to make a lily.
Scrap Flowers
Little scrappy strips of paper can also be combined to make a flower shape. Use different color strips or all the same, made from construction paper, card stock, leftover scraps from scrapbooking, even shredded magazine pages. The collage effect is very natural and cute, even if it looks nothing like a real flower!
Felt Flowers
Another simple way to make flowers is cutting designs out of felt. Free-hand draw a flower design on the felt or use a flower-shaped cookie cutter to guide your scissors. Cut out a couple different shapes and stack them or fold them to make it a little more interesting. These can be made into pins, napkin rings, curtain tie-backs, ponytail holders or anything else you can imagine.
Other Flower Ideas
If you like working with polymer clay and have the supplies, you can easily make a flower design out of clay. Make several logs in the color or colors you want your petals to be, add a yellow or black log for the center of the flower, fill in the spaces between the logs with another color and wrap all in a sheet of the same color. Roll gently and slice.
A beaded flower can be made with pony beads and pipe cleaners. Just make each pipe cleaner a petal, string them with beads and tie them together with another pipe cleaner or a small piece of wire. Older kids can make similar flowers with seed beads and wire, or make some amazing French beaded flowers.
Flowers as a motif can be added to any craft, from making soap to cross stitch, rubber stamping to quilting. Use your imagination to incorporate flower crafts into your other crafts.
Flower Crafts with Real Flowers
Flower crafts using real flowers may be slightly less permanent than other flower crafts, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less fun.
Fresh Floral Leis
Use any sturdy flowers you like to make a flower necklace. The flowers should be fresh and fully opened. Use thread or dental floss to string the flowers as you would make any other kind of necklace. These won’t last very long, but they’ll be a lot of fun while they last!
Pressed Flowers
One of the best ways to preserve flowers is to press them. You probably saved four-leaf clovers when you were younger by pressing them in tissue paper or waxed paper in the pages of the dictionary. That’s still a good method for pressing flowers. To make it a little more fancy, start with a piece of cardboard, then a piece of newsprint. Then place your flowers in tissue paper and finish off with another piece of newsprint and another piece of cardboard. Place a heavy book on top and let them sit for two to four weeks. Pressed flowers can be placed in picture frames or used in other crafts.
Drying Flowers
Flowers still attached to their stems can be easily dried simply by hanging them upside down in a dark, cool closet. Hang a whole bouquet together or individual flowers. Flowers take up to a month to dry in this way. The colors will change slightly (especially with white flowers) but they can be used in a dried flower arrangement, on a wreath, in homemade potpourri or even mixed into soap or a homemade candle.
Other Uses for Dried Flowers
Take a piece of wide fabric and sew or tie a bunch of dried flowers and herbs inside. This sachet can be used in a closet or drawer, or as a natural air freshener in the car (the heat will make the flowers smell, or you can add some essential oil to the flowers).
Mix your own potpourri from dried flowers and herbs to give as a gift.
Throw some dried flowers in your favorite bath salt recipe for a little extra luxury in the bath.
Add individual flowers or petals to homemade greeting cards, or mix the petals into homemade paper to make unforgettable stationery.
Incorporate pressed flowers into scrapbook pages. Or ask your kids what they want to do with the flowers and follow their lead!
Learn More
Comments
Fatima,
Unfortunately, LoveToKnow Crafts does not have catalogs of craft supplies available. We are an informational site only.
Dana Hinders
LoveToKnow Crafts Editor
-- Contributed by: DanahindersPlease send me the catalogues of flower making if possible or instructions on my email. Thanking you so much.
-- Contributed by: FatimaThis page has been accessed 6,057 times. This page was last modified 15:04, 21 June 2006.
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