"Forever Flowers"
This year money at Christmas was a little tight, so we decided to do some Christmas ornaments from the heart. I have three boys (ages 10,6 and 5) and we made some Poinsettia flowers that will keep forever. My kids made their own creations with mom doing the hot gluing, we had a great time. It is a time that I will always cherish.
To do this craft at home you need:
5 hickory nut hull pieces (Hickory nuts have an outer hull that is green and turns brown as it dries. It will split open usually into about 5 pieces and reveal the shell of the hickory nut.) You may need a couple of hulls in order to get 5 pieces that are about the same size.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Fenugreek seeds (it was in my spice rack) or you can use popcorn seeds or
any other small yellow seeds
Red acrylic paint
Some ribbon or twine
Directions:
Take the five pieces of hulls. place together to where one part of the hulls meets in the middle. You will then have your flower. Move the parts around until it looks like a flower. You may have a little space in the middle. I just filled this up with extra hot glue. Now take the hulls, one at a time and place enough hot glue on one side (about a 1/4 in. up) and press another hull against it until you have glued your flower together in the pattern that you first had. Once you finish hot gluing the 5 pieces, you should have a flower that has 5 petals. Fill any gaps in the middle with hot glue. Let cool.
Now take cooled flower and paint with red paint both front and back. After paint dries, add a little more hot glue to the center and sprinkle seeds to make the middle. If you use popcorn place about three seeds in the middle. Try not to add too much hot gun when adding the seeds. Now cut a strip of ribbon long enough to double and make a loop so that you can hang it on the tree. Add a little hot glue to the back side of the flower and press the ribbon or twine into the hot glue. Add a little more hot glue if needed to make the ribbon stick and hold. Now you have your own Forever flower.
I'm including a hand drawing that may explain better on the placement of the hulls and the hot glue on the hulls.
I hope you enjoy this as much as my kids and I did. Now I have some ornaments that my kids made for me that will last forever. Also one of the pictures that I am submitting has a picture of hickory nuts with the hulls still on , part of the hull removed and then an actual hickory nut (still in it's shell).
The great thing about these ornaments are that they can be different sizes and shapes just like real flowers. Just look at my three. They are as different as my boys. Also they may not lay perfectly flat but that imperfection makes them unique and thus beautiful. I hope that you enjoy these great nature made ornaments.
P.S. I got this idea from a Master Gardener.
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Copyright © 2008 by Darby Payne. All rights reserved.
