Flower in Vase

Nov. 5, 2021

An upcycling project on this Friday fun day. Add color to your room or desk with a flower or a bouquet.

The hardest part about this project is making the flower, since the only other necessary component is a clean, dry bottle. As I show students the way I make these flowers, they are encouraged to use what they have at home to make it, and they can make it however they like. Students work at different paces, so students who complete steps faster tend to do more and get more done in the same amount of time.

I used a toilet paper roll and a snack box as the primary materials to make the flower. Score and cut the toilet paper roll in half-inch increments. I cut five for the five petals, but toilet paper rolls are about four inches, so you would end up with eight and can use them all. Then, open the snackbox and cut two half-inch strips the long way for the stem.

*It’s important to measure the bottle so you can cut the stem that’s long enough for the bottle. If your box is not long enough, cut four strips to lengthen your stem.

Use paint or markers to color the petals and stem. Petals can be colored on the inside and outside. The stem is only colored on one side – the inside. That could be the brown, gray, or white side depending on the box you use. Paint has a better finish than markers. You can sing a song while everything dries.

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  Flower with Vase

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  Bouquet with Cat

Next, is to glue everything together. You don’t need a lot of glue, dotting is fine. Glue the petals together except the last two, because the stem will be inserted in between the last two petals. For the stem, dot glue on the packaging side so the painted side is on the outside. If you cut four strips, glue the second pair about one-fourth of the first pair, to lengthen the stem. Let everything dry before gluing the stem and petals together.

Once everything is dry, place it in the bottle. If your flower is toppling the bottle, you can use a glass bottle instead of a plastic bottle. You can also place pebbles in your plastic bottle to weigh it down.

An optional step is to spritz the flower with cheap perfume or body spray to mimic a nice scent while not wasting eau de parfum.

NanoPoblano Day 5 Done!