Flowers: Unique Gifts with a Floral Theme
Most people enjoy getting flowers, but they only last for a little while and aren’t very original. Don’t worry; with these ideas you can use flowers to spark your creativity and create unique gifts that your mom or someone else will love.
Pressed Flowers
Pressed flowers can be the start of many lovely crafts and unique gift ideas. Here are just a few of the things you can do with pressed flowers.
* Bookmarks – Use clear contact paper to make a bookmark. Cut a bookmark-sized strip of clear contact paper; lay it sticky-side-up. Place flowers on the sticky side of the contact paper. Cover with a slightly larger piece of the contact paper and trim edges.
* Placemats – Using the same technique as above, make Mom a set of flowery placemats.
* Jewelry – Use craft clay (or make your own) that is baked to become hard and permanent. Create a shape for a necklace pendant, pin, or earrings; bake until hard. Using decoupage medium, apply the pressed flower to the piece. Cover with decoupage medium to seal it.
* Picture frames – Use clay to make a picture frame; bake to harden. Apply pressed flowers using the same technique as above.
Edible Flowers
You don’t have to pay a fortune for professional, edible bouquets; you can make your own. All you need is fruit and bamboo skewers (available in most grocery stores). Use a large piece of floral foam to mount the skewers. Place fruit on the sharp end of the skewer, and place the blunt end of the skewer into the foam. Thread grapes onto skewers, cut melons in flower shapes, put whole strawberries on the ends, and so forth. Use mint or parsley sprigs to fill in the space between the “flowers” once they are arranged.
Variation: make flowers out of chocolate candies, veggies, or whatever Mom likes. A hot glue gun can be used to attach wrapped candies.
Paper Flowers
For a floral gift that won’t wilt or rot, try making flowers from paper. You can get elaborate or go simple with paper flowers. You can use them to make bouquets, garlands, or wreaths. Here is how to make tissue paper flowers:
Stack half-sheets (about 5″x8″) of tissue paper to make about ten layers in various colors (or one color). Starting on a short side, fold the sheets in strips fan-style. Wind a few inches of a green or brown pipe cleaner tightly around the middle to pinch it. The rest of the pipe cleaner will be the stem (if you’re going to make a wreath, use short bits of pipe cleaner to pinch the middle of the tissue).
Trim the edges of the tissue to make even edges. Then, separate each layer of tissue on each side of the middle, pulling the pieces gently inward to cover the pipe cleaner. When you finish, you should have a fluffy, colorful flower.
Do you know someone that would enjoy one of these ideas as a present? The colors and shapes of flowers make it possible to make a great variety of pretty and unique gifts for your mom or loved one.
