Flower Power! Part 1: Handcrafting Flowers in 3 Fun Ways

Shavuot is just days away and comes this year right on the heels of Shabbos! I love this holiday. In fact, this is the holiday that made me become religious. I often joke it was the 12 varieties of cheesecake dished my way that my dear friend and rebbetzin of the Chabad where I went to college had baked... But truly, it was the deeper connection I felt when at the age of twenty-something and completely unable to read Hebrew or follow a siddur [prayer book], hearing the Aseret Hadibrot [10 Commandments] being read by the rabbi felt strangely familiar and comfortable. It is said that every Jewish soul was present at the receiving of the Torah on Har Sinai. Shavuot, for me, is coming home.

Speaking of home, this morning I awoke with that pending feeling of doom that happens when your to-do list is so long you have to scroll down on your smartphone. What did I do, you ask? I did what any adult in her right mind would do and prepared a bunch of flower themed activities for my kids and I to do over the next few days as we get ready for Shavuot. And what am I making for the holiday meals, you ask? Hopefully reservations!

Today I will start you off with Handcrafting Flowers in 3 Fun Ways. Join me tomorrow for Part 2 of this series, Playing with Petals.

Handcrafting Flowers in 3 Fun Ways

One of the most lovely sights of Shavuot is that of homes and shuls decked with bouquets and vases of fresh cut flowers. We try to capture the beauty of the season as we remember the beauty that G-d bestowed upon Har Sinai. Cut flowers are so lovely and also temporary. For a variety of reasons, you may prefer to include some artificial flowers into the scene and making your own can be great fun! There are many great ways to handcraft flowers with children and it's hard to pick just one. Actually, it's hard to pick just three, but the ones that I've set up for this post are open ended enough that your budding artists will truly blossom and create a bouquet of unique varieties. These flowers will never wilt or die and they will brighten your holiday table for years to come.

What you will need:

Please don't go out and buy supplies now (unless you want to!). Use what you have on deck; substitutions are OK, and I'll list both what we used and some substitution options below...

• floral wire stems (you can substitute in pipe cleaners or craft sticks)
• floral tape, duct tape (or whatever tape you have on hand, even masking tape or scotch tape--washi tape, although super cute, did not stick so well)
• tissue paper in a variety of colors
• white coffee filters (you can substitute in white tissue paper)
• floral printed fabric (I have a stash of pre-cut squares for craft use, but you can use whatever remnants you have and shape and size don't matter all that much--you could even cut and upcycle some old clothing)
• beads
• scissors
• wavy edged scissors (optional)
• washable markers
• watercolor pencils
• a rainy day (you can substitute in tap water!)

1. Rainy Day Coffee Filter Flowers:

 We love rain art! Using your washable markers and/or watercolor pencils, your little ones can doodles and designs to a flattened white coffee filter. Alternatively you can do your art on white tissue paper and cut/tear to desired shape and size before shaping your flowers. Once your design is to your liking, it's time to set it out in the rain! You'll want to encourage your young artist to add a lot of color but not get too attached to the actual design as the rain will surely change it! Also, if you're getting a lot of rain, don't leave your artwork outside too long or you'll come back in with a white coffee filter again! Set your soggy masterpiece on a paper towel or two to dry. Once it is dry, add your stem. With floral wire stems, you'll want to pinch your coffee filter or tissue paper in the middle and create a flower shape while wrapping the wire around the pinched up center. Add some floral tape or your tape of choice to secure and cover the ends and voila! You can add accents with beads or combine multiple coffee filters into one flower...

 2. Tissue Paper Flowers are a classic. Cutting, tearing, scrunching and otherwise arranging a variety of colorful tissue paper into lovely flowers is a craft I remember from my own childhood when I used to scavenge through a recycled shoebox of my grandmother's old Valentine's Day materials from when she taught at a public school. Every flower was different and unique and amazingly, always perfect! Tissue paper is remarkably forgiving and you can work it with your hands as long as it takes to create the look you desire. For these, I added a bead to the wire stem before bending it over, twisting it and poking both ends through the center of my tissue paper stack. I scrunched, shaped and twisted the heck of out it until it looked and felt right. Depending on your little ones' ages and abilities, they may need some assistance from adults or older children, but I've found tissue paper flowers to be a favorite craft among children from toddlerhood on up! When you're satisfied with our look, tape the base of your bloom to secure and protect the sharp wire ends. You may also wish to add some tape to the bottom of the stem.

3. Fabric Flowers are so whimsical and lovely! Using the same method with a bead as I described above, I poked my floral wire stem through two to three interesting squares of floral fabric. Fabric, too, is very forgiving, although requires a bit more finagling (and possibly some adult support) than tissue paper. Just keep twisting, turning, taping until you're pleased with the look and tape down any sharp ends to finish.

Mix it up! Your younger artists will have so many ideas and ways of working with these versatile materials. Let them have at it. Put them on display in your finest vase! Don't worry about the finished product (especially if they're not) and if they want to go hog wild decorating your house from top to bottom with handcrafted flowers, submit your complaints to my email linked in the blog... Flower power, baby!

Happy Playing!