Green Craft Tutorial: Plastic Flowers In Bloom

As an elementary art teacher, I am inundated with donations of stuff. In an effort to teach my students the art of transformation and in thinking consciously, I often will incorporate found objects in my lessons. This lesson requires one plastic bottle and a bit of ingenuity.

You will need:
(1) plastic water or soda bottle, thin enough to cut (one bottle will give you 2 blooms)
Plastic lids, assorted
Scraps of fabric or paper for the stem and leaves
Acrylic paint
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue
A piece of cardboard or other decorative base

Step 1: Cut your bottle in half.

Step 2: Paint the interior of the bottle with acrylic paint.

Step 3: Once the paint has dried, snip down near the base, making long tabs. These will become your petals. Bend back each tab, pinching them at the base so that they stay in place. You can cut the tips of your petals, making them more decorative (i.e. fancy).

Step 4: From your collection of lids, choose one or more for the center of your flower. You can stack or layer them for a more eye-catching effect.

Step 5: Using a hot glue gun, glue a strip of fabric and assorted leaves to the piece of cardboard. Hot glue the lids to the center of your flower and adhere to the cardboard.


Written by Sugar Paperie.