Pressed Flower Children's Art

We are on the brink of fall around here, but I couldn't help sharing this cute little pressed flower art project! Last month we visited a local farm and, besides all the yummy food we got, we also picked some pretty wildflowers. Our daughter loved loved loved the whole experience and dubbed it "Farm Picking" (kids come up with the best names for things!).

The flowers lasted a surprisingly long time, but when they were about to start wilting, my daughter and I clipped some of them and placed them in her flower press. It had been a birthday present and it was the first time we used it. She was really excited to see the flowers and asked almost every day if it was time to open the press. I'm so proud at how patiently she waited for the flowers to dry (we left them in for about 2 weeks... an eternity for a little kid).

Although she still prefers abstract and process art, she has started drawing adorable portraits, so I asked her to draw herself holding a bouquet of flowers (but only draw the stems). I also had her trace "Farm Picking" at the bottom of the paper.

Next we applied Mod Podge to the upper half of the paper and she carefully glued down her pressed flowers.

I carefully put a coat of Mod Podge over the flowers to seal them.

I absolutely love how this turned out and it is already a favorite of mine! It's simple but so sweet.  It can be used for many different occasions, for example, a Mother's day gift, a card to a grandparent, a keepsake from a walk or your garden, a get well card, etc.  And you can use any pressable flower you like (basically one that is not thick and juicy - to avoid mold), either store bought or picked fresh from your garden or local farm.

DIY Play Garden

Although there are many things I like about winter, this past winter was particularly bitter and long... Even though we are already almost a month into Spring, the earth is only now starting to show signs of waking up.

To get us past those last few weeks of winter and to create some excitement for Spring, I put together a little play garden for my daughter. Now if there is one thing that she loves, it's flowers! Artificial, real, it doesn't matter, they all deserve a moment of pause and a good whiff. 

This little garden allows her to arrange the flowers, pick them, make bouquets with them, and then "replant" them. Adding a few extras, like rocks, toy bugs, and a small garden gnome (because no garden is complete without one!), creates a scene for imaginative play. I love the whimsy of a fairy garden, so I think I will be adding little fairy bits and bobs to it in the future!

To make the play garden you will need a piece of cardboard as large as you want the area of the garden to be, green duct tape, wooden spools, green acrylic paint, and artificial flowers. As for tools, all you need are cutting pliers, a paintbrush, a hot glue gun and glue sticks, and a utility knife.

Start by covering the cardboard with green duct tape. Smooth the duct tape over the cardboard and use the utility knife to cut it when you reach the end. I covered the edges and both sides of the cardboard. Another option is to paint the cardboard green. 

Paint the wooden spools with the green acrylic paint and allow them to dry.

Apply hot glue to the bottoms of the spools and press them down onto the duct tape covered cardboard. The flowers are going to need some breathing room, so space the wooden spools a few inches apart.

Take the bouquet of artificial flowers and cut the flower stems off the thicker base. The individual flower stems are the perfect size for the spools. Usually two stems can be placed in the same hole.  

Arrange the flowers and accessories and your little play garden is ready for fun!