Plants have multiple purposes in our lives. Flowers serve as decorative accents in our home, treasured gifts from admirers, and expressions of sympathy during times of mourning. However, not only do these items beautify and improve our daily lives, they also offer an inexpensive medium for artistic endeavors.
Plants can be used in a variety of fun ways for creative expression. Even the casual crafter can enjoy the affordable luxury of plants as a medium. Below you will find several suggestions for using everyday outdoor and indoor plants to create unusual and appealing crafts.
Sun Prints
Requires: A variety of unsprayed leaves or fronds, construction paper, and sunlight.
This fun and simple craft is safe and easy for children, ages preschool and older. Help your child choose some construction paper. Arrange leaves, ferns, and other easily recognizable items on the paper. Place the paper with the items in a sunny window for several days. Check to see if the image is being created by carefully lifting the edge of a leaf. If the image has transferred, the paper will be a different color than that beneath the leaf.
Flower and Leaf Rubbings
Requires: A variety of leaves, flowers such as daisies and roses, and grasses; lightweight paper, standard recycled printer paper will work fine; crayons; a hard surface to work on.
This craft exercise is an enjoyable project for any age group. Peel the paper off the crayons. Arrange the leaves and flowers on a clean working space. Place a sheet of paper over these items, and using masking tape, tape the edges of the paper down on the table. Rub the paper with the length of a crayon, pressing firmly
Rose Petal Beads
Requires: Blender or food processor, several cups of unsprayed rose petals, a sieve, water, stove, pot, and needle.
This is a very involved project best reserved for an entire day and children 6 and older. Younger children can participate with careful supervision; however, the dexterity required is usually easier for older children to master. The first step is to ensure that the roses you are using are unsprayed and pesticide-free. This is an essential step. If you do not know where the roses come from, do not use them! Roses from your garden are best for this project.
Gather the pesticide-free roses that you need. Pluck off all the petals. Blend or process the petals in a food processor until pulpy mass results. Pour this into a pot of water and simmer on stove for approximately an hour or two, until petals have softened to a mash. Turn off heat and let cool. Strain this through the sieve, pressing firmly to remove excess water.
Pinch off a small amount of rose petal pulp. Roll mass into a ball in the palm of your hand. Pierce with a needle to make the hole for the string to pass through. Allow to dry for several days, then string on wire or thread for fragrant beads.
