Since my son just started 4k last week, I wanted to make sure we kicked off the school year on the right foot. I thought it'd be nice to do something special for his teachers - yet something easy as we had a busy Labor Day weekend in store.
Since he has two lovely ladies leading the class I thought some pretty fall flowers might be appreciated. Oh, but with a twist!
For supplies, I took an empty canning jar (once filled with my mother's AMAzing pickles) and decided to make that the vase. Step one = free. I also had some brown satin ribbon on hand. Step two = Free. This is looking good. Free + Free also = happy husband. (Are you getting the subtle educational references here? Oh, just play along, yeeesh.) AND for the "twist" I purchased a few packs of number two pencils. I ended up using about 4 1/2 packs of 10 (~45 pencils): total, $2.40. Less than a tall skinny caramel latte. I'm a rock star with a capital R. *rocker fingers in the air, head bangin' and tight rolled plants in the house* (hee hee, only kidding about the pants)
Okay, focus. Kathy, maybe I do have ADD? Whatever. Here are the supplies.
Then, I just warmed up the hot glue gun and started gluing them to the outside of the jar. At first I glued them with the eraser up, as if you were writing with them. But then with about ten pencils in place, I realized the erasers would be covered by the flowers and this would just end up looking like a really strange container ... not the first impression I was going for.
So ... I carefully ripped them off and began gluing them with the eraser side down, making sure to keep the pencils straight and the erasers flat on the counter. I used the writing on the pencils (#2) as my guide when applying a strip of hot glue, and kept working my way through until I had them all in place.
Next I added a strip of brown satin ribbon around the top 2/3 of the "vase" and then I picked up two bunches of Zinnias in beautiful fall colors.
Couple Flower Notes: When looking for flowers for a project like this (where you'd want the blooms to cover or fall over the top of the vase), make sure you select something that has a flimsier stem (for lack of a better word). Zinnias or Gerbera Daisies work very well for this purpose because they have big blooms with heavy heads . Gerberas are a really great choice because they are readily available year round in seasonal colors and reasonably priced. Zinnias are priced similarly but more difficult to find.
What you want to avoid is something with a very strong or stiff stem such as roses or mums. While beautiful and available in a wide range of colors, they're not as easy to work with when you don't want the top of the container showing. They work better in floral foam arrangements or for taller, more vertical displays.
Then just fill the jar with water, only about 1/2 full if you'll be traveling with it, and strip the stems of any leaves that would touch or go under the water. This prevents them from being submerged and molding ... helping to keep the rest of the flower living longer.
Okay class, flower lesson over.
So our pencil vase ended up being $2.40 and then it was just the cost of the flowers. I hope his teachers will like it! Who knows, it may even serve as a good container after the flowers are gone, holding things such as rulers for the class.
If you don't have a teacher to appreciate but want to try this inexpensive project, try using a smaller jar (e.g. jelly jar, peanut butter jar) and glue cinnamon sticks from a local craft store. Three off these in a row would look great with flowers on a dining or coffee table. You could also do a taller vase (just an old glass one or a jar) and use sticks found around the yard or wine corks to display beautiful Merlot or magenta colored flowers. Magenta pairs well with chocolate brown, so a great option for fall if you don't care for the typical oranges and reds.
And finally ... just want to give a big thanks to all you teachers out there. I have many friends who teach everyone from special needs children to kindergarten up through high school. As a parent, I can tell you we sincerely appreciate all you do to care for our most precious assets. We trust you with our worlds and thank you for your help in shaping their futures!
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