Flower Crafts Archives

Easy-to-make Santa Hat Treats & Holiday Crafts

Everyone knows Santa’s iconic red and white hat. Put one on and you’ll instantly be in the holiday spirit!

You know what else will put you in the holiday spirit? Making this floral centerpiece and these strawberry treats that are both in the shape of — you guessed it — Santa hats!

Want to learn ho, ho, how to create them? Read on, my little elves.

Santa hat floral centerpiece

I decided to have a little fun and make a Santa hat entirely out of fresh flowers. Not only is it creative, but it’s so easy to make and will make you look like the “hostess with the mostess” at your next holiday get-together!

What you’ll need for your Santa hat floral centerpiece

Red and white carnations
Floral foam (cone shape)
Dish
Evergreens

Instructions

Thoroughly soak the floral foam by letting it float in a sink full of water until the water is fully absorbed. Then, place the foam on a flat dish or low bowl slightly larger the the foam itself. (I used a 9 x 4 floral foam cone and a 6-inch clear design dish.)
Cut the carnations’ stems to a length of about 3 inches. Insert the stems into the foam starting with the white ones to form the “fur” trim at the bottom of the hat. Leave one carnation for the pom-pom at the top.
Add the red carnations all the way around until the foam is completely covered. Finish by adding the white one on top.

You can add a few sprigs of evergreens to the base and top if you feel it needs a finishing touch.
Keep your Santa hat centerpiece in a cool location, adding an ice cube to the dish every day, and it should stay fresh for at least a week.

DIY Santa hat strawberries

Need the perfect complement to your floral Santa hat? These sweet little pop-in-your-mouth treats are so easy to make, you’ll find yourself wanting to make more — for yourself, your family, friends, co-workers…you get the idea!

What you’ll need to make your Santa Hat strawberries

Strawberries
White melting chocolate
Coconut flakes
Mini marshmallows

Instructions

Remove the stem from the strawberry. Don’t cut it off; just gently pull it away from the strawberry.

Dip the larger end of the strawberry into the bowl of melted white chocolate, covering about a fifth to a quarter of the strawberry.

Immediately hold the dipped strawberry over a bowl of shredded coconut and, using a spoon, drop the coconut flakes onto the melted chocolate on the strawberry. Place on a plate dipped side down.

Dip a mini marshmallow into the melted white chocolate and then place it on top of the strawberry to complete the Santa hat. As the chocolate cools and hardens, it will hold the marshmallow onto the strawberry.

Peppermint hot chocolate

Who doesn’t love a nice cup of hot cocoa, especially during the holidays? For me, it’s all about the presentation. I used a regular hot cocoa mix but made it look fancy by serving it in a monogrammed mason jar mug, garnishing the rim with crushed candy canes and topping it off with marshmallows and a candy cane. The candy cane alone will add a peppermint flavor to the hot chocolate, or you could add three drops of peppermint oil per glass. Better yet, include a shot of peppermint schnapps to the hot chocolate to help chase away that winter chill!

Thanksgiving Craft Idea for Kids: Sunflower Turkeys

thanksgiving craft idea with Thanksgiving Bouquet of Sunflower Turkeys — Click to enlarge

Are your kids looking for something to do on Thanksgiving while they wait patiently (or, more than likely, impatiently) for the food to be put out? This Thanksgiving craft will keep the little ones busy while you cook up a delicious feast for the family and give you an adorable centerpiece that your guests will rave about as they gobble down their food!

Materials

Construction paper (or colored cardstock or foam)
Scissors
Glue
Sunflower bouquet (The Harvest Glow Bouquet is the perfect arrangement to use for this craft.)
Googly eyes or candy eyes

Instructions

How to Cut a Turkey out of Construction Paper

Step 1

Cut out the shapes shown above using brown, orange, red, and yellow construction paper. (You can also use cardstock or foam for sturdier turkeys.)

Step 2

Glue the shapes together to create the head and body of the turkey, and then attach the googly eyes to complete the face. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to create one turkey for each sunflower in your bouquet.

Step 3

Trim the bottom petals of each sunflower, leaving only a rainbow-like arch of petals at the top of the sunflowers. That way, the flower petals look like turkey feathers.

Step 4

Glue one construction paper turkey to the center of each sunflower to create a festive Thanksgiving bouquet.

How to Make a Thanksgiving Turkey With a Sunflower

Although this Thanksgiving craft is intended for kids, guests of all ages will admire these cute sunflower turkeys. They help to create a festive Thanksgiving bouquet that will fit in well with the rest of your turkey day tablescape.

Candy Corn Decoration & Drinks: Fresh Flower Centerpiece & Beverages for Halloween

Does anyone actually eat candy corn, or is it just for crafts and DIY projects? Whatever people do with candy corn, they do a lot of it: According to the National Confectioners Association, more than 35 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually. That’s a lot of kernels…so plug in those glue guns and get crafty!

Here is a Halloween decor idea and two candy-corn-inspired beverages for young and old ghouls and goblins alike.

Fresh flower candy corn centerpiece

Candy Corn decorations with candy corn Flower Arrangement

The simple geometric shape of this candy corn creation makes this a very easy DIY. And carnations are available naturally in all three colors, so no spray painting is necessary.

What you need

Floral foam
Carnations (12 orange, 14 yellow, 10 white)
Plate

Directions

Choose a floral foam to use. (I opted for the sculpting sheet with the styrofoam back, as I wanted the candy corn arrangement to be a substantial size, and the styrofoam back gives the foam more support.)

Make a template using a piece of copy paper, and cut out your candy corn shape from the larger piece of foam.

Drop the foam into a sink filled with water. As the foam absorbs the water, it will slowly fall to the bottom of the sink. Remove and place it standing upright on a plate with a small rim.

candy corn decorations Cutting Stems on an Angle

While the foam soaks, prepare your flowers by cutting the stems to about 2 inches long using a sharp cutting shears and cutting on an angle. (The number of carnations in the supply list is for an arrangement that is approximately 11″ x 8.5”. This is a one-sided arrangement and should be placed in a location where it will be viewed from one side only.)

candy corn decorations with 2 Rows of Yellow Carnations

Starting at the bottom, insert two rows of yellow carnations.

candy corn decorations two rows of orange carnations

Then add two rows of orange carnations.

candy corn decorations with White Carnations Candy Corn Arrangement

candy corn decorations with Finish off with white carnations

Finish the top off with the white carnations. Now, your candy corn creation is complete!

Candy corn beverages

These adorable candy corn soda pops couldn’t be easier to make. Put a few pieces of cut-up pineapple in a small mason jar, fill the jar to the top with orange soda, and finish with whipped cream and a few pieces of candy corn.

For something with a little more kick, go with a candy corn cocktail served in a martini glass.

Print Pin

Candy Corn Cocktail

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings 1 drink

Ingredients:

1-1/2 ounce whipped cream vodka
3 ounce sour mix
2 ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce grenadine
Whipped cream (for topping)

Instructions:

Combine vodka, sour mix, and pineapple juice in shaker with ice, and shake well.
Pour mixture into a martini glass.
Slowly pour grenadine into mix so it settles to the bottom.
Top with whipped cream.
Optional: Garnish with coordinating sprinkles.

Course: Drinks

Taco Love

There are at least three reasons to celebrate love and tacos, or just your love for tacos: Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo. And let’s not forget Taco Tuesday! So, I put my thinking cap on and came up with some easy and inexpensive taco decor ideas that can take any party from “asi asi” to “espectacular!”

Almost everything you’ll need to create these — flowers, salsa, chips, peppers, taco shells, etc. — can be picked up at your local market.

taco decor with salsa jars filled with flowers

And they’re not just easy to make but ingenious too! After pouring your salsa into serving dishes, use the glass jars as vases for the flowers. (I bought the Desert Pepper Cantina brand salsa for the cool labels, but Harry & David carries a fantastic selection of salsas as well.) Then, I placed the festive arrangement next to the coordinating salsa so guests knew what heat level to expect.

Pepper your table with little pepper vases

It’s as easy as:

Everybody gets a flower taco

I like to challenge myself to think outside the box when I am working on a project…and then things like this happen!

Here’s how to make personal size taco bouquets.

Start with a stand-up taco shell.
Cut a small piece of floral foam to fit in the shell.
Soak the foam and then put it into a small plastic sandwich bag.
Place in shell.
Add fresh cut flowers!

Maybe you prefer your tacos “supersized”

A super-sized flower taco nestled in a wooden planter and accented with a few Coronas, limes, and fresh peppers make a unique centerpiece for a buffet table or DIY taco bar.

To make the large taco:

Print out two large images of a taco shell.
Cut out the taco shells and glue them to pieces of cardboard.
Cut a piece of floral foam a little smaller than the width of your taco shell.
Soak the floral foam and place it into the liner of a wooden planter (or any container of your choice).
Add one image of the taco shell (facing out) to the one side of the foam and place the other a little higher (facing the same direction as the first one) on the other side of the foam.
Cut fresh flowers so they sit right at the top of the taco shell when inserted into the foam, and arrange accordingly.
Add the additional elements to make it a complete “party in a box!”

Taco Jell-O® shots

While I was putting this together, I thought about how perfectly these taco decor ideas would work for Galentine’s Day, which reminded me of the fun ideas I shared last year for my gal’s party. One of them was the waffle Jell-O® shots.

And a light bulb went off in my head — that pan would make perfect little taco shells!

taco decor with making taco jell-o shots

I changed the recipe a little, combining a gummy and Jell-O® shot recipe, to come up with this.

Add two packets of plain gelatin and one packet of Island Pineapple Jell-O® to a pot.
Slowing stir in a half cup of water until dissolved and let sit for five minutes.
Turn on heat and stir for about five more minutes.
Add a half cup of tequila and another half cup of water, and stir completely.
Dust the pan lightly with corn starch.
Fill each opening half way up.
Place in refrigerator for four hours.

taco decor with taco jell-o shots on plate

To serve, fold each mini waffle in half and stand together on a plate.
Right before serving, add whipped cream and orange rinds or orange sprinkles.

Or set out a DIY taco shot bar. Just put the taco shell Jell-O® shots flat on a plate, along with bowls of small pieces of fruit and whipped cream, and let everyone make their own.

If you like these fun taco decor ideas, check out similar posts with activities, how-to’s, and recipes to help you celebrate all the LOVE you have to give.

Or you can always say “I love you” with a dozen roses. That always works.

DIY Holiday Flower Tree

Here are the basic step-by-step instructions for making one of 1-800-Flowers.com’s most cherished holiday arrangements, the Holiday Flower Tree (otherwise known as a tabletop tree-shaped arrangement). Once you master the basics, the sky’s the limit as far as creating unique, personalized trees in various sizes and containers.

What you need to make a DIY flower tree

Assorted fresh greens
Fresh flowers
Floral foam
Clippers
Waterproof tape
Decorations
Green sticks
Utility container

Instructions for making a DIY flower tree

Tape a brick of floral foam into a waterproof container and place it in water until the foam is thoroughly soaked. Boxwood is the main green I used for the tree, and I accented it, after the main shape was created, filling in with other assorted evergreens such as cedar, pine, and balsam.

Before starting to construct your tree, cut the greens off the main branch, creating multiple smaller pieces. Clean the bottom of the stems so they can easily be inserted into the foam.

diy flower tree with attaching decorations to sticks

Attach your decorations to small floral sticks or wooden skewers.

Start by inserting a taller precut piece of boxwood at the top to create your basic height. Do the same at the bottom and sides. This gives you the base shape of your tree.

diy flower tree with adding greens to floral foam

Continue adding pieces of boxwood, turning the tree as you go, until you have created the basic shape of your tree. Do not totally cover the foam yet.

diy flower tree with adding evergreens to holiday flower tree

I like to add a few sprigs of other evergreens, such as balsam and pine. These greens add that wonderful fragrance, and I find the different textures add visual interest as well.

Your tree is now ready to “decorate.” Because this tree is actually a “flower arrangement,” you can easily use fresh-cut flowers as a primary decorating feature. Just give your flowers a fresh cut and insert them directly into the foam, and they will stay fresh for up to two weeks.

Add the non-perishable decorations, such as pine cones and mini ornaments.

Now go ahead and give it a try!

How to Make Back to School Flowers to Start Their School Year Off Right

Back to school flowers can help everyone start the new school year off on the right foot! According to research conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed. “Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room,” said Dr. Haviland-Jones. “They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.”

Here are some creative ideas that you and your child can put together the day before school starts. Your child might be a little nervous about the first day of school and spending time with you; putting a floral or plant gift together for the teacher will relax them and get them excited about giving their new teacher such a beautiful gift.

How to make a pencil vase with flowers

Can a teacher ever have too many #2’s? This adorable vase is just a clear beverage glass covered with unsharpened #2 pencils. Place a rubber band around the glass and insert the pencils between the glass and the rubber band until the entire glass is covered. Hide the rubber band with a fun school themed or colorful ribbon. Add about 2 inches of water into the glass (easier for transporting), but make sure the teacher knows they should add more water as soon as possible to keep the flowers fresher longer. Sunflowers are perfect long lasting flowers, but you can use any flowers. Flowers picked from your garden are great too!

Garden fresh flowers for the teacher

Keep it simple and fresh by cutting a few stems of flowers from the garden and placing them in a mason jar. Bring your child into the garden with you and let him or her pick out the flowers. There’s no right or wrong here — any flowers cut from a garden will look good together. I love this natural look! It reminds me of my grammar school days, when kids would bring flowers to the teacher. A few stems of garden roses wrapped with a little aluminum foil seemed to have magical powers for both the giver and the receiver!

DIY Mother’s Day Flower Gift: Rose Bouquet Accented with Succulent ‘Flowers’

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with rose bouquet in cachepot

I love putting the right combination of flowers and container together to create a gift that speaks to a person’s heart. This time it spoke to my heart as well because I was creating a DIY Mother’s Day flower gift for my granddaughter to give to her mom, my daughter-in-law, Lina.

Lina and I both love objects with a story and history, and she has always admired my collection of Made in America hobnail milk glass from the Fenton® company!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with cachepot

I have given Lina a few pieces over the years, including this cachepot. It’s one of my favorite shapes and sizes. It looks stunning filled with fresh-cut flowers and just as fabulous when empty with an LED votive light inside. It gives the milk glass a pretty warm glow.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with girl holding flower arrangement

Once we chose the container, it was time to choose the flowers for our bouquet. Olivia knows what she likes, and pink is her favorite color!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with rose bouquet

The Rosita Vendela rose is so beautiful and has a vintage vibe to it, so I thought it would make the perfect focal flower. We complemented that look with a few stems of dusty miller and monte casino. The finishing touch — and one that I know Lina is going to love — is the addition of cut succulents. An obsession with succulents is another thing Lina and I have in common!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with closeup of succulent flower

This succulent is a variety called Echeveria Devotion.

Here’s how easy it is to turn a potted succulent into a fresh-cut flower that can be used in a bouquet.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with succulent out of pot

1. Remove plant from pot. For smaller to average size bouquets, use 2-3” potted succulents.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with removing dirt from succulent roots

2. Gently remove dirt from the roots. You can even remove the roots entirely if you want without damaging the plant.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with skewering succulent

3. Insert a wooden skewer into the bottom of the succulent.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with succulent flowers

That’s all it takes!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with adding succulent flowers to bouquet

I find it works best if you create your bouquet or arrangement first and then insert the succulents. The surrounding flowers will help support the extra weight of the cut succulent. They will look beautiful for weeks and can then be re-rooted.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with girl holding rose bouquet

We added a simple burlap wrap, pretty ribbon, and card that Olivia accented with a bright pink tassel to create the perfect DIY flower gift for Mother’s Day that not only speaks to the heart but totally melts it!

DIY Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Wood-burned Birch Vase

My grandson Manny was so impressed with a post I did showing how to use a wood-burning pen to personalize a birch container that he asked me to help him make one as a DIY Mother’s Day gift idea for his mom. Of course I said yes!

diy mother's day gift idea with piece of birch

I chose a tall cylindrical-shaped vase for him to work with because it is the perfect shape to fill with beautiful spring tulips.

diy mother's day gift idea with drawing heart on paper

We started by making a template for the heart.

diy mother's day gift idea with drawing heart on birch

Manny used the template to create the basic guide.

diy mother's day gift idea with burning heart design on birch

Then we removed the template and started to fill in and fill out the lines to create definition. It’s better to go over the design lightly multiple times.

diy mother's day gift idea with burning birch with pen

Tip: Keep going over the same area with the pen until you are happy with how it looks.

diy mother's day gift idea with kids holding birch vase

Once Manny was satisfied with the wood-burning job he did, it was time to make the arrangement…with a big assist from little sister Olivia!

diy mother's day gift idea with birch vase filled with flowers

Tulips are the perfect flower for children to work with because they’re so easy to arrange. Simply fill the vase with clean, fresh water, give the stems a cut, and place them in the vase one at a time!

diy mother's day gift idea with by holding birch vase

A job well done…and a DIY Mother’s Day gift idea that Mom will truly love!

Baby Shower Decor Ideas: Using Flowers to ‘Feather the Nest’

One of my favorite themes for a baby shower is “feathering the nest,” which is really the whole point of having a baby shower. I actually threw my daughter-in-law, Lina, a “bird’s nest”-themed shower when she was pregnant with my beautiful granddaughter, Olivia Grace. It was a no-brainer because Lina already had a thing for birds.

There are so many ways you can incorporate this theme into your gathering, from the invitations to the décor and even the food. Here are a few baby shower decor ideas using flowers, nests, eggs, and bird cages that you might want to try too.

baby shower decor ideas with purple hydrangea in a purple mason jar

We knew that Lina was having a girl, and since purple is her favorite color, I started simple with purple hydrangea in purple mason jars.

baby shower decor ideas with Purple mason jar with gender themed tag

To personalize the arrangement, I used the graphics from the shower invitations to make sweet little hangtags for each jar. Wrapping a few grapevine branches around the neck of the mason jar and adding a feather completed the look.

baby shower decor ideas with Bird cage centerpiece with flowers and candle

A more dramatic centerpiece can beautifully adorn the guest tables or be used as a statement piece on the buffet or gift table. This centerpiece has flowers flowing from a metal bird cage.

baby shower decor ideas with Bird cage centerpiece with purple candle placed on foam piece

To make the birdcage centerpiece, start with a liner in which you place a soaked piece of floral foam cut to size. If you are including a candle, place it in the cage before inserting the flowers into the foam.

baby shower decor ideas with Bird cage centerpiece with hydrangeas, rice flowers, waxflowers, roses, and solidago.

Have your flowers spilling out from the sides of the birdcage. In this arrangement, I used hydrangea, rice flower, waxflower, roses, and solidago.

baby shower decor ideas with Small bird cage centerpiece with single white lily stem

A similar but smaller bird cage looks just as sweet filled with a single white lily stem. Mix it up with various sizes and shapes to match your baby shower decor.

baby shower decor ideas with Oversized floral centerpiece with hydrangeas, rice flowers, waxflowers, roses, and solidago

Here’s a similar approach using nests. This oversized version is a real “wow”!

baby shower decor ideas with Small centerpiece with white roses and seeded eucalyptus

I also love this smaller version filled with white roses and seeded eucalyptus just as much.

baby shower decor ideas with Small centerpiece with eggs and baby’s breath

And how about this one filled with eggs and baby’s breath?! These would make sweet party favors too!

baby shower decor ideas with Grapevine wreath with fresh pepper berry, rice flower, and a faux bird

And don’t forget decorations for the walls and windows. Decorate a small grapevine wreath with fresh pepper berry and rice flower. Add a faux bird tucked in a nest made of Spanish moss to make a sweet addition anywhere. The rice flower and pepper berry will air dry nicely, and you can enjoy this wreath as home décor for weeks to come!