Egg Carton Flower Bouquet

   This egg carton flower bouquet is a wonderful craft for children to make for the Spring and Easter season!  Adults may need to help with the cutting, but children can do the rest.  This craft is great because it can be used as a decoration, or given away as a gift.  Most of the things needed can be found around the house.  If you don't want to use a real flower pot, try using an empty margarine container, painted in fun spring colors.

1.  Begin the egg carton flower bouquet by cutting out the egg holders from the egg carton.  Then sculpt some curves or points along the edges for the flower's petals, with the scissors.

2.  Paint the outside and the inside of the flowers with poster paints or acrylics, and allow to dry.

3.  Flip each flower upside down.  Using an exacto knife, slice an "X" into the bottom of each flower.  Make sure an adult does this step.

     


4.  Cut a 3 inch length of yellow pipe cleaner for each flower.  Then, make a small loop on one end the pipe cleaner.  Put this pipe cleaner INSIDE the flower and stick the straight end into the X in the flower to hold it.  This is the flower's stamen.

5.  Cut the green pipe cleaners to the size you would like the stems to be.  You might want to cut them different heights.  Stick the green pipe cleaner through the X in the bottom of each flower.  Now you have the yellow and green pipe cleaner each sticking through the X.  Wrap each tiny end of pipe cleaner around the other pipe cleaner of the opposing color, to secure them to each other.

     


6.  Glue a foam ball or a small piece of foam oasis into the bottom of the flower pot.

7.  Stick the stems of the flowers into the foam to arrange your egg carton flower bouquet

8.  Fill up your pot with filler.  I used fake Easter grass.  A few other ideas are confetti tissue, small stones, or jelly beans!  Add a bow around the pot (optional) and the flowers are ready to display!