DANNNNNNNNG. The last time I did this was the day before Player 2's birthday??!! Where has my life GONE?! Seriously. Guys........my bad. But you know how sometimes life just throws a barrage of curve balls at you and crafting is like, the LAST thing you are going to waste what little iota of patience you have left on? You do?! You forgive me?! You guys are just the freaking best. This is why we stay friends. Let's hug.
Okay.....so my mental deterioration aside.....SOME WEATHER WE ARE HAVING. I wore shorts on Christmas Eve and just scraped ice off of the truck yesterday.....so you know....CT. But I was just getting into the whole Spring thing! The patio furniture is out, as is the dog hammock......(don't you dare judge me.......until you see their doggie croquet set......then judge away).....and I've been eyeing the power-washer for a week. Apologies to the neighbors on the north side of our house. We got busy last year. :)
So instead of patiently waiting for May Showers to give us June Flowers, or whatever the heck is going on....we are going to make them. Oh yes. Today we play the part of Mother Nature, because she's clearly been busy torturing all of you naughty kids that rejoiced a warm Winter. Either that or she's drunk. Whatever the case, I got her back.
GARBAGE BOUQUET
Here's what you need but don't even bother to leave the house. This is a project of scrounging. Hmmm.....that sounded like last night's dinner plan.
- empty paper towel rolls- Could you use toilet paper ones? Of course! I just wouldn't tell any dinner guests the true origin of your centerpiece.
- festively spring spray paint- At any given time I have at least 25 cans. It's the "scotch tape" of the paint world....which is why it's so perfect that we use....
- scotch tape- or the generic alternative. It's all the same. I was a child raised on coupons. We only saw Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream twice a year on a triples week.
- "stems"- Now I have the luxury/ability to hoard garbage for the sake of crafting that far surpasses most. So I'm using fake flower stems I trimmed off of my DIY bridal bouquet which will one day totally be a Crafty Hour. Because it's beautiful.....and already done. But if you don't have any stems kicking around then chopsticks, skewers, or just good ol' sticks from the back yard spray painted green will work. (Editor's note: I ended up using chopsticks because I liked the bright green spray paint better...woman's prerogative.)
- Let's DO THIS. Flatten out and cut your cardboard paper tubes into one inch strips. I'd use scissors but if you have laser vision, now may be a great time to use it.
- Using your tape, start to build your flowers. I found the daisy, tulip, and hyacinth to be both forgiving and easy. And that's really the sweet spot for our crafting, isn't it? By the by.....if you want to get your glue on with this you totally can. I'd recommend getting some clips or clothespins to keep the "petals" together. I'd also recommend the patience of Job, or some light meditation as well.
- So right now these look like a science project, bathroom trash, or like a squirrel got into the recycling bin. Don't worry! We are about to fix that. Enter the spray paint! You remember the rules don't you?
Do this outside.
Light even multiple coats of paint.
Do this OUTSIDE. You try the basement once and you'll understand the air flow of a home.
- Once dry, you can now place the flowers on their stems. Use tape, glue, or repurpose some of those instant mashed potatoes from last year still left in the pantry to affix them. The last method may not be the greatest if you have dogs, but mine actually eat paper towel tubes, so at this point I might as well just make them more palatable.
Display this fabulous arrangement in a vase......or vase......depending on how you say it, and enjoy. This makes a fabulous gift for your most discriminating friends. If only to watch them politely accept it. Whew! Great blog, guys! Here's hoping it's not December when I write the next.
:) Brooke