Hi y’all! I recently made some DIY Paper Flower Pencil Toppers for my twins teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week! She definitely deserved more, we couldn’t have asked for a better Kindergarten teacher! However, this week snuck up on me and this is what I had on hand, so I had to get crafty.
I could’ve made these a lot faster by using my Cricut. But I wanted to show that beautiful paper flowers are still possible, even WITHOUT a Cricut.
What you need:
- Flower Template. (Get your FREE Paper Flower Petal Template below!
- Card Stock.
- Pencils.
- Tin can.
- Twine.
- Spray paint.
- Scissors.
- Wire cutters. (Optional)
TIN CAN PREPARATION
STEP 1:
Firstly, you will need to wash a tin can and be sure that all the paper and glue is removed. (I used a 20 oz pineapple tin can.)
Next, I snipped sections of the inside rim, then laid them flat with needle nose pliers. This part is totally optional. My husband has wire cutters so I decided to take the extra step to prevent fingers from getting sliced… since the rim is a little sharp.
STEP 2:
Secondly, you will need to spray paint the tin can.
*A little tip- put on a rubber glove and put your hand in the tin can to hold it while you paint. This prevents smudges and paint runs! Also, sit it on something solid while it dries, like, metal, wood, etc. If you dry it on newspaper, it will stick, leaving you newspaper confetti on the bottom.
PAPER FLOWER PREPARATION
STEP 3:
While the paint is drying you can start preparing the paper flowers.
If you have my free template simply print them on your choice of paper. (I used two coordinating colors in each paper flower.) You can also free-hand the flowers in 5 different sizes. My largest was about 3.5 inches wide, then I gradually made each one smaller than the one before.
**Tip**
These flowers can be slightly time consuming to cut out, so if you have a Cricut I would recommend using their Print Then Cut feature!
STEP 4:
Once your paper flowers are cut out you will need to punch or cut a hole in the middle. Then gently crinkle the paper flowers. First, I took the two largest layers and bent the pedals up in the middle and down on the ends to make it appear droopy. Additionally, on the last 3 layers, I twisted the pedals slightly and bent the ends up to give a little extra dimension (or fluff).
Then, you will start with the largest pedal and easily slide it onto the eraser portion of the pencil, repeating with each pedal- largest to smallest.
If your paper flowers have lines on them (like mine do), flip the top layer upside down.
STEP 5:
Cut a piece of twine about 74″ long. Before wrapping it around the can be sure to leave about 11″ hang loose in order to tie a bow. Wrap the remaining string around the can (approximately 4 times) until you have an even amount loose with the other side. Then tie a bow!
Paper Flower Topped PENCIL Bouquet
STEP 6:
Your last step is to add the paper flower topped pencils to the tin can!
You can also write a heartfelt note of appreciation and encouragement to add to the bouquet. Moreover, these Paper Flower Topped Pencil Bouquets are a great way to add a smile to a teachers face, color to their room, and supplies (pencils and holder) to their much needed supply list! Plus, these flowers will never wilt and die.
I hope you and your favorite teacher enjoyed this craft! Have a beautiful day!
P.S.- Check out my DIY Tin Can Planter article for more tin can upcycling!