Button Flower Craft

A spring bouquet that's cute as a button.

Submitted by
Laura

You love having flowers around the house, but you hate dealing with the mess when the blooms are past their prime. Have your kid make you an everlasting bouquet. Chuck 'em in a vase when she's finished and say goodbye to stinky water, fallen petals and slimy vases forever.

Buttons:
A bunch in all different shapes, colors and sizes. Look for the bargain bag of mixed buttons at the craft store.
Sturdy green florist wire:
Find it at your local craft store. Make sure it fits through the holes of the buttons your kid's using and that it's heavy enough to stand up on its own with a few buttons on the end.
Felt:
In lots of colors.
Pliers or scissors
Glue
Pencil
A vase or tall glass

Help your kid cut a long, 16- to 20-inch piece of wire. You can cut the wire any length you'd like, just make it double the desired length of the final stem. So a 16-inch wire will make an 8-inch long flower. If your kid is making a bunch of flowers, make the stems different lengths.
Bend the wire in half so that both sides are the same length.
Then invite your kid to select two or three buttons in different sizes.
Help her thread the wire ends through the holes of the smallest button, one end through each hole in the button.
Next, have her thread on a second, larger button and push it up so it's flush behind the first button.
Have her add the third, biggest button.
Then have her twist the wire around itself a few times so the buttons stay put.
Next, help her trace the shape of a leaf or a petal onto a piece of felt. The leaf doesn't have to be green. It'll look funky if it's an unexpected color like pink, orange or blue.
Have her cut it out.
Help her pierce the felt with the craft wire and then pull it up until it rests under the button flower. Secure it with a dab of glue. She can add just one leaf or petal or create a few in different sizes.
Then have her twist the wire all the way down to create a stem.
Have her repeat the steps to make several flowers and drop them into a vase to create a pretty spring bouquet that won't droop or die.