It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, a time I really believe teachers should get a little love, a pat on the back for all of their hard work, effort, and energy.
Though my kids’ school has a whole committee who plans a week of total awesomeness for our teachers, the second day of the week is usually reserved for a small note, treat, drawing, or handmade gift from the children.
In the past, Maddy, Owen,and Cora have made sweet fingerprint notecards or little storybooks for their teachers.
And we even made some water bottles a little happier--and a whole lot prettier–when it was all we could do to help.
But this year, Cora and I have been on a flower kick, so I thought we’d continue it through Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother’s Day (fyi: Mother’s Day spoiler alert to all the moms in our lives!). Since both Grandma and Nanny love flowers, we thought they’d love a hand-painted pot of flower pens for their kitchen or desk.
Here’s the skinny. . .
Super-Easy, Beautiful Flower Pens:
These were so easy, and they turned out so totally cute.
Cora and I picked up the supplies the last time we ran errands.
Here’s what you need to make them:
- medium-sized clay flower pots
- floral tape
- two packs of pens
- a huge bag of beans
- three bunches of silk flowers
Here’s how you make the pots:
1.) We started by painting the pots.
I asked Maddy, Owen, and Cora what color paint they wanted, and I squirted it in their ‘palates’.
Owen decided to flip his pot for easier painting. . .
. . . and Cora wanted to paint hers the ‘normal’ way.
While the kids were painting their pots, I worked on assembling the flower pens.
It was so easy, and once I hit a groove, it went really quickly.
Here’s how to make the flower pens:
1.) First I cut the flower from the stem, leaving about 2-3″ of stem below the flower.
2.) Then I pulled off the leaves, including the small plastic part at the bottom, and I put the leaves right under the flower.
I wanted the leaves to hang somewhat loosely so the top of the pen was covered.
3.) I took the top off of the pen and used a small piece of floral tape to secure the flower to the pen so it wouldn’t wiggle while I taped it.
4.) Finally, I started at the top of the pen and wound floral tape tightly along the pen.
I made sure to wrap the bottom part of the flower several times so it wouldn’t be a bump and it would be more subtle.
Once I got to the bottom of the pen, I wrapped the whole thing from bottom to top, ending at the flower. I thought it would better secure the flower and make the pen look more ‘green’ instead of ‘grey’.
5.) We attached a note to each pot.
I created a really simple document with six Flower Pot Notes, and we printed them on pink and green cardstock. They each had simple messages:
- You are awesome!
- Thank you!
- I love you!
- Thank you for all you do! and
- Here’s a hug for you!
These cute notes can be used for either Teacher Appreciation gifts or Mother’s Day gifts!
The Flower Pot Notes can be downloaded and printed here:
Then Maddy, Owen, and Cora wrote little messages to their teachers, and their note cards were ready!
Back to the pots. . .
2.) I grabbed some small yogurt containers and hot glued them into each flower pot.
I didn’t know how else to cover the small drain hole, but I also wanted to keep the pens in the middle of the pot, not flopping over the edges. Yay! Another super way to re-use our yogurt containers!
3.) Then we filled each pot with beans.
They were the most affordable choice for us, though I’ve seen pots filled with foam, playdough, rocks, and beads.
Maddy adds beans to her pot. . .
. . . and then she ‘plants’ her flowers!
We even found a use for the pen caps that we had discarded!
4.) We used the pen caps as card holders; after the kids wrote their messages on the Flower Pot Note Cards, we taped them to the pen cap.
We stuck the flowers into the beans, added the note, and the Teacher Appreciation Gifts were ready!
Awesome!
We absolutely love how these turned out!
And that’s it–just a super-sweet way to recognize teachers, mothers, or grandmothers–or anyone!–for any occasion.
And it’s a gift that has a practical use–it’s not candy that teachers and mothers want but will be frustrated that they ate; it’s not another coffee mug or teacher ornament. It’s something they’ll use and smile every time they do.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week and happy, happy Mother’s Day!
Want a few more fun gifts to give for Mother’s Day or Teacher Appreciation Day?
Check out:
- flower pens
- teacher appreciation gifts
- finger print note cards
- garden stones
- butterfly pens
- give the gift of words
- mother’s day ticket book
- best books as gifts
- gifts that give back
- happy flowers
- quick thank you for teachers
- wooden thank you tray
- father’s day gifts
Or follow these two pinterest boards:
Vicky
Love these! My kids classes at preschool use these pens when we sign ina nd it looks so cheerful and makes the kids happy. Pinning this! Vicky from http://www.messforless.net
amy
thanks so much Vicky!! TOTALLY appreciate the pin and can’t thank you enough for reading, my friend! I agree–they make ME happy too!!
Kelli
Such a cute idea! Love the innovative use of the pen cap too. I want to make one for me! 🙂
Carolyn Wilhelm
I’ve always wondered how to make pens like that, and teachers can really use these. Practical, helpful, and fun as the children can give something they made themselves. Thanks so much! Carolyn
Megan
Love this idea. What about doing a rainbow pot next time? I just ran across the rainbow pot idea online yesterday. Thinking I will combine them for this year’s mother’s day! http://www.dillydaliart.com/2012/04/rainbow-pour-painting-on-terra-cotta.html
amy
Megan. LOVE. THIS. IDEA!! Thanks so much for sharing–I’ve never heard of pour painting, so I’m totally psyched. Many thanks!!
Bobbi
I really like this idea and I am going to make them and put them on each of the desk in my office, this is a cute way to have something cheerful in the office and maybe stop people from stealing my pens, lol. Thanks for the step by step instructions, makes it very easy to complete the task.
amy
Bobbi–you are so welcome!! Please do share a photo of yours when you finish them–I’d love to see them!
Jennifer
If you use Bic round Stic pens, the bottoms pop off and you can put the stem INSIDE the pen so that the pen isn’t uneven on the outside. Also, I have found that a coat of Mod Podge over the stems helps to secure the floral tape so it doesn’t unravel — it also takes away that slightly sticky feel of the floral tape!
amy
Jennifer. That’s why I need more creative, crafty, and totally cool people in my life like you. THANK YOU!! I will take those tips and put them to use the very next time I’m flower-pen making!! Thank you thank you thank you for reading and HUGE thanks for taking the time to share these super tips!
Julie
I’ve done them with black beans – they look more like soil!
amy mascott
JULIE! Super idea! And black beans are probably a wee bit more affordable, too! THANK YOU!
Theresa @DearCreatives
Lovely project. Pinned & shared. Thanks for sharing at the #InspirationSpotlight party. See you again soon!