Get Crafty: A Blooming Back-to-School Teacher's Gift

Create a handmade ink pen bouquet for a back-to-school teacher's gift.

By: Melissa Caughey

Related To:

Flower Power Pens

A cheerful — and useful — ink pen bouquet.

It's hard to believe that the start of the school year is upon us. This year, students are bringing in homemade bouquets for their teachers on the first day. The bouquets are a fun way to brighten up a teacher's desk all school year long.

For this easy kid-friendly craft we decorated store-bought ink pens with silk flowers and tucked them into a personalized painted terra-cotta pot. I know that the kids can't wait to present their teachers with these everlasting bouquets.

Supplies:

newspaper
terra-cotta pot
10 ink pens
1 roll floral tape
chalkboard spray paint
chalkboard ink pen
10 silk flower stems
dried beans (lentils or kidney beans work well)
scissors
ribbon

Make the Bouquet

See All Photos

Flower Power Pens

Make this cute garden-themed bouquet for a teacher to start the school year off on a happy note.

Gather Your Supplies

You will need: 1 terra-cotta flower pot / 1 can chalkboard spray paint / 10 ink pens / 1 roll floral tape / 10 silk flower stems / dried beans / ribbon / a chalkboard paint pen / scissors / newspaper

Paint the Pot

In a well-ventilated area, lay down newspaper and spray-paint your flower pot with the chalkboard paint. Allow it to dry completely.

Trim the Stems

Trim the flower stems to at least half the length of the ink pen. Remove any excess leaves.

It's a Wrap

Place the ink pen under the base of the flower. Starting at the top of the ink pen, tightly wrap the pen and the floral stem with the floral tape until you reach the bottom of the pen. Trim the end.

Create the Bouquet

Repeat the wrapping process on all 10 pens.

Decorate the Flower Pot

Tie a ribbon around the top of the flower pot. Write the teacher's name or a back-to-school message with the chalkboard paint pen on the side of the flower pot. Let it dry. Add your choice of dried beans to the flower pot for "soil" (I used dried lentils; dried kidney beans work well too).

Arrange the Flowers

Add the flower ink pens to the terra-cotta pot filled with beans. The beans help the ink pens stay in place.

Flower Power

This bouquet is as functional as it is pretty. It will look great perched on the teacher's desk all year long and will give your child a little ego boost to know he or she helped create it!

For the step-by-step photo tutorial, click on the gallery below.

Keep Reading