Flower Child Craft

   I have to give the credit for this idea to my four year old, Simone. We where at the park having a play date with friends. It was a perfect day, not too hot with a little breeze. Running up to the play structure came two little girls with flowing whimsical dresses and crowns of cloth flowers on their heads, ribbons trailing in the wind as they ran. At which point Simone gasps audibly.

  "Mommy", she says, "I neeeeed one of those flower crowns!'

   "Well, honey", I say "I don't know where you would even get something like that"

  "Mommy, we can make them!" she exclaims, enthusiasm and persuasion radiating from her voice.

     I thought for a minute. Tried to inspect the flower crowns from a distance and said, "Yes, I think we can Simone."

   So this is how we ended up at the craft store directly after leaving the park. We bought everything we needed to make at least 6 crowns for about 12 dollars. I'm sure you could shop around and get better prices but we where in a hurry! I have to say this is most likely a better craft for older girls, maybe 6 and up. My daughter Simone is very crafty, however. I still ended up doing most of the work, but she did help cut the flowers and pick the order they should go in. She even did some of the wrapping, with help.

This is what you need;

-Scissors

-Floral tape

-Floral wire (we got the cloth covered kind so no sharp edges)

-3 bunches or so of fabric flowers.

-Ribbon (we just used the type for wrapping presents but you could get fancy and use fabric ribbon)

   To get started, lay all your supplies out on a table. Then cut the flowers off the bunches leaving an inch or so of stem for wrapping.

   Next, you'll need to take two lengths of wire and wrap the ends around each other to make one longer piece. Then take this and wrap loosely around the persons head you want it to fit.

 Wrap the wires around each other until you've made a circle.

   Next, it's time to get wrapping! Cut a piece of floral tape from 12 to 18 inches long and start wrapping. If you run out of floral tape, just cut another length.

   Keep wrapping until there is just a small gap between where you started and ended. Now, take 3 lengths of ribbon about 18 inches long and tie a knot at one end. Take the knotted end and wrap on to the wire where you left the gap, in the same way you wrapped the flowers. Viola! You've made a flower crown.

  This is what the finished product looks like.

   These turned out great, and I had so much fun making them, I probably would have done it even if I didn't have kids! I will most likely be using the leftover supplies to make more for little girls birthdays and such. There is a part of me that wants to frolic in the park with one of these on my head, wearing a whimsical dress! Most importantly my kids love them and I'm sure will use them for dress up for years to come.