Calendar Flowers

Today is a fun, easy, and fairly quick project. You can even get kids in on the fun!

Today is all about making flowers using your old calendar.

 

 

Supplies needed:
old calendar pages (at least 2)
scissors
Mod Podge
single hole punch
button or bead or some other things to use in the center
flower to trace around (optional)
paint brush

Paint Mod Podge onto the entire back of one of the calendar pages. You want the coat thick enough so that the numbers/lines are cloudy looking.

Lay the second calendar page down on top of the first page so that the backsides are touching. Start at one side and slowly press them together. Try to get out any air bubbles or spread any extra thick gobs of the glue out as you go.

 It's hard to tell, but there really are two pages glued together. You want two pages glued together for a couple reasons...the first being that it is sturdier that way. But also if the bottom of your flowers show at all then all you see is pretty pages still instead of your actual calendar.

See? I told you! A pretty picture on both sides. Lay out the pieces of a fake flower to trace around. Or use a printed picture of a flower. Or just draw it freehand! It's up to you.

I tried to take a picture of my flower tracings...but it really didn't show up. Cut out the flower shapes.

Make sure that when you cut them out you come in far enough to the center to be able to use the single hole punch in the center, but don't cut in too far or the flower's petals will come apart too easily.

Use the single hole punch in the center of each flower.

The next step has many different options....

Option 1: Use the plastic center parts from the fake flower you traced around for the center of this flower.

Option 2: Use a button that has a single loop back and some thin wire to secure it. The wire I used was pulled out of some wire edged ribbon that I didn't want to be wire edged.

My husband likes to roll his eyes and scoff when I save stuff like this....but HA! Look at that! I used some of it!

String the wire through the button hole and then wrap wrap wrap the wire around it.

Option 3: Use a gromet of whatever kind you want and put it through the center and fasten it according to the directions.

Option 4: Use a brad of some kind and on the back spread the tab parts open so that they flare out to either side of each other.

Option 5: Use a bead  on top and secure in much the same way that you would the button.

This is a second method I used to make a very different kind of flower...

I drew daisy-like flowers in three different sizes freehand. (Can't you tell? Definitely not great!) Then cut them out.

Don't punch any holes in the center of any of the flower pieces. Instead glue them together stacking one atop the other.

Use the single hole puncher to punch out circles from some of the scrap pieces that were cut away while cutting out the flower shapes.

Glue the punched holes in place on top of the flower. Kinda pile/layer them for dimension.

Now what would you use these for? Well, all kinds of things, really! If you are into scrapbooking, these would be a fun addition. Card making would be another great use. You could spray each piece with an acrylic sealant on each side before attaching them to each other to make them more moisture resistant and sturdy. If you do this be sure to do a couple of coats. Once they are sealed there are even more options for what you could do with them. Use a flower to make a fun and funky ring, or as part of a hair accessory, or come up with your own idea and come back here and let me know what you made!

See? I wasn't kidding when I had said (on Facebook) that I would be having fun calendar recyling projects!