How to Make a Flower Pen in a Clay Pot

This article will show you how to create a pen with flowers on top with a clay pot base, that will make a cheerful addition to your desk, or the perfect gift for a teacher, friend or relative.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Small clay pot (about 2-3" diameter at the top)
• Standard stick pen
• Silk flowers & greens - your choice
• Approx 1.5 feet of ribbon
• Moss
• Floral tape
• Plaster of Paris
• Bowl and spoon for mixing plaster
• Glue gun or craft glue
• Wire cutters

1. Place a small piece of paper at the bottom of the pot to cover the hole.

2. Mix the Plaster of Paris according to directions. Half a cup of plaster to one cup of water should be enough. Spoon the mix into the pot, filling it about 2/3 full. You might want to put paper or tape on the inside lip of the pot to keep it clean of plaster as you fill – cleaning that off after is a pain.

3. 
    
   Snip Cap Stem

   Snip off the clip part of the pen cap and sink the pen cap into the plaster until the opening of the cap is flush with the plaster.

4. 
    
   Tape Stems

   While the plaster is hardening, prepare the silk flowers. You can use either a single flower with a few leaves, or do a mini bouquet, as show in the photo. In either case, make sure you clear the stems so that you have a thin stem a few inches long on each flower and leaf or leaf cluster. Gather into a bouquet and use the floral tape to bind the flowers starting at the base of the flowers and working down about an inch.

5. 
    
   Taping Pen & Stems

   Without breaking off the tape, position the pen against the stems and begin taping around both the pen and stems. You will have to tape up to the flowers a bit, then back down.

6. 
    
   Clip Stems

   Trim the stems with the wire cutters so that they end at different lengths, the longest length ending about an inch up from the point of the pen. This keeps you from getting too much “bulk” anywhere along the length of the pen. Then finish taping down to the pen nib and break off the tape.

7. Tie the ribbon in a bow at the base of the flowers. You can use a single ribbon or two complementary ribbons. Because the flowers are on wire stems, you can manipulate them to perfect the arrangement.

8. 
    
   Glue Moss

   Using craft glue or the glue gun, glue the moss around the pen hole right onto the plaster. You’re done! Another masterpiece completed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have not used floral tape before, practice taping just the pen for a bit until you have the technique down. The tape sticks to itself, so the trick is to hold the tape at an angle to the pen so that it winds down the pen, overlapping itself. Think of it as a candy cane or barber pole.
• Be careful gluing the moss if you're using hot glue - it is so very easy to burn yourself!

[VirtualWorker]

on 1/25/2009 Great read. Five stars!

VirtualWorker

[AbbyNormal]

on 1/25/2009 Well written article!