Crafts for Kids: DIY Flower Vases

DIY flower vases with Mod Podge and tissue paper.

I absolutely love this time of year. Everything is blooming, it isn't too hot, and even the weeds look like flowers. Yes, we're sneezing and covered in pollen but still…it's just so PRETTY!

And it beats shoveling snow in Boston!

So we're embracing spring. Especially Amelia, who gathers a fresh crop of tiny flowers every day between home and the school bus stop. That's right, we're harvesting pollen. We had tiny little cups with floating sprigs all over the house until yesterday, when we finally gave them a rightful home, in little vases made of real glass.

This project is something we've done before, applying tissue paper with Mod Podge to glass jars. But this time, Amelia and her friends had their pick from a vast collection of little spice bottles I can't bring myself to throw away, and nothing says "I trust you" to first graders like giving them real glass and a big scoop of something sticky. Since Amelia has used these materials before, I pretty much stepped back and let them do it themselves.

The basics are simple: Apply Mod Podge with a brush to the glass, stick on tissue paper pieces, and brush the paper with Podge again to coat. It will dry to the touch in an hour or so, and dry completely overnight. The Mod Podge has a nice glossy shine, and the tissue paper stays translucent so overlapping colors blend.

Given the materials, Amelia and her friends each did something different. One experimented with a pattern of overlapping stripes. Another left clear space between the tissue paper pieces to see the flower stems. And the third carefully cut out a tissue paper dog and created a landscape on her vase. Nobody spilled anything. Nobody broke any glass. Nobody needed help. Everyone was happy. I'd like to bottle THAT.

New growth, indeed!

A few tips:

• Mod Podge is NOT the same as white glue.
• It goes on white, but don't worry, it dries clear and glossy.
• It dries VERY hard, so clean up and wash your brushes right away, and if possible pour what you need into a disposable cup to make cleanup even easier.
• You really can't use too much. Get the glass completely wet, stick on the tissue paper, and soak it again. You'll end up with a nice shiny finish.

Want more Mess? Visit Melanie's personal blog, A Crafty Mess, or drop by her Etsy store, Made by Mommy!