What pretties up a desk more than a pot of flowers? Combine that with something you always use at your desk - pens and pencils - and youll have a unique arrangement for your desk that will fool everyone. That ordinary pot of flowers really hide pens and pencils that look like flowers! The type of pot you use is up to you. It can be plastic, terra cotta, or even cardboard. Cover it with fabric, foil, or even wrapping paper. To do this, cut a large square of the paper, then set the pot in the center. Pull the paper up around the flowerpot and tape in place. Or, tie a ribbon around the top of the flower pot, to hold the paper and decorate the flowerpot at the same time. Create a completely different look by gluing squares of fabric all over the flowerpot. Let the squares overlap each other, here and there, to create a collage effect. Decoupage glue, found at any craft store, works well to attach cloth to other objects.
Instead of wrapping paper or fabric around the pot you can set it on the desk as-is, paint it to a specific color, or even glue on embellishments. Some good choices are fake jewels, flat wooden shapes, decorative tape, stickers, or even cloth monograms. After youve decorated the pot you can then make the flower arrangement.
Select the pencils or pens you want to conceal. Perfect choices are slender pencils, pens, markers or colored pencils. Youll need quite a large selection if youve used a large pot so a smaller flowerpot is ideal. Cut a Styrofoam ball in half then glue the flat side of the half-ball to the inside bottom of the pot. This ball will be used to support the flowers. Paint the ball brown and allow to dry completely. The ball can be painted before gluing it inside the pot, if you want. Glue on Spanish moss, here and there, to help cover the ball and make the finished plant look more realistic. Dont use hot glue, and dont use a lot of Spanish moss, or youll have trouble pushing the finished pencil flowers into the Styrofoam. If you must use hot glue add the Spanish moss to the Styrofoam ball after youve completed the pencil flower project. Wrap each pen or pencil in narrow green ribbon, pipe cleaners or string. As you wrap the material around the writing instrument, trap a leaf, here and there, in the wrap. For example, start wrapping a pencil at the eraser area. Wrap the ribbon several times around the pencil, then position the end of a silk leaf against the pencil, and continue wrapping. As you go down the pencil continue placing a leaf here and there, then wrapping around the tip of the leaf. After the pencils are wrapped, and the leaves are in place, youll then create the flowers that will decorate the tops of the instruments. Pull silk flowers off their stems and affix them to the pencils or pens. Hot glue lets you attach the flowers right on colored pencils and plastic pens, but for metal pens use a bread tie wire - or another wire - to attach the flowers. Wrap the wire around the pen, catching the end of the flower between the wire and the pen. If one flower doesnt cover the end of the pen attach another and another. Use only one wire piece to attach all the flower pieces for that pen. Make all the flowers exactly alike, if all the writing instruments are pencils, or give each instrument its own look so you can tell one from another. Create different looks for your plants by adding some regular silk flowers, too. Mix the silk flowers randomly with the pencil flowers to make the plant fuller and more interesting. Present someone with a gift of pens, pencils or other instruments in the flowerpot youve created. Even if that person doesnt have a desk she will love the gift that can set on a night stand or a table. Make the flowerpots for young girls or for a mature woman. No matter who receives the gift shell use it for a long time to come!
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