dandelion vases

It’s spring here, finally!  And the parks are spotted with little yellow dots everywhere you look.  Dandelions.  Most people think they are weeds.  To my daughter, they are beautiful little flowers that she picks for me everywhere we go.  She presents them to me with such  pride.  She tells me in her little girl voice that she picked them for me because she loves me.  It breaks my heart a little it’s so sweet.  Such a gift from the heart deserves something beautiful to be placed in, in my opinion.  So I decided they needed their own proper vases instead of the old baby food jars I have hanging around.

  I would have had her make these with me.  But she’s only four, and if you have preschoolers, you know that sculpting is beyond their skill level and that they get frustrated to the point of rage very easily!  So I made them, and we painted them together.

supplies:

• sculpey clay
• waterproof metallic paint
• rolling pin
• pastry cutter
• exact-o knife
• sandpaper
• baking sheet
• small bowl for paint

( Here’s the first one I made.  Cute, in a strange Dr. Seuss sort of way.  Not really what I had in mind.)

Knead the scupley clay to get it soft.  Form into a ball and flatten, then roll out with a rolling pin to  a 1/4″ thickness. Use the pastry cutter to cut a rectangle to the size you want the diameter of your vase to be.  Leave a piece for the bottom!  Roll into a tube and smooth the seam shut with your fingers.  Place upright on top of the extra piece.  Use the exact-o knife to cut around the bottom of the vase.  Remove extra clay from around base.  Smooth bottom to  the top of your vase with your fingertips.  Use the pastry cutter to peel the bottom off the table.  Carefully roll the vase back and forth on it’s side to smooth  out any rough edges.

Place on the baking sheet.  Bake the vases in the oven at 275° for 30 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool.  Careful picking them up! Wow are they hot!  Cool for 2 hours.

  When cool, use the sandpaper to smooth any bumps on your vase.  I sanded the tops too to make them even. Wipe off any residue.  Pour paint into the bowl and dip the top or bottom of your vase into it.  Let dry. Or paint them by hand and take it very, very seriously. Like Ella.

Now all you need to do is pick some dandelions.