DIY School Supply Bouquet

Looking for a way to brighten up a new teacher’s day now that school is starting up again soon? How about a bouquet of school supplies that’s as pretty as it is useful?

I have a friend who is starting a new job as a teacher soon and I wanted a way to wish her good luck. Recently, I found a set of these beautiful Anna Griffin pencils on sale and thought it would be fun to dress them up even more for her. I started by finding some shimmery cardstocks that coordinated with the patterns on the pencils – Curious Metallic Botanic, Esse Pearl Smooth Cocoa, and Stardream Metallic Azalea cardstocks were perfect for the job!

To create a nice sturdy base for the bouquet, I recommend a clay pot. Choose a 3″ terracotta pot and paint it white or cream with acrylic craft paint.

The 3″ clay pots fit perfectly into standard cupcake wrappers! Die-cut and emboss a cupcake wrapper (Crafter’s Companion) from Stardream Metallic Azalea Cardstock (Stardream Metallic Cardstocks are great for cutting and embossing!).

Die-cut several flowers and leaves from Esse Pearl Smooth Cocoa Cardstock and Curious Metallic Botanic Cardstock. I used my Silhouette to cut these (design # 66836), but you can just as easily use a punch or metal die and then cut a quarter-inch hole in the center of each layer.

Ink or chalk the edges of each flower layer to add dimension and a hint of color. I normally use a foam applicator and dye-based inks to color my 3D flowers, but this time I decided to try something a little different and loosely applied purple and aqua Nuvo embellishment mousse to the edges with my finger. This gives a subtle, but shimmery look that coordinates well with beautiful finish on the Esse Pearl Smooth Cocoa Cardstock.

Curl the petals of each layer with your fingers or by using a dowel or pencil. Here the leaves are curled downward and the flower petals are curled upward. Add a couple of “wonky” curled petals to make the flowers look more realistic.

Adhere the four layers together for each flower using Tombow Mono Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue. Be sure to line up the center holes in each layer as closely as possible.

To assemble the bouquet, first slip the cupcake wrapper around the pot and fill the inside with small school supplies like rubber bands (shown here), paper clips, or thumbtacks. Then place a flower onto the eraser end of each pencil (I didn’t use adhesive so that the flower could easily be removed) and arrange your pencils in the pot. If the supplies in the pot are not heavy enough to hold your pencils in place, slip a small piece of floral foam in the bottom and cover with a layer of supplies.

I hope you enjoyed this pretty pencil bouquet project and thanks so much for stopping by today! You can visit the CutCardStock store to purchase any of the supplies showcased today and BONUS – Esse Cardstocks are on sale this month!

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