Mollie Makes

Anyone else suddenly seized by the urge to faff about with flowers now spring is here? These delicate egg-shaped trinkets will put you through your flower-pressing and glass painting paces, and provide ample opportunity for gratuitous petal play.

Whichever technique you go for, your fancy glass baubles will make pretty Easter gifts if that’s your thing, or sweet botanical decorations to jolly up your pad.

Materials

• Egg-shaped glass baubles (ours were from www.amazon.co.uk)
• Small flowers
• PVA glue
• Paintbrush
• Selection of paint pens (we used POSCA Marker Pens)
• Ribbon
• Blotting paper

Pressed flower baubles

1. Gather a selection of flowers ready to press. It’s best to choose flowers that are quite flat in shape, as these will have a better result when pressed. We used primroses and violas, as these flower heads are a good size for the baubles and also have a variety of colours running through the petals, which creates a nice effect when pressed. 

2. Place the flowers on a sheet of blotting paper spaced well apart. Place another sheet of blotting paper on top, so the flowers are sandwiched between the two, and press down. Use a book to add some weight to make sure the flowers are fully pressed down.

3. Next, remove the book and press an iron on each section of the blotting paper for 10 seconds. Don’t move the iron on the paper, as the flowers are delicate and will drag – simply press the iron down, then move until all areas of the paper have been covered. You’ll notice watermarks on the paper – this is just moisture from the flowers. Carefully remove the top layer of the blotting paper.

4. Paint PVA glue all over the bauble, then place the pressed flowers onto it. Once you’re happy with the positioning of the patterns you’ve created, press the flowers down and paint over them carefully with another layer of PVA glue to secure in place. Leave to dry.

Check out our other Easter tutorials and projects below:

• 12 Easter decorating ideas
• Laura Mitchell’s Easter bark recipe
• How to stitch a felt rabbit

Glass painting flower baubles

We’ve created three decorative floral motifs, however, this project is ideal for experimenting with your own designs. You may find it helpful to imagine the flowers as shapes and marks rather than visualising the final design. Using a series of shapes, create the following motifs, then paint as repeat patterns across the baubles, or as large individual motifs. 

Foliage

5. To create simple foliage shapes, use a paint pen to draw a curved line, then add on oval shapes for leaves, as shown.

6. For detail, add fine lines on the leaves in a contrasting colour.

Big blooms

7. Large florals can easily be made with circles and lines. Firstly, use a pen to paint a large circle and partially fill it in, leaving a smaller blank circle in the middle.

8. Draw foliage as per Steps 5-6.

9. Fill in the smaller circle with another colour, then add smaller flowers around the bloom.

Smaller flowers

10. Using a paint pen, draw five-point flowers around the bauble.

11. Add lines onto the petals in a darker colour to create depth.

12. Using a third colour, draw a dot in the middle of each flower to create a simple ditsy floral.

Finishing

Once all the baubles have dried, tie a length of ribbon to the top of each one for hanging.

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