Today I worked with Apple Barrel Craft Paints to make a fun and easy Valentine’s Day teacher gift. You make me bloom is the perfect sentiment for this special valentine. In my opinion, this gift is perfect because it is easy and inexpensive to put together and you can let your little one help as much as you want{or don’t want.} The teacher gets a gift of a reusable flower pot and a candy bouquet she can keep for herself or use in the class.
I always loved Valentine’s Day as a kid. It was a holiday that was really fun when we were in school. We got to go to the store and pick out fun treats for all of our friends {nothing too mushy, because I didn’t want the boys to think I actually liked them… haha!} We got to have extra creative time to put together our valentine mail boxes. And then we got a whole box full of fun treats and notes from our friends! I was so excited to get back into the school-time Valentine’s spirit with this easy project.
To make this sweet teacher surprise is really simple. You will need:
1 4.25 inch flower pot {mine cost $0.69!!!}
Apple Barrel paints in assorted colors {available at craft stores and major retailers, many under $1!}
Paint brush
1 4 inch foam ball
1 3 inch foam ball
1 Large package DumDum candy
1 Paper straw
1 Wooden skewer or dowel rod
Hot glue and glue gun {Optional}
To put this together first you will want to paint your flower pot. I really LOVED Apple Barrel paints because they cover really smoothly and really well. They are perfect for all kinds of surfaces, like terracotta, for starters! I was able to cover my flower pot totally with just one coat of white! Even better, it dries quickly so you can move on to the next step!
Next paint a design on your pot. I have to be honest. I am totally crafty, but not so artistic. Freehand painting is pretty scary to me. If it scares you too… no fear! You can paint something very simple and have it look great like polka dots or stripes (about the only thing I can paint!) Or you can let your kiddos help you here. I am sure teachers would love the sentiment of a hand painted flower pot designed by their student! Feel free to use any color you like to paint. The sky is the limit since Apple Barrel Paints come in a HUGE variety of colors and sizes. Also, the colors are long lasting which is perfect for a flower pot since it will hopefully get lots of use!
After that is finished you can paint the top rim to match and let it dry. Next add the lettering for “You Make Me Bloom.” You can use vinyl, stickers, or paint it on easily using the lettering method I did here. Once your flower pot is done, paint your 4 inch ball green and let dry.
To make your blooming candy bouquet, you will want to trim down your DumDum sticks about 1/2″-1″. Then stick the lollipop stick straight into the foam ball until you almost reach the wrapper. Repeat this making sure that the DumDums are as close together as possible until you cover the entire ball. Almost all of mine stayed really well, however there was an occasional pop that I messed with too much and it wasn’t as secure. You can feel free to put a small dab of hot glue on the stick to secure, if this happens to you.
Use your straw to work a hole all the way through the green styrofoam ball and then remove it and place the green ball into the flower pot with the hole facing straight up. Clip your wooden skewer down to about 2″ longer than your straw. Work the straw into the foam ball of your candy bouquet. Insert the skewer inside the straw and push it about 1″ further into the styrofoam ball than the straw. This will help make the bouquet sturdy. Now very carefully, take the candy bouquet with the straw and skewer in it, and insert the straw and skewer through the hole you previously made.
My topiary was perfectly straight… until I messed with it too much while photographing. If your topiary leans one way or the other you can again use your glue gun to put a small dab of glue in the hole in the green ball to hold the candy bouquet straight. Just take care as lots of hot glue can melt styrofoam!
There you have an easy and perfect gift for your kids perfect teacher!
And one last tip for you. If you realize that even though you put paper down, you managed to get paint on your burlap table runner {cringe} don’t worry because Apple Barrel’s water base formula makes for an easy soap and water clean up {THANK YOU!}
For more great crafty inspiration you can check out Plaid Crafts Blog, sign up for their weekly newsletter, or follow Plaid Crafts and The Pinning Mama on Pinterest.
Here are lots more creative ways to use Apple Barrel Craft Paints in your Valentine’s Day school projects!
This post was sponsored by Apple Barrel Paints. Apple Barrel sent me some awesome paint, but the ideas, projects and instructions are 100% mine! I hope you enjoyed this fun project!
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