by Karen Kohler
Spring is here and this is the season for sitting outside and engaging in activities that aren’t those piling assignments. Some of these activities are simply painting different objects. First off, painting flower pots, particularly mini ones that you can get very cheaply at Michaels and paint relatively quickly. This is simple with lots of room for creativity and you can plant a seed in the pot once you’re done! There’s also been a recent trend on TikTok of painting candles with little hearts or flowers to spruce up your kitchen area. This may not really apply since we live in dorms and can’t light candles, but you may just want them as decorations on your desk, or to take back home with you.
To make some flowers of your own, get some tissue paper! First, grab two pieces and put them directly on top of each other, then fold them in half. Fold them in half again. Second, pull one of the corners that’s not folded and bring it in to create a triangle with a small rectangle left underneath. Third, cut off the rectangle and open up the triangle so that you have a perfect square (or close enough) then fold the paper accordion style (fold it then flip it and fold it that way, then flip it back). Fourth, grab a green pipe cleaner and tie it around the center, so it functions as the stem. Fifth, cut the edges on both sides to be round, and lastly, pull the pieces apart and fluff them out so they look as flowery as possible!
Keeping with the flowers, pressing flowers is a popular technique that more can be done with. To press flowers, pick ones that aren’t droopy to start with and the more colorful, the better. Then put these flowers in the middle of a heavy book and leave them there for about a month. If you want to keep this book in good condition and avoid the risk of mold or mildew, put a plastic covering, or even just a larger Ziploc bag, between the pages, to avoid direct contact. Then, once you take these flowers out, you can use Mod Podge to stick them onto Mason Jars. Then, wrap twine around the lid of these jars and put some fairy lights in, and ta-da!
