Picture Frame Bouquet

Author's Note: This instructable was originally created as a Mother's Day craft, but is suitable for many holidays or gift-giving occasions. This is simply a wonderful, easy craft that anyone can do to create something special. The arrangement on top can be modified to fit the season or your preference.

It's almost Mother's Day again and the stores are filled with chocolates, trinkets, bouquets and snazzy one-liner mugs. Lovely as they may be, they can also break the bank, are perishable, or do not survive shipping to mom/stepmom/aunt/grandma/great-grandma/great-great-grandma - you get the idea. This year, I wanted to try something that serves double-duty as a container for a beautiful bouquet and as a treasure for mom to keep for years to come, and does so for under $20. The best part, the kiddos in your family can help too (with adult assistance of course)!

I found all of my supplies for building the picture frame bouquet at Dollar Tree. If you can find them cheaper, celebrate! My stepson helped me assemble the one shown in the steps. We both loved how easy this was to put together. So, if you are tight on time, simply forgot, or want to make something ahead of time, this is a great craft project.

Note: This craft does use artificial flowers. You can of course use real flowers. Personally, I do not think anyone can have too many plants (and happily branch out my collection all over the house and outside of the house), but fake flowers have a definite advantage here. They will not wilt, they do not need to be dried or watered, they are sturdier to work with (especially for little hands), pretty darn tough to seriously damage (again, little hands), and they are safe for your PETS! I cannot stress the last point enough. My cats can nibble all they want when they think I am not looking, not a single one of them will need to see the vet.

What You Will Need:

- Flowers (we used artificial flowers)

- 4 x standard 4x6 picture frames (other sizes work as well)

- Pictures (to make it a personal treasure)

- Cards (optional, but add a nice touch)

- Floral foam

- Cardboard (a scrap piece to fit underneath is all you need)

- Scissors

- Hot glue gun

- Craft glue sticks for hot glue gun

Note: Strong double-sided tape could be used instead of hot glue. It all comes down to preference or what you may have on hand.

First off, you are going to want to fill your picture frames. If you do not do so during this step, you are going to have a hard time going back to make a change. Place pictures of your choosing into the frames, or, alternatively, substitute a picture or two with a lovely card.

In this step, you will need the glue gun and craft glue sticks. You are going to use the picture frames to create the structure for the bouquet to sit in. In order to create the structure, you will need to glue along the long-sided outer edges of the picture frames and assemble them as shown. It is best to do one side at a time, or the glue may harden before you can assemble. Also, fear not if some glue is visible in the newly created seam. It can be peeled away gently after it dries without compromising your newly created structure (which should look somewhat like a lantern when all four sides are glued together).

Note: I do think a very strong double-sided tape could work as a substitute if you are not keen on using hot glue.

In this step, you simply need a scrap piece of cardboard large enough to fit underneath your newly created picture frame box. You can place the picture frame box on top of the cardboard and trace around it to get an exact fit. Trim to fit and glue in place. Make sure cardboard is not peeking out underneath when you stand your picture frame structure back up.

It is time to glue in the floral foam to give your bouquet a sturdy base to sit inside the picture frame box. Place a dollop of glue underneath the foam, then place the foam inside the picture frame box so that the glued side is pressed firmly down onto the cardboard. Wait for the hot glue to set. This usually only takes less than half a minute.

This is likely the most satisfying step in this entire project. It's time to make the bouquet. I chose peonies, lilac and onion grass, but you can use whichever flowers you please to create your very own bouquet. Do not be afraid to fill up the picture frame box with an abundant amount of flowers.

This one goes without saying! Share your love and your appreciation with this wonderful, handmade, personal gift!