Two of my favorite verbs: Melting and Sparkling
Aren’t they just the most beautiful words? And so fun to say out loud. And this project combines both! You get to melt some plastic AND make sparkly flowery jellyfish lookin thingies! It’s like Shrinky Dinks but funner and cheaper and sparklier…ooh la la!
No clue how to use these beauties yet but I feel more are on the way. They are just too pretty. And easy too:
*Get yourself some #6 plastic cups or containers (you probably have some in your recycle bin already–the #6 will be inside the triangle on the bottom of the cup).
*Cut down the sides to make the petals.
*Melt the petals by exposing to low heat.
Now, how you choose to melt the petals is where it gets tricky. There is a lot of conflicting information on the web about what happens to plastic when it melts; some say it releases toxic gases as soon as it gets hot, others say it’s safe as long as it is done slowly at a low rate of heat (usually 200F degrees or below ). Ya’ll will have to do your homework and decide for yourself. I melted the turquoise flower up top by putting it in my oven at 180 for 45 seconds, while the yellow one was made by quickly waving it over a double wick candle. In both cases, I was next to an open door with a fan blowing outward to increase ventilation. Moving forward, I think I’m going to buy a temperature controlled toaster oven at the thrift store and use an extension chord to take it outdoors. Designated craft oven ahoy!
Hi, Peaches! Thanks for leaving a sweet comment on my blog. Had to come over and check out what you’re up to. Seriously LOVE your ideas, and you are an amazing writer. Continue posting genius, please. Thank you.
Oh Michelle, I sure do like this little Mutual Admiration Society we got going! You know, when I discovered your blog this morning, I spent a good hour pouring over all your wonderful ideas…talk about “silk purse from a sow’s ear!”…I should have been folding laundry but instead I was hunting through my junk drawer in search of a tennis ball to make into a fabulous cuff!
I’ll be stopping by again soon –you do the same. Thanks Michelle!
Going to give these a try and use them to line my driveway as a snowline.That way my husband can follow the flowers with the snowblower.I think I’ll put them up pinwheel style……….thanks much
What a great idea! I just love the thought of these babies peeping out of the snow. I don’t have a driveway to line, but I might steal your idea 🙂
These are really cool. What about trying a heat gun?
Robin
I’m late to the party, but I LOVE these plastic flowers!!! 1. I love the idea of making them pinwheels, they would be so pretty in the garden in the spring while waiting for the flowers to bloom and 2. I was just looking at your muffin cup lanterns and was wondering about applying these all over a lantern like that……
Kelly
oooh a heat gun for stamping/embossing would work great! (or steal one from the garage if you are lucky to have one there too!)
I just found these while searching for outdoor party decor ideas. This is great! And so simple!! I think I will try poking a hole in the bottom of the container and try putting in over a bulb on a string of white christmas lights. If I can find a bunch of different colored cups this could be quite festive! Thank you for the inspiration!
Peaches … I found this post looking for ways to make inexpensive/recycled/found object flowers. I volunteer for my local animal shelter and decorate the lobby to keep it fresh and welcoming. Our cat room in the lobby was built to look like a house complete with shutters and window boxes. Thanks to you the window boxes are full of beautiful flowers and some glittered birdhouses, butterflies and dragonflies. http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj585/moaspets/solo_cup_flowers_zps7d5c046f.jpg
BTW I used an embossing heatgun outside in my driveway. The flower portion the slit cups placed top down so that the inside of the cup spread out before using the heatgun, the centers are placed bottom down (normal upright cup position) and the slit petals fall down on themselves and shrink into the center. My cups were #6 but for the most part were dual colored opaque….outside was color and inside was white.