Friday, May 11, 2012

Mother’s Day Flower Pot Cover


I am a big fan of oatmeal. After emptying a couple containers I set them on the counter and thought on how to repurpose them for a few days. Obviously a container repurposed to contain something else would be ideal. With Mother’s Day on the horizon I began to focus on how to make an empty oatmeal container into something special for Mother’s Day. 

My mom somehow finds peace in gardening. She will spend hours rummaging through the dirt and cultivating her plants. For this reason, I knew a flower my mom could plant versus cut floral stems would make a welcome Mother’s Day gift. I did not want to go to the nursery, choose a dirty potted plant and just give it to my mom like that. So, I needed to create a cover for the pot that looked hand-made, but store bought. It was really simple to do and all it took were some items I already had around the house. 

You will need:

  • Oatmeal container (empty) 
  • Scrapbook paper 
  • Glue 
  • Old card 
  • Printer (to print Happy Mother’s Day)
  • Scissors 
  • Ribbon (if desired) 
  • Jar (if necessary) 

I know a lot of people that have scrap-booking supplies that do not necessarily scrapbook. If you really do not have any scrapbook paper it is very inexpensive at any craft store. Depending on the pattern or lack there of on your paper and the size of the oatmeal or similar container you may need to either splice in a piece from a single sheet of scrapbook paper or use two sheets. Using just about any glue, lightly cover the container. Next carefully lay the pre-measured scrapbook paper into the glue while aligning the edge to the lip of the container. 

Find a nice, used card that has vines (as shown) or other images that you can easily cut around. Be sure that the colors on the card you choose compliment the scrapbook paper. Print “Happy Mother’s Day” in a lettering color that will look nice with the card and paper you have chosen. Find a nice legible spot to paste it onto your card. I am not a mother...to a human...therefore, I did not have any used “Happy Mother’s Day” cards. If you have an old one you can swipe the words from the card instead of printing “Happy Mother’s Day”. 

Cut around your image and glue it on top of the scrapbook paper. Remember the original orientation on the card may not be the best layout on your flower pot cover. Notice in the supplies photo (the Son-in-law card) the branches are going up, but I chose to drape them downward from the top of the container. You could even just decorate along the bottom edge if you like. Keep in mind what type of flower (does it grow straight up or flow over the edges) you want to place in the container because that will help you decide the best placement of your words and images. I decided to also add a ribbon around the remainder of the top edge not covered by the card. Ribbons make great fillers and help the colors mesh. 

To ensure your card stock will stick securely place rubber bands around the cylinder over night. 

Place a jar, an up-side-down pot or any type of filler if needed and insert Mom’s favorite plant. Voila! A lovely gift Mom can enjoy longer than just Mother’s Day and so simple the kids can help. 

If your mom prefers cut flowers and you want to make this into a vase just place the jar at the bottom, secure it with hot glue, rocks, or styrofoam, fill the jar with water and insert the stems.

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