DIY: Valentine's Day Lollipop Bouquet

Valentine's day is around the corner...it's hard to believe the first month of the new year is almost over!  Here is a neat craft my son and I created for the coming holiday!  My kids love lollipop so they really liked helping with this bouquet.  This was simple, not expensive, and very quick!

What you'll need:

©      Lollipops- about 8 (standard-large size)

©      Bright pink/red paper (preferably a bit thicker than standard paper)

©      8 or 6 in Round Doilie (can be found in most craft stores: in the cake section)

©      Container of choice

©      Moss/Easter grass/Shredded Green Paper

©      Green Ribbon

©      Hot Glue Gun

©      Glitter Glue

©      Scissors

Directions:

1.  Place foam into the container of your choice.

2.  Cover foam with Easter grass or moss-you can also shred some green paper.

3.  Cut out flowers.  I used a template from about.com and just printed pasted flowers on the pink paper.  (Resize the flower to fit two flowers going across.)

4.  Make an "X" cut in the middle of the paper flower.  The easy way to do so is to slightly fold the flower in the middle and make a cut, then fold on the made cut and make a cut again, making an "X."

5.  Now make a small "X" cut in the doilie following the same steps as with the paper flower.

6.  Insert the paper flower onto the lollipop, gently pressing around to make the "flower" fit well. 

7.  Now repeat with the doilie. 

8.  When all the "flowers" are fitted onto the lollipops-glue the paper flower and the doilie flower using the hot glue gun.  Be careful not to glue the "flower" onto the lollipop wrapper.  While the glue is still hot, gently press around the "flower" to make it fit well.

9.  When all your "flowers" are glued- tie a green ribbon if you would like.  If you're planning to hand out the lollipop flowers individually you can include a small message card and tie it with the ribbon.  Now curve the ends of the paper petals using a regular coloring pencil:  gently wrap the ends of the paper petals around the pencil making a more natural looking petal. 

10.  You're now ready to place your arrangement into the prepared container.  Starting from the top work around to cover the foam to make a full looking bouquet.

11.  When all the flowers are in place you can add a little sparkle to the paper petals by paining some glitter glue to the edges...totally optional.

12.  Personalize the bouquet with a note by cutting out a paper heart, writing your message, and taping it onto a wooden square.  Or glue the squire between two paper hearts.  Fasten the squire in the bouquet.

May this simple bouquet inspire you to start thinking about your loved ones this Valentine's Day!!