Styrofoam Cup Mini Spring Flower Pots

Spring is here! To celebrate I wanted to share with you this cute little spring flower craft you can make with your kids. You just need some pipe cleaners, foam cups and a little imagination. I’m so excited to see all of the bright green grass in my yard and can’t wait to start planting some real flowers!

Chances are you have seen my Styrofoam Cup Spring Bonnets and my Styrofoam Cup Leprechaun Hats. I also have some Uncle Sam Hats too that I haven’t posted yet! Well because shrinking the cups to look like hats is not an exact science, there are always some cups that curl up the wrong way or just don’t shape properly to be used for hats. I don’t throw them away, they make adorable little flower pots!

Chances are you probably don’t have any laying around like I do, so in the printable instructions below I’ll tell you how to shrink the cups as well as all the steps that go with it.

You can get creative with making the flowers. I used a few different methods. One was to make snapdragons, one of my favorite flowers, by wrapping a [amazon_link id=”B00290LKWQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]chenille stem[/amazon_link] (pipe cleaner) around the end of a paintbrush. Then just insert a green pipe cleaner into the coiled pipe cleaner.

Simple flowers can be made by wrapping a piece of pipe cleaner around the end of a paintbrush again, only this time wrap it more like a ball. Then insert the green pipe cleaner for the stem.

After painting your little pots, glue a penny inside the bottom, this will help hold them upright so the weight of your flowers doesn’t make them fall over.

Then wad up some green [amazon_link id=”B000TDZH10″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]tissue paper[/amazon_link] to put inside the pot, then add your flowers and glue everything for good measure.

Have fun and happy spring!

Note: I have been making crafts from shrunken foam cups for ten years. In that time I have spoken with a few different experts on the matter of what is emitted from the foam cups when heated. I’ve been told the levels are low enough that it shouldn’t be cause for concern, but that running your kitchen vent or if weather permits, keeping a window open during the baking process is an acceptable solution.

Print Project

5 from 4 votes

Styrofoam Cup Mini Spring Flower Pots

Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

• Foam cups 8.5 oz size
• acrylic craft paint I used several brown tones
• pipe cleaners in various colors
• green tissue paper
• 4 pennies
• white craft glue
• scissors

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place foam cups upside down on a dark coated cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in preheated oven and watch carefully. Cups should have begun shrinking at the 2 minute mark and should be done at the 3 minute mark. You may need to adjust the temperature up or down depending on your oven, so only try 1-2 cups at a time until you are successful. If you have some brims that are flat, make hats like these miniature spring bonnets!
• The cups will cool quickly and can be painted within minutes of coming out of the oven. paint each pot, inside and out with acrylic craft paint and let dry.
• Make flowers using different lengths of chenille stems. Use green for the flower stems and a variety of colors to make the flowers. Wrap chenille around the handle of a paintbrush to create flower buds, and twist longer coils to make snapdragons. Form flower shapes by bending a chenille stem into petals and secure it with the end of the chenille stem. Add a dab of white glue and insert the green stem into the colorful flowers.
• Squeeze a generous amount of white craft glue into the bottom of each flower pot. Press a penny into the glue to give the pot some weight. Add more glue to the sides of the inside of the pot.
• Cut a piece of green tissue paper about 5″ square and crumple it in your hand. Place crumpled tissue paper into the pot.
• Add a dab of glue to the bottom of each flower stem and insert into the flower pot.

Expert Tips & FAQs

I have been making crafts from shrunken foam cups for ten years. In that time I have spoken with a few different experts on the matter of what is emitted from the foam cups when heated. I’ve been told the levels are low enough that it shouldn’t be cause for concern, but that running your kitchen vent or if weather permits, keeping a window open during the baking process is an acceptable solution.