Egg Crate Flower Napkin Holders & Centerpiece Flowers
By Sonya Nimri

Reduce, reuse, recycle … reinvent! Egg crate flowers make a fantastic craft because they are probably one of the easiest materials to find around the house. They tear apart easily and paint beautifully with nothing but a little food coloring.

Materials

Egg crate
Food coloring
Scrap cardboard
White glue
Acorn caps
Peppercorns and/or sea salt
Small brush
Bowl of water
Scissors

Directions:

To make larger centerpiece flowers:

Step 1: Collect 4 large egg crate shapes with the round base. Tear into petal shapes as shown above.

Step 2: Paint each piece individually by dabbing a dot of red food coloring on the petal. Dip the brush into water and brush the color outwards to cover the tip of the petal.

Step 3: Add a layer of yellow next to the red and brush the color to cover the rest of the petal. Cover the back of the petal as well.

Step 4: Overlap the round bases with a layer of glue between each one.

Step 5: Add a generous dollop of glue to the center and cover with peppercorns or coarse ground sea salt.
To make smaller flower napkin rings:

Step 1: Cut the smaller egg crate pieces into petal shapes. Paint using the same method as for the big flowers above.

Step 2: Cut a ½” square of cardboard and glue on 6-7 petals, overlapping the bases of the petals to form a flower shape.

Step 3: Dab the middle where the petals meet with a small dollop of glue and place an upside down acorn cap.

Step 4: Cut a 6″ by 1″ piece of cardboard. Dab one end with glue and make a ring, overlapping the ends by ½”. Glue the ring to the back of the flower.
About the Author:

Sonya Nimri lives and crafts in a little house in Venice Beach, Calif. She is the author of two books: Beadalicious and Just for the Frill of It. Visit her at www.sonyastyle.com for lots of project ideas.