Inexpensive and Eco-Friendly Craft and Gift Idea for Any Occasion

My kids made me the cutest gift for Mothers Day and I thought it was such a great craft idea that could be tailored to fit a lot of other occasions such a birthday party, graduation, anniversary, bridal shower, or baby shower. So I'm sharing their creation with you. See the photo illustrations for a better idea on presentation.

I have dry lips and carry lip gloss or chap stick with me everywhere I go and keep it stashed in every room of the house. So my kids made me a dozen roses flower bouquet using lip gloss! I Here's how they did it.

Get some heavy duty pipe cleaners, tissue paper, vase, glue or tape, twelve tubes of lip gloss or gift/decor of your choosing to fit the occasion, and fabric flower buds or ribbon or lace or whatever type of end cap decoration you want to use. For my bouquet of a dozen roses, my kids used pipe cleaners, my favorite brand of lip gloss, and pre-made fabric rose buds.

Take a long piece of pipe cleaner and insert it up under the edge of the protective wrapping that seals the lip gloss. If the seal is too tight to slip beneath the wrapping then just tape the pie cleaner onto the outside of the lip gloss. Then hot glue the rose on the end of the cap of the gloss, or use double sided tape. After you've assembled all twelve of your stems and flowers, then gather them together and used tape the wrap around the long ends of the pipe cleaner to hold them all together. Be sure to leave the top portions a little loose so you can have some wiggle room to arrange the "flowers" in the vase. Then take some colored tissue paper or whatever you want to use to line the vase. My kids used green tissue paper to resemble flower stems. Then insert your bundle of pipe cleaners and flowers in the middle of the tissue paper and arrange the gloss to resemble a dozen roses. If you will look at the photos I posted you'll get a better idea of the vision.

Here are some other events and occasions I thought this craft idea would be cute for:

Sweet sixteen or tween birthday party craft gift idea - use different flavored sparkly lip gloss and decorate caps with sequins. The birthday girl can use the gloss after the party is over or the guests can have fun with it as a party game.

Graduation craft gift idea - use different fun flavored and tinted lip gloss and decorate caps with ribbons or mini graduation caps or tassels. The graduate can either use the lip gloss or share it with friends.

Bridal shower table centerpiece craft party favor idea - use flavored fun tinted sparkly lip gloss and decorate the caps with ribbons or lace using the bridal theme colors, then let each guest take one "bud" home with them as a party favor.

Baby shower table centerpiece craft idea - use small pacifiers and decorate caps with ribbons. Then the mom-to-be will can use the pacifiers for her baby.

I was so proud of my "flowers" that I didn't want to take the gift apart to use the gloss! I thought it was a very creative way to give "flowers" that would last a long time. The presentation was beautiful, the gift was useful, and I can re-use the vase, tissue paper, and pipe cleaners on other things ... making this cute gift very economical as well as eco-friendly! So I say thank you to my wonderful crafty kids and they have kept me stocked up in lip gloss for quite a while!