Poinsettias are the flower of the Christmas season, and these brooches or Christmas ornaments made of pumpkin seeds will bring out the holiday cheer in all who see them! Make one for yourself, or make several to give as gifts. Grandma will cherish a cheerful brooch made by the kids.
This craft project requires few materials and is great for family, classroom, or group craft time. It's also a great way to use pumpkin seeds leftover from jack-o-lantern carving.
Read through the project and gather the materials needed for making your poinsettias.
If you are doing this craft with a group, make up little cups of seeds and beans for each person. A poinsettia requires about 35-40 pumpkin seeds and 3-5 navy beans. You might also pre-cut the cardboard circles. When doing this craft with children, it is best if the craft is done in two sessions, with an adult applying the spray paint to all the brooches/ornaments sometime in between the sessions.
Cut a 2" circle from the poster board or cereal box cardboard.
Apply a ½" band of glue on the outside edge of the circle and start gluing pumpkin seeds. Position the seeds with their pointed ends out, and let the seeds hang about half over the edge.
Apply another band of glue and pumpkin seeds inside the first—overlapping the first ring of pumpkin seeds.
Repeat with two more rings of seeds, leaving a small circle in the middle of the cardboard.
Let the glue dry for at least 20 minutes.
In a well ventilated area, use spray paint to paint the pumpkin seeds red. Let dry per the paint can's instructions.
Tip: When doing this craft with a group, set up a spray station where all the painting can be done.
Glue navy beans in the center of the poinsettia. Try to glue them standing on end. Wait for the glue to dry.
Tip: To speed this step up, use a glue gun to adhere the beans in the flower's center.
For a brooch, glue the pin back on the back of the poinsettia.
For an ornament, cut an 8" length of gold cord to make a hanger. Form a loop and glue the ends to the back of the ornament with tacky glue or a glue gun.
Tip: For a more finished look, glue another cardboard or heavy paper circle to the back of the poinsettia ornament, covering the glued hanger's ends.
That's it! Your poinsettia is done!
Tip: Glue leaves cut from paper to the back of the poinsettia. See the Paper Flowers craft project for how to cut leaves.
Related crafts: See the Christmas Crafts index for more easy-to-make ornaments, decorations, cards, and gift-wrapping ideas.
