With some clear serving plates, mini vases, and craft paints you can create these sweet garden art flowers.
You can find everything you need at a dollar store, thrift shop, or stuffed in the back of your kitchen cupboards. For more flower projects, see DIY Garden Art Flower Tutorials.
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Make Garden Art Flowers
It’s a fast and easy project that you can complete in an afternoon (unless you’re super slow at painting or an uber-perfectionist, and then you’re never really done, are you?).There is a free, printable tip sheet for this project (scroll down) if you’d like to print it out.
Here’s the Basic Supplies
- Clear plates
- Small crystal and fake crystal dishes
- Tiny vases
- Shot glasses
- Salt and pepper shakers
- BBQ skewers and tools
- Adhesive: GE II Silicone
- Glass craft pens: Craftsmart ® Paint Pens
- Glass craft paints: Martha Stewart ® craft paints or Folk Art ® enamels
- Craft paint brushes
Basic Steps
Start with the clear plate or pickle dish and then add on any smaller pieces you like.
I choose tiny flower vases, sherry glasses, and salt and pepper shakers to form the middle of the flowers.
Make sure you choose a craft paint that works on glass surfaces. I like Martha Stewart ® craft paints as well as Folk Art ® enamels.
The flower vases (above) are used to represent the flower stamens. A bit of glass marker and paint completes the look. I use Craftsmart ® Paint Pens.
Everything is held together with GE II Silicone Sealant (waterproof, clear, made for gutters and flashing).
Because the flowers are fairly lightweight, you can use old BBQ skewers as stems. I glue ballpoint pen caps onto the backs of the dishes and insert the stems that way.
If you want to make full-size ones (and who doesn’t?), see How to Make Glass Garden Art Flowers (and drill through glass).
There you go! It’s a fun project for an afternoon.
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~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
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Lori says
Do you spray some sort of sealant on the painted flowers?
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Lori, No, I find the glass paints don’t require it. Once they’re on, they’re on for good!
Lynn says
Have you had any trouble with the silicon glue coming loose from dishes and breaking. I’m a little intimidated with the thought of drilling dishes.
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Lynn, It doesn’t come away but some dishes are really thick and heavy so it never entirely holds. In case I can encourage you, the drilling is a slow, gentle process. There’s a video of me doing it on this article and I’m holding the camera in one hand while drilling with the other. Not difficult! https://empressofdirt.net/makeglassflowers/
Punkin wilkins says
Could you tell me if you can make the glass projects for outside if you can use plastic thanks will wait to hear back
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Punkin,
You could use plastic dishes etc. The only problem is plastic tends to be much lighter in weight and may blow over or blow away. But, if you like the look of the plastics, give it a try. You might just need to use rocks or stones to hold things in place.