Michele Made Me

Series 1 – Part 5: THE FEAST OF THE FLOWER: Foam Trays

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Here we are at The Feast of the Flower: Part 5! (If you’ve missed Parts 1 through 4, here is Part 4, and from there you can follow the links for Parts 1,2 and 3. Have fun!)
Today’s installment of the FOF (Feast of the Flower): foam trays. You know the kind. They’re the ones meat and take-out food come in. So, I decided to recycle the heck out of them and make some flowers because…well… they are free and they are wonderful wonderful to work with!
First off, meet the raw materials… Nice eh? You see the potential too.
To begin, here are the pieces I’ve cut for my first flower.

Here they are painted…
And the finished flower with all parts glued together. So simple. I didn’t end up using the small yellow circle. I liked it just like this. Flower #1, complete!
My second flower is made of 8 narrow strips and one black circle (which is missing from my photo. Oops.) This flower is essentially quilled but with foam instead of paper. In order to roll your foam strips, you first have to work them with your fingers and fingernails to soften them up.

Here is a closeup of the softened strip.
Once I’d softened all 8 strips, I rolled them into these little round petals which I pinned in place. I then took a needle and thread, and tied 7 of them shut.
The eighth strip was quilled but not tied. And then it was glued onto my black foam circle (NOW it shows up… better late than never, I guess).
I glued on the 7 petals, keeping them in place with pins while the glue dried. Pins glorious pins!
It needed a little paint of course! Flower #2, done!
Now, Flower#2 got me thinking about this whole softening thing and how, when you do that the foam takes on a whole new look and texture… That inspired this next flower. I also chose to make it predominantly out of one of my black trays for a change. Black flowers are rare but they do exist!
I cut, softened and shaped all the pieces…
Then I glued them all together to make Flower #3! Here she is…
Well as usual for the last two flowers, I was so focussed and on a roll that I totally forgot to take process photos. (This is something I really have to improve upon because that’s where all the fun happens!)
Anyway, for the fourth flower I cut and painted petals and a body, and I also made a green ring that I texturized with the end of a pin.
I then overlapped the petals onto the black body and glued them in place. I used pins here too, to hold everything together. I let the glue dry.

Once the glue was dry, I glued on the green ring. Ta da! Flower #4!
Nary a process photo for Flower #5. Here she is, done and done!
So there you have them, five foam flowers!
Now for some group shots!
And more photos just because…

Have a lovely evening!

P.S. I’m linked!

Keeping It Simple Making mmm button
Handmade Monday @ Olga’s Home and Garden Blog

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Comments

  3. Notjustnat says

    Mechele, it's wonderful what you do with the 'meat tray'. It's really beautifully done. I love it. Thanks for visiting my blog – Hugs Nat

  13. Ashwini Vanmali says

    Hey,
    Just saw ur blogpost in crafycrow. So I happened to step into your blog and i feel so amazed to meet someone who likes to be creative from stuff. stuff we tend to throw away. I too have some blogs regarding being creative with unused throwaway stuff..do hop in when ur free..

    And im just bcome a fan of your creativity.

    -Ashwini
    http://ashwinivanmali.blogspot.com/

  16. AQ says

    Love all the creative uses for materials that would sit in landfills! Awesome 🙂

    U could also hot glue some of these flowers onto a pair of old shoes/slippers, or little girls' headbands (cheapo ones from $store). Or make a brooch. Earrings. Necklaces. I may end up doing tht! Customized shoes/headbands/accessories for a fraction of the cost. Yay!

  17. afarmgirlslife says

    Beautiful, beautiful! You have such a lovely blog. I would follow it if I could, but I like the blogs I follow to show up in my reader, and I use WordPress. 🙁 At least I can still come and look!