Handprint Lilies

I saw this in a past Family Fun magazine and thought it would be a good Mother's Day gift for the girls to put together this year for their mom. We gathered the supplies from what we could find in the house, so even though their flowers don't look quite like those in the magazine... I think they will be a big hit.

Okay, that picture looks a little crazy, but they are SUPER cute and easy to do...

Here's what you need for each one:

• pencil
• cardstock/paper
• sissors
• hole punch
• plastic straw
• tape
• half of a pipe cleaner

1. Trace your (or your child's) hand on the cardstock and cut out.

2. Cut out a leaf shape and punch a hole in one corner.

3. Curl the paper fingers and the edge of the leaf by wrapping them around the pencil.

4. Wrap the hand around the top of the straw and secure with tape. (Make sure the curls are facing outward.) Slide the leaves onto the straw and tape them in place.

5. For the flower's stamen fold half of a pipe cleaner in half and curl down the ends. Insert the folded end in the straw.

** To make the lilies shown in Family Fun, use green straws and paper, a yellow pipe cleaner, and white cardstock for the flowers. **

Here's a close-up view of one of our flowers... as you can see we didn't stick to the traditional colors.