Sunflower House Decoupage Flower Vase

Most kids I know love flowers.  And you really can’t blame them.  Flowers are so intricately made and each season (where we live) brings amazing blooms.  For this month’s Nature Book Club, we set out to learn about prairie flowers.  It just so happens that one of my favorite children’s authors, Eve Bunting, wrote a book called Sunflower House.  Since we started reading it, my kids have been hooked on its adventurous and rhyming style.  We paired up the book with a cute decoupage flower vase that you can make quickly and enjoy forever!

We love books AND we love to decoupage things!  (You can check out our other decoupage art project HERE).

So what did I have in mind for our project that would coincide with Sunflower House?  A sunflower decoupage vase of course!

Here is how you make the sunflower decoupage vase:

Materials you will need:

cylinder vase 
Mod Podge 
small paint brush  (I used what I have, but prefer foam brushes)
glue gun with glue sticks
scissors
yellow construction paper
small piece of brown construction paper
sunflower seeds (real seeds, or edible ones)

 

 

First, cut the yellow construction paper into the sunflower petals and the brown paper into a circle forthe flower’s center. 

I didn’t use a stencil, I just drew the petals out and folded my paper accordion style so I could cut them all out at the same time.  Older kids can do this part on their own.  Younger kids might be a little frustrated by this step, so you can definitely do it ahead of time.

Next, use the paint brush to put Mod Podge over the area that the petals will go and start putting the petals in place, fanning them out in a circle.  

You don’t have to work super fast, but if the Mod Podge dries, just add more to your area.

Now you can paint over the petals with Mod Podge. 

 

Add in the brown circle for the center, and Mod Podge over it as well.  

 

After 15-20 minutes of dry time, add another coat to make sure that everything is sealed and staying in place.

When everything is dry, use your hot glue gun to glue down the sunflower seeds onto the brown circle.  This is definitely a step that you want to assist your kids with.

Let it dry and enjoy your adorable new vase!

Other posts you might enjoy:

DIY Night Sky Canvas for Kids to Make

Easy DIY Bird Feeder for Kids to Make 

Explorers of the Wild Decoupage Art

Here are the co-hosts, their choices of books, and activities for the month:

Prairie Habitat Clipart and Coloring Pages based on America’s Prairies and Grasslands from Barbara at Handbook of Nature Study

Notebooking Pages based on The Prairie That Nature Built from Jenny at Faith and Good Works

Nature Journaling based on Wildflowers of Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks: A Guide to Common & Notable Species from Eva at Eva Varga

Online Nature Book Course based on The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush from Dachelle at Hide The Chocolate

Flower Suncatchers for Toddlers and Preschoolers based on Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America from Erika at The Playful Scholar

Flower Printable Pack based on Prairie Flowers: Learning Activities and Lessons to Inspire Creativity! from Sharla of Minnesota Country Girl

Flower Paintbrushes based on The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush from Cassidy at Freshly Planted

Prairie Wildflower Identification Hike based on Wildflowers, Blooms and Blossoms from Thaleia at Something 2 Offer