Flowers and Snowflakes (Toilet Paper Roll Craft)

I love to do crafts with the kids!  Even more so when we can recycle and use what we already have around the house.

Even MORE so, when it's pretty and useful and something we can keep forever and ever!  :) 

Which was why I absolutely adored this easy Christmas ornament craft I did with the kids. 

It can be as easy or as "complicated" as you want!

Supplies:

Empty Toilet Paper and/or Paper Towel Rolls
Scissors
Glue (I used Super Glue and Elmer's Glue...but you can just use Elmer's)
Markers/Crayons/Paint
Glitter

Directions:

Decide your thickness and measure along your cardboard tubes to mark where you will cut.  I did about 3/4 of an inch.

Flatten your cardboard tubes, and cut.

For the kids, I then gave them each five cardboard pieces at a time to color with crayons and/or markers.  I just let them do whatever they wanted.

When they were done, they gave me the cardboard and I used super glue to attach them together into a "star" (I chose to use five so it was more of a star, but you could easily use six if you wanted).

Once they dried, and it was relatively quick since I used super glue, I put some Elmer's glue on a paper plate and spread it out.  The kids were able to dip the "flower/star/snowflake" into the glue and then sprinkle glitter over the top. 

We didn't even add a string, they sit right on the branches of the tree very easily.  They make great adornments for gifts as well! 

My oldest decided to make a poinsettia, so she colored hers red and then sprinkled red glitter on the top.  After that dried, she added some glue to the middle and sprinkled some gold glitter over it make it look more like a flower! 

The pictures don't do these justice, they sparkle so beautifully on the tree!

Of course, I couldn't let the kids have ALL the fun!  I made a few of my own, but since you all know I'm addicted to SPRAY PAINT, I made mine just a wee bit differently than the kids made theirs.

To make mine, I glued them together first with my trusty super glue, and then I gave them a quick coat of gray primer. 

After a few minutes, I gave some of them a coat of silver spray paint, and I liked my daughter's poinsettia idea so much, I gave some a coat of red spray paint (I had all the paint on hand from previous projects). 

I could have sprinkled glitter on them while they were drying for an all over sparkle, but instead I chose to do just the front edge like the kids had done. 

I have a "theme" tree in my dining room this year, with silver, and purple being two of the main colors...so I put silver glitter on some of my silver snowflakes, and purple glitter on some of the others.

I also made some poinsettias the same way my daughter did (she's a creative cookie! Take after her mama? Hehe!)