Please Don’t Eat the Daisies
(or the Chrysanthemums)

Summer is definitely the season for colorful blooms and I love the sight of a terra-cotta pot filled with fresh flowers.

If these pretty flowers were actually planted in a pot of dirt, I might say leave them on display a little longer. 

However, in this case I suggest you harvest them to your heart’s content.

As pretty as these Chrysanthemums are, don’t be fooled.  These are actually artificial blooms and as you can see in the photo below, they have a particularly useful twist. 

You’ll do more scribing than sniffing with these flowers because they’re decorated ink pens and they’re super easy to make.

First, a quick point about inspiration.  As you know it can come from just about anywhere.

Even though I used Chrysanthemums here, this project popped in my head after I recently watched the 1960 movie entitled Please Don’t Eat the Daisies.  

Speaking of Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, if you’re a fan of classic television (like me) you may have also seen a few episodes of the cute (and wonderfully corny) situation comedy with the same title. 

The TV version originally aired on NBC from 1965-1967 but it still airs these days in some southern states on cable.  Of course you can always find episodes on You-Tube. 

OK, that’s enough TV and movie reviewing, let’s get to making these pretty flower pens.

You’ll only need a few basic supplies including a hot glue gun, your choice of flowers, a handful of ballpoint pens and floral tape which is available at most crafts stores in several colors.

There are two ways these flowers can be made.  The first involves attaching the entire stem to the pen stick with the floral wire.

This makes the finished project much thicker than I think it needs to be so I opt for another technique.

I think you achieve a much cleaner look by sticking the flower directly inside the pen stick as opposed to running the stem down the length of the pen.

This used to be a lot easier years ago, when the pen tops just popped off.  Manufacturers have now made it harder to get these little tops off (probably for safety reasons) but don’t be deterred.

Use a small knife as if it were a saw and gently saw the top ridge.  Once you cut through the plastic, you’ll be able to easily pop the top off.  Don’t worry, any ragged plastic edge created will be covered up with floral tape.

Next, pull the entire flower completely off the wire stem. 

You’ll notice a small plastic extension on the bottom of the flower which should fit snugly into the pen top. 

Before attaching the extension, clip a few leaves from the main stem and hot glue them to the bottom of the flower. 

Make sure you slide the ends of the leaf up under the large plastic flower base for better concealment and a more natural appearance.

Drop a small amount of hot glue directly into the top of the pen stick.  Make sure you include a small amount of glue around the edge of the pen top too.

While the glue is still hot, slide the flower extension down into the top of the pen and hold firmly in place for about 15-seconds.

Repeat the steps for the remainder of the pens and then set aside.  The glue will harden completely after just a few minutes.   

Notice how close and flush the pen top is with the bottom of the flower. This is exactly how the project should look at this point .  This will help ensure a clean, neat finished result.

Start twisting the floral tape around the pen stick beginning at the top.  You may need to wrap the top portion a few times to completely conceal the flower connection and plastic pen stick edge.

Firmly wrap the floral tape around the pen stick.  Hold the pen between thumb and forefinger while wrapping and smooth the tape with your fingers as you roll it.  

When finished, you may notice the floral tape is a little sticky to the touch.  You can eliminate this by brushing a small amount of baby powder onto the finished pen, and then wiping it clean with a dry cloth.  

By the way, you can also use baby powder to eliminate the stickiness from scrapbook stickers which is useful when stacking sticker elements onto layouts.

This is a perfect summer project for kids too.  Cameron got even more creative by molding a clay flower pot to go along with her set.   

NOTE:  Cameron attached the entire flower stem to her pen sticks and you can see this does create a sweet but much bulkier-looking finished pen.  

Consider giving a loved one a gift of rose-topped pens.  They’ll definitely last a lot longer than real roses. 

Make 4-5 flower pens and wrap them all in tissue.  Tie with a pretty ribbon to create a beautiful bouquet for someone special. 

Don’t forget to include a small tag indicating they’re handmade especially for the gift recipient.

These pens not only make great gifts, they’re perfect around the house too.

Consider tucking a pen in an unexpected but convenient location so you’ll always have a pen handy when you need it.  Great for kitchen use.

Incorporate a few well-placed pens into your home decor and no one will be the wiser.  That is, until they need a pen and you’ll have one at your fingertips.

Of course, these flower-topped pens also look great on my newly organized desktop.

I’m sure you can think of plenty of locations in your home where keeping a pen nearby would come in handy.

Just like you tweak your home decor through various seasons, you can do the same with these pens.  Top the pens with mums in the Fall, Poinsettias at Christmas and perhaps tulips in the Spring. 

By all means make them and use them, just please don’t eat the daisies or the chrysanthemums. ♥