We’re making paper embedded with wildflower seeds, then creating Christmas ornaments. The ornaments can be hung on the Christmas tree; then come Spring, planted in the garden for a beautiful wildflower display. These make wonderful gifts!
This activity was inspired by a favorite author and illustrator, Denise Fleming. It uses some very basic techniques similar to what she uses in her illustrations. Resources that you might want to review are Denise’s instructions for making pulp from toilet paper and her paper making instructions. Another resource is this video that describes the process. It is very good and fun to watch.
Here we go!
Read ALL of the instructions before beginning.
Age:
This activity is for older preschoolers and elementary age children, and a grown-up.
Since we are using a blender, scissors, and a paper shredder adult supervision and assistance is a must.
Supplies:
- toilet paper – cheap stuff
- shredded regular paper (this is optional, I’m going to use some regular paper to add color and texture)
- wildflower seeds or seeds of your choice
- blender or a large jar (I used my old blender)
- water
- a frame with a screen or a small window screen
- heavy bath towels
- baking sheet or counter space
- cookie cutters or stencils
- scissors
- a nail or tool to make a hole
- ribbon or hemp
I used a screen purchased from Lowes that cost about $6.00.
Directions:
Step 1 Prepare your screen. Just layer the towels on a a baking sheet or counter and place the screen on top.
Step 2 If you use regular paper, shred it with scissors or a paper shredder, then let it soak over night.
Step 3 Shred the toilet paper with your hands, very fun for kids!
Step 4 Place the paper and water in a blender. You need enough water to make a slurry consistency. You may need to experiment, but you want it to be able to swish around and be pourable. You don’t want a clumpy paste.
Step 5 Pour the mixture on the screen and spread it into a thin layer
Step 6 Sprinkle the wildflower seeds onto the paper and press into the “paper”.
Step 7 Press the paper, pull out the towels as they become soaked. Repeat this step several times. I placed wax paper on the top and gently used a rolling pin to help squeeze out the water.
Step 8 Let the paper dry, naturally. This may take a couple of days. Don’t put it in a warm oven like I did. It warps. Use a stencil or cookie cutter to trace a pattern of the shape that you want, then cut it out.
Step 9 Punch a hole using a nail and add ribbon or hemp for hanging.
This little gift can be hung on the tree or mailed in a card.
Option 2
A more simple option is to have your child stamp or make print with paint on the paper. It can then be slipped into a Christmas card along with instructions for planting:
The paper is biodegradable and can be planted in the ground. We will be making a few ornaments with specific herb seeds to give to friends.
If you just want to make a decorative ornament your options for this activity are limitless. You can add more color, glitter, herbs…you’re only limited by your imagination and what you want to put in your blender. 
Have a wonderful time creating Christmas gifts and memories together!
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I love the idea of using these at Christmastime!
Thank you for visiting.
Very pretty! We made some paper hearts with the paper making process. I need to dg them out and make ornaments with them! Thanks for the reminder and the idea to make them into Christmas ornaments!
Thanks for stopping by Melissa!
These are so pretty, and such a great idea to make as gifts. I bet they’d be fantastic holiday cards too!
Hi Aleacia~ I agree, they can easily be mailed!
These are really lovely. And they have so much potential through the whole year.
So glad you liked them; thanks for dropping by!
My husband (random i know) would absolutely LOVE to do this with my daughter. He is somewhat of a wildflower fanatic! These turned out so neat!
He probably can actually make them grow!
What a wonderful idea! I’m pinning this for next year (not enough time left for this year) It might also be a cute wedding favor for a Spring wedding!
It would be a good wedding favor. Hadn’t thought of that.
Thanks for sharing it on pinterest. 
Thanks for the reminder of a great activity to do. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, and I’m thinking it’ll be a fun thing to do for Valentine’s Day.
Thanks for linking up to Science Sunday!
There are so many variations that can be done with this. I mentioned in another comment, making them just using a specific herb seed. Thanks for hosing Science Sunday.
Wow, these are so so lovely! Thank you for the step-by-step tutorial. We’ve been wanting to make our own handmade paper for such a long time now. We’ve procrastinated enough.
So inspired to make looking at yours…
I shared this on my FB page…
Going to pin now…
Thank you Rashmie! They were very fun to make. I think that next time I would use specific herb seeds too. Thank you for visiting!
[...] I’d like to share this interesting learning links: See how Creative Connections for Kids made Wildflower Seeds Paper Ornaments that can be used for planting as [...]
Thanks for the instructions! Did you leave the paper to dry on the screen overnight, or did you take it off and let it dry on towels? Thanks!
You’re welcome Christina. I took them off of the screens to dry and turned them over to to dry. But they actually might dry more quickly if left on the screen. I did notice that there were screen indentions in some of the pieces so that is something to consider too.
Is the screen easy to wash off after? Thinking of using the screen of the window, since it’s winter we won’t be opening the window any time soon
The screen can be washed with a brush. It definitely comes clean. My screen was slightly warped in places. If you want to reuse your screen be careful about applying steady and even pressure when squeezing out the water.
These are beautiful! What a wonderful decoration.