Recylced Flower Mother's Day Card

This greeting card made from a recycled water bottle is a creative and easy way to show a person that you care. I decided to make a Mother's Day card like this for my mom after I was inspired by laminterious's instructable.

You will need the following items:

• plastic water or soda bottle (preferably clear)
• scissors and/or X-acto knife
• card stock or heavy paper
• green pipe cleaners
• a colorful button or pom pom
• acrylic craft paint
• school glue

Make sure the bottle is clean and fairly dry. To create the flower head, cut off the base of the bottle. Leave about 1.5 cm of the sides of the bottle still attached. If it helps you, draw a marker line where you want to cut. Some bottles even have a faintly etched line that makes cutting much easier. I recommend using an X-acto knife to separate the base, then scissors to even any rough edges. Try to make the edges as smooth and level as possible, as this will make attaching it to the card much easier. Don't forget to recycle the remainder of the bottle.

Now it's time to decorate the flower head. I used pink acrylic paint and mixed a slightly darker shade to create the illusion of more depth in the cracks. If you want the color to be opaque, it may take several coats. If you want a more translucent look, try painting fewer coats. Feel free to use your own color combination or pattern. This is your chance to make a unique flower! Why not make stripes or polka-dots? or be inspired by nature!

Now it's time to finish the flower head by gluing a button or pom pom in the center. Next, if you haven't already, create your card from card stock or heavy paper. You can make a folded card or just attach it to flat paper. Now attach the flower. Spread school glue around the edge of your flower head and press down onto the paper. Let dry.

To add the stem and leaves, glue down the green pipe cleaners as desired. For the leaf, I cut a pipe cleaner so it was shorter, then folded it so that one end extended slightly.

Almost done! Just write your personal message to Mom or the intended recipient. Perhaps try something cute that also reveals how the card was made, like "I hope you enjoy this recycled flower, grown with love just for you!" Then all that's left is to give the card to the lucky person, and hope they enjoy it!