Christmas Flower Pot Crafts

Crafting for the holidays is the most popular type of crafting there is. If you are looking for different projects for your holiday decor, think flower pot crafts. Turned upside down they become holiday characters for your tables or tree. With a little paint, a few odds and ends and a creative eye, an ordinary flower pot can be transformed into a snowman, reindeer, Santa Clause or a gingerbread man for Christmas.

These crafts can use an assortment of sizes to get the same look. The only preference is where and what you intend the finished project to be. The basic pattern for most all character is an upside down pot for the body and a wood bead for the head. Styrofoam balls may be substituted for the head.

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Flower Pot Craft Characters

Snowman - Paint the entire pot white for the body and the wood ball white for the head. Glue the ball to the bottom of the flower pot. Make a stocking cap and scarf from a scrap of fabric and glue to the snowman. Dab pink paint lightly on the cheeks using a cotton swab. Dip dot black paint for the eyes and mouth using a paint brush handle. Dip dot orange paint for the nose using a paint brush handle and using a toothpick point, pull the orange dot to the side making a pointy carrot nose. Glue buttons down the front of the pot.

Reindeer - Paint the entire flower pot chocolate brown for the body and the wood ball chocolate brown for the head. Glue the ball to the bottom. Twist two pieces of pipe cleaners into antler shapes and hot glue to the back of the head. Cut two brown felt triangles and glue to the head for ears. Paint the eyes by dip dotting black paint and glue a red pom pom for a nose. String a miniature jingle bell on red ribbon and tie around the neck.

Santa Clause - Paint the entire pot body red and the wood ball head peach. Glue the wood ball to the flower pot bottom. Paint the eyes by dip dotting black paint using a toothpick point and the nose using red paint. Glue strips of white felt around the bottom rim and top edge of the pot for fur. Cut a black strip of felt and glue around the flower pot for a belt. Form a cone shaped hat from red felt and a white felt brim. Glue the hat to the head. Attach white doll hair around the face for the beard.

Gingerbread Man - Paint the entire pot body tan and the wood ball head tan. Glue the ball to the flower pot bottom. Glue miniature rick rack around the face. Start at the flower pot bottom, over the head and back down to the bottom. Glue more miniature white rick rack around the flower pot rim. Dab pink paint lightly on the cheeks using a cotton swab. Paint the eyes by dip dotting with black paint and using a paint brush handle. Using a black marker, draw a mouth and a small curved nose. Tie a small bow using scrap fabric and glue to the head. Glue two buttons down the front of the pot.

Christmas Flower Pot Crafts

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The History of the Christmas Poinsettia Flower

In addition to being the most widely known holiday flower of all, the Christmas poinsettia is also the most popular flowering potted plant, with thousands being sold throughout the UK and the United States each and every year.

Also known as "the Christmas flower," "lobster flower," or "Mexican flame leaf," the poinsettia has a rather colorful history dating back to the ancient Aztec people who viewed the plant as a symbol of purity. A few hundred years later, Christians in Mexico thought the star-shaped leaves symbolized the Star of Bethlehem that led Joseph and Mary to the stable where Jesus was born. This, coupled with the fact that the plant was in full bloom during Christmas time, caused people to associate them with the holiday, which is why they are still the most used plant during that special time of year for decorating.

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Poinsettias also have a place in Mexican legend that tells why the usually red plants are said to be known as Christmas flowers. Long ago, a poor child was said to be wandering down a road on Christmas Eve on his way to church worried that he didn't have a gift to offer the Christ child on his birthday. He picked a few weeds growing along side the road and brought them into the church where the congregation said that any humble gift given out of love was good enough, and soon the weeds turned into colorful red and green leaves, causing the people to call it a Christmas miracle.

A native to Central America, those in North America can thank a man by the name of Joel Roberts Poinsett for bringing the plant back with him to the States after visiting Mexico while serving there as the very first U.S. Ambassador in the early 1800s. Poinsett, the son of a French doctor, was a botanist from Greenville, South Carolina who once attended medical school but had a great interest in plant life.

While in southern Mexico, Poinsett noticed the fiery red blooms flourishing in abundance in an area known as Taxco del Alarcon. Because he already had his own greenhouses at home, he excitedly sent a few of the plants back where he would soon begin growing them and sharing with friends and colleagues.

Now, the poinsettia can be found in several different colors in addition to the traditional Christmas red. The plant blooms naturally in shades of cream, pale, lemony yellow, pinks and peaches, both with splashes of gold and white throughout the leaves, which are erroneously called flowers but are actually the plant's upper leaves known as the bracts.

Poisonous Poinsettias?

Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia, or any part of the entire plant, is not poisonous. Scientific research conducted by various entities such as Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University and Children's Hospital, both in Pittsburgh, have found no toxicity, either to animals or humans.

Of course, the flower is still not meant to be ingested and may cause a cat or dog to get an upset stomach after eating quite a few of them, but there's no need for pet owners to avoid enjoying the beauty of the poinsettia at Christmas time for fear of an accidental poisoning.

National Poinsettia Day

In great honor of the man who first introduced the now familiar plant to the country, December 12th has been named National Poinsettia Day in the United States, marking the date of the death of Joel R. Poinsett. In addition to having the Christmas plant named after him, interestingly enough, Poinsett is also credited with founding what we know as The Smithsonian Institute.

The History of the Christmas Poinsettia Flower

Why not buy a beautiful artificial Poinsettia and enjoy the flower in all it's glory all year around. We have a great range of Christmas Poinsettia flowers in red and white in pots, bouquets and single stems.