This was the post slated for yesterday, but it was postponed when I featured my freshly-blooming amaryllis. As I had mentioned, today's subject is polar opposite! We're going from yesterday's inside flowers to today's inside snowflakes!
Did you ever make your own snowflakes? You may have done this activity growing up. Inside snowflakes are good to make with children, but require constant adult assistance since boiling water is involved in the process. You need pipe cleaners, a glass container, Borax and boiling water.
First fashion a snowflake from pipe cleaners. Remember that you need six points to mimic the real thing. I snipped two standard pipe cleaners in half before I began creating. Using three of those half-length pieces, I connected them together at the center. Then I cut and used the remaining piece for the small spokes at the ends. Everything is twisted on; no glue is used.
Dissolve 3 tablespoons of Borax in 1 cup of boiling water. I repeated this process so that I had a total of 4 cups of water and 12 T. of Borax in my bowl. I gently dropped in the snowflake (be certain that it doesn't touch the sides or bottom) and tied the two string ends to a yardstick that lay across the bowl.
First fashion a snowflake from pipe cleaners. Remember that you need six points to mimic the real thing. I snipped two standard pipe cleaners in half before I began creating. Using three of those half-length pieces, I connected them together at the center. Then I cut and used the remaining piece for the small spokes at the ends. Everything is twisted on; no glue is used.
Most people attach the string to the end of one arm so that the snowflake can be suspended in a glass jar. My snowflake is larger than the mouth of any jars I had on hand, so I opted to use a stainless steel bowl. Due to the boiling water, of course, plastic wouldn't be suitable. Since the length of the snowflake is greater than the depth of my bowl, I looped my string around the center point of my snowflake so that it would lie flat when immersed.
Leave your snowflake soaking overnight. In the morning, you can lift it out of the Borax solution and allow it to air dry. I hung mine from a kitchen cabinet door knob until it was dry to the touch. You will now have a lovely snowflake!
I put mine on a wreath.
Even on a cloudy day, these are pretty. In sunshine, though, they really sparkle when they catch the light. Some people like to hang them in windows. You need to secure them tightly, though, as they are heavier than you'd think.
Now I have to ask. Do you prefer inside flowers or inside snowflakes?!