The Craft Connection

Welcome Spring Early with Paperwhites

by Shannon McMath

The short days of winter along with gray stormy skies may make your children wonder if those pleasant days of spring will ever come. To help remind them that spring is just around the corner you can bring a little bit of the outdoors in with these Paperwhite Growing Jars. You can make up several of them fairly quickly and place them around the house. Every time you glance at one on a window sill, it will inspire a little spring time smile!

Paperwhite bulbs are very easy to “force,” meaning you can make them bloom indoors no matter what the season is. They don’t even need soil to make them grow! Just some water and a stable spot to sprout their roots makes them happy. As they grow you can discuss with your children just what is happening – roots are forming, it’s starting to sprout, and here come the flowers. You can also use them to teach responsibility – it can be your child’s job to check the water level everyday. No matter how you choose to enjoy these little beauties, they are sure to bring pleasure to all who see them.

What You Need:

• Empty Glass Jars
• Paperwhite Bulbs
• Decorative Glass Marbles
• Buttons
• Sea Shells
• Glass Mosaic Pieces
• Glue – tacky glue works best
• Ribbon

What You Do:

1. The first step is to decorate the empty jars.
   
   For the button jar, choose a collection of button colors that work well together. Using the tacky glue, arrange the buttons in a random pattern. Don’t worry about being precise, it will look cute in any arrangement. This jar would be great in your child’s room.
   
   The neutral colors of the sea shell jar are a nice choice for use in the family room. Simply glue the shells onto the jar in a more orderly pattern than the button jar.
   
   Using little glass mosaic pieces makes this a cute addition to your bathroom decor. Choose pieces that coordinate with the colors in the room. When gluing them on, try to arrange them in a repeating pattern.
2. Next, you will be adding the decorative marbles to the jars. Fill the jars about 1/3 full with the marbles. You will be adding more once you place the bulbs in.
3. Place one bulb into each jar and add some more marbles to help hold it in place. Now you can pour in water – just enough so it is touching the very bottom of the bulb.
4. The final step is to tie a pretty ribbon around the mouth of the jars and place them in a sunny window sill. After a week or two the bulb will be sprouting and soon you’ll have a little bit of spring time to brighten up those dull winter days!

Tips & Variations