by guest blogger Mark Kintzel, designer
If you’re looking for a unique craft project to tackle with your friends and family this Independence Day, look no further! Making sunprints is super easy and so much fun.
For these jars, I foraged around my yard and found all sorts of cool items—Queen Anne’s lace, tiny little daisylike flowers called daisy fleabane, ornamental grass, and ferns—to help me create the look of fireworks.
With the exception of the plants, flowers, and mason jars, I found all of my craft ingredients at my local crafts store.
You’ll need:
- Sun-sensitive paper (the instructions on the package are super easy to follow)
- Piece of cardboard (approximate size 12″ x 12″)
- Plants and flowers
- A pan of water
- Mason jars
- Glue stick
- Scissors
Here’s how you do it:
1. Gather plants and flowers.
2. While in a shady part of your yard or house, place a piece of sun-sensitive paper (blue side up) on the cardboard. (The cardboard provides a flat and level surface.)
3. Arrange the plants and flowers on the sun-sensitive paper.
4. Carefully place the paper with your arranged items in the sun.
5. Leave in the sun for approximately 2 minutes (the paper will turn a very light blue).
6. Remove the items on the paper and fully immerse the paper in water for about 1 minute.
7. Remove the paper from the water and lay it on a towel to dry.
8. After the paper is dry, cut it to any size you want, coat the back using a glue stick, and adhere the sunprint to a jar.
9. Add votive candles or flowers and kaboom! You have a really cool addition to your Fourth of July table.
Happy Fourth of July!
Mark Kintzel comes from a long line of crafters, artists, musicians, and farm folk. He first came under the magic spell of flowers while wandering through meadows near his grandparents’ farm in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, as a boy. His appreciation for creativity and flowers grew throughout the years, and he now specializes in event planning and styling, garden design, and organic floral arrangements for just about any occasion. See more at markkintzel.com.
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