Photography: Jessica Howard
Spring is craft queen Brooke Styles’ favourite season.
“Honestly, I plan its arrival,” she says. “It’s the moment my homegrown cut-flower garden bursts into colourful blooms. Maybe it’s because I was born in spring, but I just adore those early morning watering sessions when the world is so still and yawning awake.”
Since she’s always snipping something from her flower bed, flower frogs have become Brooke’s newest obsession. They turn even the simplest recycled glass jar into the perfect little vase, holding the flower in place.
With a bit of polymer clay and a few cookie cutters, this sweet spring DIY makes the loveliest afternoon project.
It doesn’t matter at all whether you’re a flower grower, a flower admirer or simply a very lucky flower receiver.
How to make easy flower frogs
Gather your supplies
- Polymer clay in your preferred colours
- Acrylic rolling pin
- Polymer clay bond (Sculpey Bake & Bond or similar)
- Flower-shaped cookie cutters
- Sculpting tools
- Water-resistant acrylic paints (like FolkArt Multi-Surface or Jo Sonja acrylic paint)
- Mod Podge Gloss Sealer
You’ll also need
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
- Paintbrush
Step 1
Warm up the clay in your hands and knead it until it feels soft, smooth and easy to work with. This helps prevent cracking later.
Then using an acrylic rolling pin, roll the clay to form a slab about 1.5cm thick.
Step 2
Press your flower-shaped cookie cutter straight down into the clay. Give it a tiny wiggle, then lift it up to reveal your flower base.
Step 3
Roll a small piece of clay into a ball between your palm and a smooth surface. This is where you can start to shape your flower into your favourite species.
Use a variety of clay colours if you want. I used this technique to make the same cookie cutter flower into daffodils, poppies and anemones.
Once you love the shape, attach the centre to your flower base using polymer clay bond.
Step 4
Next, grab the end of a paintbrush and poke small, round holes around the middle of your flower. These will hold your flower stems.
Make enough holes to hold a small bouquet, but keep them spaced apart so the flower frog structure stays strong.
Step 5
Place your creation on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
If you want the petals to curve or have dimension, scrunch up tiny balls of baking paper and tuck them under the petals to lift them.
Step 6
Bake your flower frog according to the temperature and timing on your polymer clay package.
Step 7
Once it’s baked and completely cooled, add any hand-painted details you like. When the paint is dry, seal everything with a coat of Mod Podge.
Step 8
To set up your new handmade flower frog, simply place the clay creation on the rim of a water-filled glass jar or cup.
Remove any leaves from the flower stem and poke cut flowers into the holes.
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