Make Aster Flower Hair Ties

Step 1

All girls love flower hair accessories! So why not make artificial flowers from foamiran? They look almost lifelike and closely resemble asters, which can be soft pink, red, or white. You need very little material to create bright flowers—just a few strips of foamiran. The project is not difficult, so be sure to involve the children.

Step 2

What you need to make an aster (dimensions are approximate):

1. One strip each of bright pink (70 cm), pink and white (35 cm each), and black (about 15 cm) foamiran. All strips have the same width—2-3 cm; use a ruler as a guide.
2. White and black foamiran for small flowers and leaves.
3. Hot glue.
4. An iron.

Begin by following the step-by-step instructions.

Use a ruler and any sharp tool to mark the outline, then cut strips from the material in all the specified colors.

Step 3

Stack and align the pink and white strips, securing them with a clothespin or hair clip so the material does not shift. Make cuts without going all the way through to create “fringe.”

Step 4

Wind the strips around a stick, starting with the white one, and use hot glue to bond them. Glue on the black foamiran last and trim away the excess.

Step 5

The flower is ready.

To open the petals and make the aster fluffy and three-dimensional, rotate it over a hot burner for several minutes. Do not lower the flower too close; keep it about 30 cm away. Shape the warm petals by hand, moving from the center downward. Let the aster cool.

Step 6

Now make the decorations.

Cut small flowers from white foamiran and leaves from black foamiran. Hold the flowers against the soleplate of a hot iron for a few seconds. The high temperature will make them curl slightly and gain dimension.

Step 7

Glue the decorations to the aster with hot glue. If you like, “place” a ladybug on the bud—the little beetle will look very realistic.
To use the flower to decorate a hair tie, glue the elastic to a felt circle and secure it to the flower with hot glue.