Celery print roses

I absolutely love printmaking. It’s a really good way of getting kids to make very artistic looking stuff, even when their motor control is still developing. Which sounds kind of mean, but I don’t mean it that way, I swear – they get to feel really accomplished, and it builds their confidence. And you get properly pretty stuff to hang on your wall.

The other great thing about printmaking is that you can do it with scraps, leftovers, and miscellaneous bits and bobs you have around the house.

This particular project is made using the butt-end of a bunch of celery. The bit you’d chop off and throw away. But look what you can do with it!

What you’ll need:

• A bunch of celery
• A sharp knife (for grown up use only!)
• Coloured paint (we used pink and green, but you could use yellow, red, or anything you like)
• A piece of white cardboard
• Some coloured card
• A pair of scissors
• Some craft glue or double sided tape

What to do:

1. Slice the butt off your bunch of celery. Set all but one of the stalks aside for snacking on or cooking with.
2. Fan out the “petals” of your celery-butt if they’re a little bit too tightly curled together.
3. Dip your celery-butt into one colour of paint, then carefully press it onto your white card.Lift it away, and your print will look like a rose.
4. Take a celery stalk, and dip the cut end in your other colour of paint, then stamp it around the edges of your rose print to create little crescent leaves.
5. Allow to dry.
6. Trim around your rose, leaving a small border.
7. Cut your piece of coloured card so that the front panel is a little wider in all directions than your trimmed rose print.
8. Stick your rose print onto the front of your card, then write a message inside and give it to someone you love.

I guarantee your kid will enjoy the printing process, so while you’ve got the paints out it’s easy to make several of these cards for your stash – then you’ve got something handmade and thoughtful on hand to cover your arse on those occasions when you’ve been a little forgetful about a birthday or other special occasion. No one will suspect a thing when you present them with something so beautiful.