Photo: Beth Skwarecki
As a mom, I will always, always appreciate the thoughtfulness of a gift of flowers from my children. Unfortunately, I have no idea what to do with a flower that is smaller than a blade of grass and that I have been instructed to treasure forever. Until now.
The other day, my daughter brought me a bunch of what I think are forget-me-nots. They were tiny and beautiful and she gave me a hug when she presented them to me. I set them down on the table. A few minutes later, I was at my desk upstairs and heard her call: “Mom, you forgot your flowers.” She gave them to me again.
At my desk, I am surrounded by small gifts from my kids. There’s a figurine made of aluminum foil, a ladybug made of Sculpey, some art made with those beads that stick together with water—you get the idea. So I turned to her and said: “Can you make me a vase?”
She found some Play-Doh and I suggested that she mold it over her pinky finger. Minutes later, we had something vase-shaped that could more or less stand up on its own, barely more than an inch tall. By the next day it was dry enough to hold a few drops of water and support a pint-sized bouquet of fleabane daisies.
To be clear, this is a disposable item: Play-Doh is not waterproof or particularly durable. When this miniature vase falls apart, we could possibly make a Sculpey one together. (Sculpey can be sealed to make it waterproof.)
Or maybe I’ll just ask my daughter to make me another Play-Doh vase. I’ll tell her I want a whole rainbow of them so I can choose the one that matches my mood each day. Making a craft keeps her busy, after all—and I’ll love any gift she gives me.
