THE SHAMROCK

THE SHAMROCK PLANT

The Shamrock is a traditional symbol of Ireland &  thought to bring good luck.  It is a three-leafed clover that can be seen, world-wide, in many forms, as a decoration to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  In the United States the shamrock plant shows up for sale in grocery stores and garden centers in March, to be used as house or garden plants. You may choose to use a miniature version of the shamrock plant inside or outside of a dollhouse or mini setting.  Its simplicity makes it a perfect, easy and fast, miniature project for you or for a group

You will need:  lightweight light green paper + shamrock green acrylic or water color paint + 1/8” heart paper punch  +  small or medium round stylus (or dry ball-point pen)  +  miniature clay pot-wood or terra cotta (available inexpensively in craft & miniature shops)  +  brown Fimo +  #30 green cloth covered floral wire  (Hanky Panky  e:mail  rhanke@bevcomm.net  +  Incredibly Tacky glue by Crafter’s Pick  +  fine pointed tweezers +  optional: lightweight green foil or a green permanent marker pen and lightweight aluminum foil    

Instructions:

Use a sponge of large brush to coat both sides of the colored paper with a wash of water color or watered down acrylic paint. This process will add a slightly mottled look to the green color for more natural leaves.  Let dry and if necessary iron flat.

Use the heart punch to punch out 3 hearts for each clover…it takes quite a few.  Lay the hearts in the palm of your hand and “draw” over them from point up with the stylus causing them to cup- up a bit.  Set aside.

Fill a clay pot almost to the top with brown Fimo…do not bake. 

Cut floral wire in varied lengths, the longest to extend out of your pot approx. ¾”.  It will take at least 25 stems for a full plant.  Poke the stems firmly into the Fimo and then arrange them as desired, bending some down and over the edge of the pot.

On waxed paper make a puddle of Incredibly Tacky glue.  Pick up a prepared heart with tweezers by the fat end, dip the pointed end in glue to pick up just the tiniest of dabs.  Apply the heart to the side of the very top of a stem.  Add 2 more hearts to the stem in the same manner, spacing them fairly evenly around the stem.  For ease in applying leaves start with the lower stems and work around pot and them up.

You may choose to add a decorative foil covering to the outside of your pot, such as the type that comes from florists etc.  Green is the best color here but if you don’t have green on hand use a Green Sharpie permanent marker pen to color lightweight aluminum foil. 

REAL SHAMROCK PLANT

I have given you a couple of printie cutouts if you would like to display them as I did with the Shamrock plant.  Simply print them onto cardstock at best printer settings and carefully cut out.  Use colored pens to touch up the cut edges for a finished look.

PRINTIES

Copy and paste images to your computer.

Set to print at actual/exact size or 1.90"w x 1.40"h

Print onto matte presentation paper using best printer settings.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day and Gook Luck with this project!

Joann

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