twig and leaf pens

With my wedding less than 3 months away, I thought it would be good to start my crafts that I had in mind.  One of the crafts I needed to complete was the guest table pens to sign our wedding tree.  I wanted them to have a leafy garden feel to them, so I made them into twigs standing in a mound of grass.  They are super simple to make and look adorable for our garden theme.

Cost: $18 Time: 1 hour Needed: felt tip pens ($4 - 3 pens) fake flower arrangement ($3) galvanized container ($3) fake wheat grass ($3 - 4x4 block) ribbon ($3) florist tape ($2) scissors (owned) hot glue gun (owned) masking tape (owned) 1.  Cut Grass.  Cut your grass to fit your container.  Attach to bottom of container with plenty of hot glue.   2.  Cut Leaves.  Cut your leaves off your arrangement or buy them loose cut.  Make sure you have at least an inch of stem. 3.  Attach Leaves.  Tape a little masking tape to secure the leaf stem on the non-writing end of the pen.  Another option is to remove the pen's end and hot glue the stem inside for a smoother surface.  Be sure to remove the pen cap clips. If your pen has flat edges, you can round them by hot gluing dots on the ends. 4.  Wrap Tape. Take a piece of florist tape and cover the end before wrapping to make sure it stays covered (i.e. last photo, middle pen).  Then take your florist tape and start wrapping near the leaf covering the shaft and stopping before the cap.  Dot hot glue at the beginning and end of a wrap.  Be sure to wrap the cap separately so it can still open.   5.  Decorate Container.  Tie a piece of ribbon into a bow around the container before inserting these cute pens into the grass.