These Pistachio Dahlias are a fun way to create pretty summery art by using left over pistachio shells and recycled materials. They are simple to make, but turn out so vibrant and realistic looking!
My husband’s grandmother has the most beautiful dahlias growing in her garden. I just love them so much and spend hours ogling at them when we visit and then dream about them for the rest of the summer. Someday I’ll grow dahlias in my own garden, but for now, we figured out how to make our own “dahlias” using leftover pistachio shells and spray paint! We’ll explain how to make them step-by-step below.
materials you need to make Pistachio Dahlias
- Pistachio shells
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Spray paint
- Scissors
- Cardstock paper
- Cardboard
- Leave and stems
- Hole punch
- Twine
Step-by-Step Instructions to make your own Pistachio Dahlias
- Collect and clean pistachio shells – We used about 45 pistachio shell halves (or 23 whole pistachios) for one flower, so you might need to collect pistachio shells for a while. It only took us a day or two, because my family snacks on pistachios all the time. Once you get several collected, dust off any of the dry parts that stick to the inside of the shell. No need to wash the shell, just make sure it’s free of any messy imperfections. Put your clean shells in a bowl and set aside.
- Draw a circle on a piece of cardstock paper – We used a wide-mouth canning jar to trace which made an even circle. We traced it onto a piece of heavy cardstock. You want the paper to be sturdy, but not as thick and heavy as cardboard.
- Trace the circle with hot glue – Once you have you circle traced, grab your glue gun and add a strip of glue all the way around the circular shape. [Hint, we added glue in portions. We added glue to the first quarter before moving on, so that it wouldn’t dry before we were able to place the shells on top of the glue.]
- Press shells into the glue – Once you have a strip of glue on your circle, one by one, press a pistachio shell onto the glue until it sticks. You’ll want the pointy part of the shell facing out and the sides curving up, not down. They will resemble flower petals this way.
- Continue placing shells in a spiral form – Continue adding glue and placing the shells onto it in a spiral working from the outside in. Keep adding the shells one by one until you get to the center and there is no more free space to fill. It should resemble a flower at this point.
- Spray with spray paint – When all your shells are in place and the glue has dried, take your flower outside to spray with spray paint. I put ours in a cardboard box to make sure I didn’t spray something else unintentionally. We used Candy Pink Rustoleum spray paint because it dries fast and sticks to everything. We had some left over from painting some furniture, but you can find it online here or at any hardware store. Be sure to spray carefully and cover every nook and cranny.
- Let it dry and respray – I allowed an hour between each spray and I sprayed three times.
- Cut out flowers – Once your flowers are completely dry, grab a pair of scissors and cut the circular flower shapes out. You don’t want any of the cardstock to show, so be careful to cut as close the the flower petals as you can.
- Arrange and glue stems and leaves on a piece of cardboard – Now, you’ll need to find stems and leaves to use for your flower picture. We used real leaves and a stem from a different kind of flower bush in our yard, but creating stems and leaves from paper or felt. Or even drawing or painting them on would work too! If you are using real stems and leaves, add a dab of hot glue along the stem and place it on the cardboard. Hold firmly until it drives. Now, add a dab of hot glue to the leaves and arrange on the piece of cardboard around the stem.
- Arrange and glue flowers onto the cardboard – Add some glue to the back of your flower circles and then arrange them around the stem and press down gently until the glue dries. Repeat with the other two flower heads.
- Punch two holes at the top of the piece of cardboard – After your stem, leaves, and flower heads have dried, grab a hole punch and add two holes at the top two corners of your flower picture.
- String twine through the holes – Tie a piece of twine or string in a knot in one of the holes, then measure about 6 inches of the twine and tie the other end in the other hole.
- Display – After you’re done, it’s time to find a place to display your art! We hung ours outside on our front porch.
How to Make Pistachio Dahlias
These Pistachio Dahlias are a fun way to create pretty summery art by using pistachio shells and recycled materials. They are simple to make, but turn out so vibrant and real-looking!
Materials
- Pistachio shells
- Hot glue sticks
- Spray paint
- Cardstock paper
- Cardboard
- Leave and stems
- Twine
Tools
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Hole punch
Instructions
1. Collect and clean about 140 pistachio shell halves (or 70 pistachios).
2. Draw a circle (about 3.5 inches wide) on a piece of heavy cardstock paper. Using a wide-marth jar to trace works great.
3. Once your circle is drawn, grab a glue gun and add a thin strip of glue all the way around the circular shape. [Hint, try adding glue in portions, so it doesn't dry before you have time to place all of your shells. Add glue to the first quarter of the circle before moving on.]
4. Now, one by one, press a pistachio shell into the glue until it sticks. The pointy part of the shell should be facing out and the sides should be curving up, not down.
5. Continue adding glue and placing the shells in a spiral, working from the outside in. Continue placing until you get to the center and there is no more free space to fill. It should resemble a flower at this point.
6. When all the shells are glued in place on the piece of cardstock, take your flower outside to spray with spray paint. [Hint. Try putting it in a cardboard box to make sure you don't spray something else unintentionally.]
7. After you have sprayed your flower thoroughly, allow an hour to dry, and spray another coat. A third coat of paint is optional.
8. Once your flowers are completely dry, grab a pair of scissors and cut the circular flower shapes out.
9. Now, you'll need to find stems and leaves to use for your flower picture. You could use real flower leaves and stems or creat them from felt or green paper. Or try drawing or painting it on. If you are using real stems and leaves, add a dab of hot glue along the stem and place it on the cardboard. Hold firmly until it dries. Next, add a dab of hot glue to the leaves and arrange them on the piece of cardboard around the stem.
10. Add some glue to the back of your flower circles and then arrange around the stem. Press down gently until the glue dries. Repeat with the other two flower heads.
11. After your stem, leaves, and flower heads have dried, grab a hold punch and add two holes at the top two corners of your flower picture.
12. Tie a piece of twine or string in a knot in one of the holes, then measure about 6 inches of the twine and tie the other end in the other hole.
13. Now hang up somewhere to display your art!
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