Looking for a last-minute way to spookify your Halloween dinner table? We suggest training your well-honed face painting skills on your flowers. Viewed through the right lens, thistles can look pretty spooky without any dressing up. But if you want to up their witchiness, try cloaking them in black.
Materials:
- 2-3 stems blue thistle
- Black acrylic paint
- Paint brush
Photography by Erin Boyle.
Above: Begin by snipping individual flower heads off the central thistle stem.
Above: Use a small paint brush to paint the outer leaves and stem of the thistle flowers. Leave the iridescent blue centers without paint.
Above: Allow your thistles time to dry before putting them into a vase.
Above: Make sure you paint the leaves and stem, too.
Above: Display your spidery thistles in vintage labware. (If you’re looking for glass beakers or flasks, check the selection on Etsy. For instance, a Vintage Glass Lab Flask is $24 from Oh Albatross via Etsy.)
Above: Thistles have pretty good staying power outside of water. My painted flowers have lasted for several days out of water without any sign of fading.
For more DIY flowers, see:
- DIY: Spray-Painted Flowers for Valentine’s Day
- DIY: Wintry Cardoon Thistles
- Small Space DIY: A Wall Full of Colorful Dried Flowers
Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for thistle with our Thistle: A Field Guide.
Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various perennial plants with our Perennials: A Field Guide.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation