Making Poppy Pins?

For super-nice poppies you can start with silk flowers. I recently bought of poppies a bunch at Dollar Tree (they had dark red, orange & magenta). You could also buy them on sale or with a half-off coupon at any craft store. Here's the supplies you'll need:

Supplies:
- silk poppies (BTW: they are really made from polyester)
- 22 or 20 gauge wire
- dark green floral tape
- a candle
- wire cutters or old scissors

1) Remove the poppy off of the stem. 2) Light the candle & stick the end of the wire into the flame until it's hot. 3) Quickly push the wire through the nib of plastic at the bottom of the flower & push the wire through & fold in half then clip wire. 4) Wrap stem with floral tape, starting at the flower & working your way down, cover the wire stem with floral tape by spinning the stem around & at the same time pulling on the floral tape to release it's adhesive & pressing down with your fingers 5) if you like you can wrap the new wire stem around a pencil or pen to make it into a spiral.

6) add a corsage pin to attach. Poke it through the floral tape at the base of the flower.

A second idea; Do steps 1 through 3 then wrap wire to a pin back. Pin backs are sold at craft stores in bags with 30, 50 or 100. They are made for gluing fancy brooches to.

Here at 3 other ways, using crepe paper instead of silk flowers: (not as fancy, but less expensive!)
www.webindia123.com/.../flower.html
home.howstuffworks.com/memorial-day-crafts3.htm

* or Google "making crepe paper poppies" or "tissue paper poppies".