Make a Gum-Ball Bouquet

These sweet fake ranunculus require a crafty hand -- and a lot of fruit leather -- but the result is worth it: To make 10 flowers, you'll need 10 gum balls, 13 squares of fruit leather and 10 plastic flower stems (use stems from old silk flowers, or buy cheap ones and pull off the tops).

1. Draw and cut out a 2 1/2-inch-wide flower shape, like the one shown, from a piece of paper.




 

2. Using the cutout as a pattern, cut four flower shapes from each piece of fruit leather with kitchen scissors or a paring knife.

3. Center a gum ball on a fruit-leather flower and fold up the petals. Add four more fruit-leather pieces, staggering them and shaping the petals to form a flower. Use a fork to poke a hole in the base of the flower, and insert the stem.