Buy a paper plate at the store and reproduce this precious idea

A touch of bright color on the dining table is always welcome when it's time to sit down and eat. Add a bit of spring to lunch gatherings with this easy project that turns a paper plate into two colorful flower place settings. Use any paint color you want, but pastel tones are best for evoking the feeling of springtime.

Use small flowers with thin stems, so you can fit a decent number of flowers into the holders. Foxgloves and forget-me-nots work well for this, but if you can't find them, try buttercups, violets and baby's breath instead. Fresh flowers bring a welcome scent of the outdoors to a dining area, but faux flowers also look nice.

Materials
- Ridged paper plates (as many as needed for place settings)
- Scissors
- Hot-glue gun
- Hot-glue sticks
- Latex glove
- Acrylic paint
- Flat artist's paintbrush
- Thin twine
- Small bouquet of real or faux flowers

1. Place a paper plate on the work surface, and trim away the flat part along the edge of the plate past the ridges. If the ridges go to the edge of the plate, there's no need to trim.

2. Cut the paper plate in half. Each half will become a flower holder.

3. Position a half so the cut edge is horizontal and at the bottom. Curl the left bottom point in toward the center of the half plate. Wrap the right point over the left curl, forming a cone. Hot-glue the seam in place.

4. Repeat step 3 for the other plate half to create a second cone.

5. Put the glove on the hand that will hold the cone while you paint it. Paint the outsides of both cones, and let dry completely.

6. Position a cone so the seam is on the side, and flip over the cone.

7. Cut a piece of twine about a foot long.

8. Run a small, horizontal line of hot glue on the outside of the cone just below the ridges. Press the center of the twine horizontally into the glue and let it set.

9. Turn over the cone. Bring the twine ends together, and tie a bow against the cone.

10. Trim the twine ends, and glue the center of the bow to the cone.

11. Repeat steps 6 to 10 for the other cone.

12. Trim small bouquets of flowers to fit in the cones, leaving the blossoms sticking out above the tops.

13. Place a cone in the center of each dinner plate.