Murano Floral Paperweights

Create a festive floral paperweight. It's similar to brightly colored glass produced in Murano, Italy.

1. Murano, Italy, is a world leader in the production of beautiful glass. Among those objects are the colorful millefiori (thousands of flowers) paperweights, which have their beginnings in Renaissance times. Millefiori paperweights are assemblages of thousands of small slices of floral "canes" of multicolored glass. These canes are long rods, cut into small, colorful pieces.

2. To create your own version of a millefiori paperweight, use Crayola® Metallic Colored Pencils to create many small floral circles on dark paper. Make each flower different, using different background colors and patterns to create a beautiful collection of tiny flowers. Draw circles around your flowers, and cut out each one with Crayola Scissors. Set your flowers aside.

3. Find a rock or another heavy object that will fit inside a small paper bowl. Place it in the bowl. Cut a circle of construction paper that fits over the rim of your bowl. Use Crayola School Glue to attach the construction-paper cover to the bowl. Dry. Turn the bowl over, so the flat cover which holds in the rock is on the surface of the table.

4. Glue your floral circles to the outside surface of the bowl to complete your millefiori paperweight. Overlap circles slightly to cover the entire bowl. Dry.

Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.

Play With Me, Puppy

Fun in the Finger Lakes

Table-Top Travelers

Crafts

crayola supplies

• Metallic Colored Pencils
• No-Run School Glue
• Blunt-Tip Scissors
• Construction Paper

household supplies

• rock or stone
• bowls (paper)

"Children made millefiori paperweights while listening to Vivaldi. They really enjoy Italy's art and music."
Sarah K., after-school program assistant.

"The kids worked together on a Murano paperweight as a gift for their grandma. Mom loved it."
Rashawn H., mom of 3 children, ages 5, 8, and 10.

Venice, Italy, has long been one of the leading commercial ports in the world. Among its many claims to fame are the Islands of Murano, where the world-famous Murano glass is produced. In 1291, the Venetian government banned glass furnaces from the central island of Venice. It is thought that the heat needed to produce the beautiful glass objects was the reason to isolate the glassmakers from the main city of Venice, but it may have been a way of isolating the master glassmakers from others, to preserve their secrets.