Drinking Straw and Construction Paper Lei

• 1). Trace a flower shape onto a piece of construction paper and cut out the flower. This will be the template for the remaining flowers. Use the template flower to trace 15 to 20 flowers onto different color sheets of construction paper. Use a hole punch to put a hole in the center of each flower.
  
  
• 2). Decorate the flowers. To do this, use pencil crayons or markers to draw separations between the petals and to color the petals different colors. Cover some of the petals with a light all-over coating of glue and poor some different colored sparkles onto the flower. For other flowers, glue on shiny fake gemstones, available at most craft stores. Set the flowers aside to dry.
  
  
• 3). Cut a 30-inch to 36-inch piece of ribbon and lay it out on a flat working surface. Cut multi-colored straws into sections that are approximately 2 inches in length. You will need between 12 and 15 of these straw sections.
  
  
• 4). Thread one of the straw sections onto the ribbon. Stop at least 6 inches from the end if you would like to tie the ends of the necklace in a bow.
  
  
• 5). Thread one of the construction paper flowers onto the ribbon and then add another straw section. Repeat this step until you reach 6 inches from the other end of the ribbon.
  
  

Real or Silk Flower Leis

• 1). Remove the flowers from the stems and lay them out on the table.
  
  
• 2). Cut a piece of plastic jewelry wire to a length of approximately 36 inches. You can also use dental floss or yarn if you do not have any plastic jewelry wire.
  
  
• 3). Use a lei needle to begin to thread the flowers onto the plastic jewelry wire. Thread the first flower to 4 or 5 inches away from one end.
  
  
• 4). Continue threading the flowers onto the wire until you reach 4 to 5 inches from the other end. Do not force the flowers too close together as you thread them onto the wire. They should be only close together enough to hide the plastic wire underneath.
  
  
• 5). Tie the plastic wire ends together near the flowers. There should still be the 4 to 5 inches of extra wire beyond the knot. Use a regular sewing needle to thread the plastic back through the lei to hide the wire.