Super Poppy

One of instructables biggest themes is being green and that includes recycling, after my school remembrance service at 11:00am on Tuesday 11th November, tons of paper poppies started appearing on the floor. This is because all the pupils have to buy one for the assembly but afterwards they no longer have any use for them.

I thought this was such a waste so i collected a few of the relativity intact poppies and brought them home to turn them into something cool.

After a bit of experimentation i worked out how to turn the flat single layer poppies into a more realistic triple layer 3D version.

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Step 1: Getting Poppies

As I said in the intro I picked up all my poppies off the floor at my school, if you don't go to school or you can't get any for free just give a generous donation to the people who sell them and say your buying for others

StCanna says: Jul 17, 2009. 9:15 AM

i've never seen these paper poppies here in the south-eastern united states.

AnarchistAsian says: Nov 13, 2008. 2:40 PM

ooohhh!! fancy!! just one thing... sounds like this is a U.K. thing, but in any case, we don't have poppy thingies here...

jesswalker9 says: Jun 20, 2009. 5:26 PM

Actually, I think it's also quite regional in the US, I grew up in Upstate NY an we always had poppies being sold around Veteran's Day, but now that I live near Philly, I haven't seen them in a while.

AnarchistAsian says: Jun 20, 2009. 7:25 PM

huh, i've never seen them in the U.S., must be a pretty small thing here...

kelseymh says: Nov 13, 2008. 3:56 PM

Not just U.K. Poppies are worn (and sold to raise money) for Remembrance Day in Canada as well. I imagine it's throughout the Commonwealth. We Yanks (a) aren't as poetic(*) as the Brits; and (b) we've expanded the date to recognize veterans of all wars, not just the Great War.

(*) The use of the poppy derives from In Flanders' Fields; look it up!

Derin says: Dec 11, 2009. 11:43 AM

yeah,they explained it to us here in turkey at school,all the teachers were wearing

discontinuuity says: Nov 13, 2008. 8:50 PM

Yes, I was wondering why all the guys on Top Gear were wearing those this week. I didn't do anything for Veteran's Day except take an exam on 11/11 at 11am. Definitely not poetic.

AnarchistAsian says: Nov 13, 2008. 5:57 PM

oh, ok thanks.

veterans day just passed, and no one noticed except for the people who do google themes...

the only reason i even knew was because it was the theme on google.

i guess since 'nam and the Iraq war, us Americans are tired of all these failed wars that lead to nothing but lost money, lost men, and violence...

=SMART= (author) says: Jul 17, 2009. 3:32 PM

Hmmm, you should probably tell your government that, according to them the Iraq was supported by 80% of the country. Also i think the people the united states keeps invading and killing are getting pretty tired of it too, cant be much fun having your head blown off :S

AnarchistAsian says: Jul 23, 2009. 7:40 PM

Maybe at first, but the Iraq war was never supposed to last this long... basicly nothing is being accomplished...

Alcreion says: Nov 13, 2008. 6:17 PM

In canada you dont get poppies like that... you get ones that stab you in the chest all the time. QQ

mysterygirl154 says: Nov 16, 2008. 6:10 PM

I stick a little canadian flag pin through the center instead of the pin thingy that somehow manages to poke me no matter what I do with it.

mysterygirl154 says: Nov 16, 2008. 6:35 PM

these are the ones we get (sorry its a horrible picture)

Alcreion says: Dec 1, 2008. 2:32 PM

i do a think with the pin, by stabbing it into the poppy after it goes threw my shirt so its like a safety pin

kelseymh says: Nov 13, 2008. 9:53 PM

Hee, hee! I think you just need to be careful who you "buy" them from :-) We got some that were just deadly, as you say, but we also got a couple our second year that were made from "silk flower" material and had safety pins. Those were actually nice looking :-)

Danielfish says: Nov 13, 2008. 4:03 PM

I don't like Poppies. I don't like war. But nice use of them. :)

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ChrysN says: Nov 15, 2008. 6:12 PM

Wearing poppies doesn't mean you are supporting war, but remembering those that died because of it.

=SMART= (author) says: Nov 13, 2008. 4:59 PM

Thanks, i only like war on xbox..

AnarchistAsian says: Nov 13, 2008. 5:52 PM

same here, though i also like war on psp, ps2, wii, computer, airsoft, and paintball...

red-king says: Nov 14, 2008. 2:14 PM

i like war as long as it doesn't actually hurt anyone lol

AnarchistAsian says: Nov 14, 2008. 2:49 PM

ha ha PEOPLE AT WAR DON'T HAVE TO KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

=SMART= (author) says: Nov 13, 2008. 11:55 PM

Agreed

bdl says: Nov 15, 2008. 6:58 AM

Kelsey Here in the UK our remembrance is for all soldiers who have sacrificed, not just the great war. The poppy is a Flanders symbol but it covers right up to the modern day and personnel who we have lost in the Stan and Iraq. Nice instructable though. Anything that raises the profile is worth it.

=SMART= (author) says: Nov 15, 2008. 10:19 AM

Thanks, i am in the UK

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Kiteman says: Nov 13, 2008. 11:50 AM

Mixed feelings here. It looks good, very good, and kudos for the recycling, but the poppy has a secondary function - raising money to care for the veterans too damaged by war and time to care for themselves. If you do recycle the poppies this way, be sure to make a donation as well.

kelseymh says: Nov 13, 2008. 3:58 PM

I know =SMART= already replied, but still...from the intro, it's clear that the input poppies had already been acquired via donation, then discarded. It seems quite on point to me to recycle them into a larger original symbol, instead of letting them fade away (as we let too many of our vets do already).

=SMART= (author) says: Nov 13, 2008. 4:59 PM

Well said

kelseymh says: Nov 13, 2008. 9:51 PM

Thanks. Kiteman was right about the donation, but I think you've addressed that adequately yourself. My father (and father-in-law!) was career Air Force, and I spent twelve years ('84-'96) in the USAR as the token Democrat in each of my units :-) I got many of the benefits of the military "family," without the sacrifices so many of its members are called upon to make. At least in California, the VA (Veterans' Affairs) system is well organized and well managed, but only for the vets who know to avail themselves of it. Too many don't. And in other states (sadly, even Walter Reed hospital itself has been in the news) the system is badly broken.

=SMART= (author) says: Nov 13, 2008. 12:37 PM

of course ! It really annoys me when kids put 20p in the tin for a poppy, those men fought for our freedom!! i always put a fiver in and i get all the small change from a tub in my room and put that in to, my mates think i'm stupid but i don't care, they're ungrateful .