Papermaking is goopy good fun for kids. (Photo courtesy of Donna Erickson)

Picking the last blooms off spindly plants in your family garden might seem like a final salute to summer's beauty, but don't say your adieus yet. A scraggly-looking plot gone to seed is ripe for more family gardening fun.

Hiding in pods and flowers are thousands of seeds waiting to be discovered, sorted and saved for next season's planting. You can keep dried seeds in small containers with tight-fitting lids and store them in the refrigerator until it's time to plant them next year.

Or you can share the seeds embedded in homemade re-cycled paper shapes you can give as unique gift cards. When spring comes around, the seeds can be planted in their gardens, card and all!

HERE'S WHAT TO DO

Collect seeds. Pick flowers, such as marigolds or poppies, whose petals have died or where a seed head has formed. Shake out the seeds onto pieces of paper, keeping them separated by flower type. Let them dry out for a day or two.

Make homemade paper shapes.

1. Tear newspaper, colorful construction paper, phone book pages and/or junk mail into 1-inch-by-1-inch strips and toss into a blender until it is half full. (Avoid using shiny paper from magazines.) Add water to cover the paper. Blend on high speed into a thick, goopy consistency, like oatmeal. Toss in some colorful flower petals, if you wish, and give the goop a final pulse.

2. Meanwhile, set a papermaking screen frame or a scrap piece of stiff window screen over an old towel used for crafts.

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Set a large cookie cutter on the screen. Pour a thin layer of the pulp into the shape. Press with a sponge or towel to force excess water through the screen. Sprinkle and press seeds of the same kind of plant into the goop in the cookie cutter.

3. Carefully lift the screen onto an old towel. Remove the cookie cutter to reveal its shape. Set a towel on top and press out more water. Make several seed cards and let dry in a warm, dry place for a day or two.

4. Punch a hole and thread ribbon through the cards for gift tags, inserts to holiday or birthday cards or use as a clever place setting at a party. Add a cheery note with directions to plant the seed card directly in a prepared flowerpot or garden next spring.

Donna Erickson's award-winning television series, "Donna's Day," is airing on public television nationwide. Watch it in the Twin Cities at 7:30 a.m. Fridays on tptLife on channels 13 and 17. Sign up for Donna's e-newsletter at donnas day.com. Her latest book is "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families."