Shortie DIYs: A Bouquet Worth Tossing

I love my bouquet. I haven't seen it yet, but it exists in somewhere in the feathery, floaty, martha-polluted reaches of my mind. Because of my overwhelming love for my bouquet, I'm having a hard time reconciling myself to the idea of throwing it into the masses of single, ambitious, love-hungry ladies at my wedding.

Crazy ladies like ME.



I have been known to, at more than one wedding, so ferociously go after the bouquet that people ended up maimed. For 'realz' - at my first wedding (when I was twelve), I jumped up and elbowed two ladies in the face! (I don't remember this, I kind of "black out" during bouquet tosses, only coming-to when I feel the bouquet handle lodged securely in my grip, feel the thrill of triumph running through my veins, and/or hear the angry mutters around me ("did you SEE her?") :)





I'm a wee bit competitive and prone to believe in wedding superstitions.



Exhibit B: I'm the amazonian tan lady (summer in Europe will do that) pursing her lips and formulating her catch-plan.






(HINT: Anybody play basketball? The key to catching a bouquet is the stance you take (wide, planted feet, hands up and open in front of you), and where you position yourself (judge the bride, watch her during the day, see if she would be a lobber, a girly-thrower, a ceiling-hitter, etc). Also, be RUTHLESS. :) )





ANY-WAY, I'm so not throwing my gorgeous bouquet if my guests are anything like me. Instead, I decided to hit my local dollarama, and grab some fake flowers for a little DIY magic!



::HOW TO MAKE A TOSS BOUQUET FOR SEVEN DOLLARS::





YOU WILL NEED:

• fake flowers (I used pink and yellow tulips, pink carnations, green kermit mums)...look at pictures of bouquets you like, choose the colours, types, and number of stems to coordinate with your vision. TIP: Buy stems with multi-heads, not single flower stems, to maximize your budget.
• sturdy, sticky tape (I used packaging tape, but you can use floral tape, duct tape, hockey tape - scotch tape won't work)
• ribbons (I used two, one 1 1/2 " ribbon, and one 1/2" ribbon in a coordinating but contrasting pattern). I used about four feet for the wrapping and bow of the main ribbon.
• wire cutters (I used jewellery wire cutters, but any will do the trick unless you have mega thick stems)
• scissors
• hot glue gun

This DIY project is REALLY easy, and took me just over two hours. Put on some slow jams, grab a glass of wine/soda/water/whatever, and settle in!

::CARNATIONS/MULTI-PETALLED FLOWERS::





Because these are dollar store flowers, they are naturally very ugly. In order to prettify them, you will need to take them apart, and put them back together.





STEPS:

1. Rip the head of a carnation/or any multi-petalled flower off of its stem. Pluck off its green base (bottom of the flower), put it to the side - you will need it later.
2. Layer the flower petals how you like (I alternated the layers to that the Y shapes overlappped). You can also combine different petals from differed flowers to create new types of flowers!.
3. Put a dab of hot glue around the hole in the middle of the petals, glue each layer together.
4. Cut off the green bit that originally went THROUGH your flower (not the original stem), so that it is flat and flush with the green base of the flower.
5. Glue this green base and green bit back to the bottom of the flower. The green bit will allow you to connect the flower head back on to the stem. Do so.
6. Arrange any moveable leaves on the stem to how you want them.
7. To make peonies, combine 2-3 carnations together, wrap with tape.

FINISHED CARNATION (PEONY):

:: TULIP OR STAMEN FLOWERS::


Flowers with these upright petals and stamens are a little bit trickier, but it's basically the same.



STEPS:

1. Fold back the petals, they are usually glued to plastic bits that hold them upright. Cut off the stamen as well as these plastic supports (unless you want a tulip)
2. Rip the head of a tulip off of its stem. Pluck off its clear base (bottom of the flower), put it to the side - you will need it later.
3. Layer the flower petals how you like (I alternated the layers to that the Y shapes overlappped). You can also combine different petals from differed flowers to create new types of flowers!.
4. Put a dab of hot glue around the hole in the middle of the petals, glue each layer together.
   You can fold petals over each other and glue together to create a "bud" as well!
5. Glue this clear base back onto the bottom of the flower. The clear bit will allow you to connect the flower head back on to the stem. Do so.
6. Arrange any moveable leaves on the stem to how you want them.
   

FINISHED TULIP/FLUFFY PRETTY FLOWER:

To create the bouquet, place the individual or clustered stems (like the peony we made) together, and use your sticky, sturdy tape to wrap around. Each stem you add, do another layer of tape. This way it's secure.

When all of your flowers are together, apply some glue to the bottom of the bouquet handle. Place the MIDDLE of your wide ribbon on to it, then wrap the handle with the two sides. If you leave pieces hanging, you can wrap them into a bow. Make sure to apply glue every so often along the handle while you are wrapping, so that the ribbon doesn't slide. If you are using additional ribbons, wrap them as you please, and glue into place.

::THE FINISHED RESULT::

So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this DIY project - if you are on a budget and are using silk florals, the techniques I have listed here can easily be used for your real bouquets as well!

What do you think? Will my fake bouquet withstand the ravages of a hoard of clutching females? ;)