Wednesday, February 11, 2009

DIY Daisy Wreath

As a precursor to this post, I have to admit that it might be the world's worst DIY. I made these wreaths for a friend's wedding about three years ago, and I certainly wasn't blogging (or recording my projects) at that point. I have plenty of photos of the finished product in action, but none of the steps that got me there.



With that being said, here's what you'll need for this project:


-- Two floral wreath forms (Mine were either twelve or fifteen inches across. A quick internet search found 15-inch Oasis forms at Save-on-Crafts for $12.99 each, but I believe I purchased mine at Michael's with two 40% off coupons.)
-- A bucket large enough to fit the forms, filled with cool water
-- Thin gauge wire and wire cutters
-- Daisies or another flower of your choice. (For beginners, I would stick with a monofloral or at least monochromatic look.) I can't remember how many I bought, but I think it was approximately three bunches of 25 heads or so each. You should be able to eyeball it, as the amount you need depends on the size of your flower of choice.
-- Sharp scissors
-- About 36 inches of wide satin ribbon (1.5" or 2")
-- Two nails and a hammer



1. Soak the forms in cool water for at least two hours. Cut the flower stems under running water and place in a bucket or large vase.

2. Remove the forms from the water and let dry until they are no longer dripping (the foam will still be saturated with water).

3. Clip wire to your desired hanging length, loop it around the form, and twist to close.

4. Working on a protected or outdoor surface, begin covering the form with flower heads. Taking one flower at a time, clip the stem to 1 1/2" or 2" long, then push into the floral form. You can either work in a orderly pattern of rows or stick them in willy-nilly, depending on the look you're going for. Fill the form until you're happy with it's appearance or you're out of blooms.

5. To attach the ribbon, find the middle of its length. Loop it around the form directly across from the wire hanger, then pull the tails through the loop created. You can dovetail the ends of the ribbon if you'd like.

6. Once at the ceremony site, we simply hammered a nail into each tree (oops) and hung the wreaths from their wire loops.

Here I am with J and the finished product:


{That's right, our outfits matched the wedding colors!}

And here's one wreath in action:



On a side note, this wedding was by far the most lovely I have ever had the pleasure of attending. The ceremony was under two huge old trees in the middle of field, with the ocean just beyond.



The forty of so guests sat in simple white chairs, and the only other decoration was the wreaths hung from the tree trunks (which, by the way, were a surprise for the bride on the day of). I know that it's a cliche, but when A and T recited the vows they wrote themselves, there was literally not a dry eye in the place. It's easy to get caught up in the details of planning a wedding (and I know we celebrate said details at Peach & Pearl), but when you get right down to it -- as sappy as it sounds -- the love is really what matters.

P.S. Here's another great DIY daisy wreath from Martha.

3 comments:

  1. I want these when I get married. Remember that :)

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  2. Very nice post; that was a fun day. You left out some other tips for these wreaths...

    First, some flower stems can be a little too weak to stick into the foam, so reinforcing the stems by sticking toothpicks inside them can be a good idea.

    Second, don't just throw away all those beautiful flowers. At this wedding, half a dozen of us took the flowers from the wreath and showered the bride and groom's limousine with them as they drove away--a gesture which was very much appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aww, what a fun day. Thanks for reminding me!

    ReplyDelete

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