DIY Wedding

Photo courtesy of: InStyleWeddings.com

If you’re looking for a beautiful, modern centerpiece that is easy on the wallet and is can be done yourself these submerged flower centerpieces  are for you! Submerged flower centerpieces have been all the rage the past year or two..and why wouldn’t they be? They look so elegant and contemporary plus you don’t need a ton of flowers to make a big impact. Tulips and orchids look stunning..but so can many other flowers (and branches too!).

Let’s get started! You will need…

• Flowers/Greenery/Branches to be submerged (Fresh or silk/latex flowers can be used..both have their own pros and cons. Fresh obviously won’t last forever so they are best put together  the night before to ensure they stay fresh for the big day. Silk will never die BUT water works as a natural magnifier so if the silk flowers have frays, loose threads and flaws they will be more obvious once submerged in water. Latex seems to be used more often when a fake flower is used for this reason! Also, when using fake flowers test them underwater first before putting them into the centerpiece. Colors may bleed and you don’t want that happening on your big day!) Some ideas for things to submerge: Tulips, Stem of Orchids, Calla Lillies, Ferns, Hydrangeas, Oriental Lillies, Cherry blossom branches, branches of hibiscus berries, gladiolas, roses.. etc! Avoid flowers with paper thin petals or flowers with a ton of pollen..and you’ll be fine!
• Pretty vase (Often tall rectangular or cylindrical ones and fish bowls are the vases of choice..but there are no rules. If you have another pretty vase you think would work well that your flowers would fit into..use it!
• Stainless steel washers and/or fishing sinkers to keep the flower submerged. (Washers and sinkers come in a multitude  of sizes and weights. Use the smallest size you can that will keep your flower(s) submerged! The more flowers you submerge or the larger the flower the more weight you’ll need.)
• Decorative rocks, gravel, stones seashells (to hide the wire/fishing line/weights)
• Floral tape (Needed if you are using multiple stems)
• Floral/fishing wire or Fishing line to attach the flowers/greenery to the weights
• Distilled water (Distilled water will stop the bubbles from forming on the flowers. If you don’t mind the bubbles then any water should be ok!)
• Optional: Floating candles, Submersible LED lights to give the vase a pretty glow

Now all there is to do is assemble!

1. Take your vase (make sure it is nice and clean!) and your flowers/branches/greenery and plan how you would like it to look once in the vase and submerged. This is easy if you are using only a single stem of orchids or  a single tulip but if you plan on having more than one stem you may want to practice how they will look grouped before taping/wiring/tying them together.
2. If you are using fresh flowers now might be a good time to give them a fresh cut (at an angle) under running water to keep them fresher longer! If you are using fake flowers make sure you test them first to make sure the colors will not bleed once under water.
3. (If you are using a single stem skip to the next step!) If you are using more than one stem and know how you want them grouped you can now floral tape the group of stems together to hold them in place near the bottom (You are going to want to hide the tape with rocks/stones so don’t tape them too high!)
4. Now with your floral wire or fishing line tightly wrap around the stem(s) and then tie/attach the wire or line to the steel washer or fishing sinker. (Some flowers/branches may not need to be weighted at all..I cannot stress enough that practicing beforehand is key! A stem of orchids may push into a tall skinny vase and not budge..but you won’t know unless you practice first! It all depends on the type of item being submerged and the vase being used!)
5. Now you can gently slide your flowers/greenery/branches into the vase, letting the weight rest at the bottom.
6. Next, hide the ugly washer/sinker with your decorative stones, river rocks, gems, sand..whatever you decided would be a pretty!
7. Now all you have to do is fill it up! You may choose to submerge the flower completely or just half way..Both can look very pretty! Just make sure the water is distilled water if you do not want the little bubbles to form on your flowers.
8. That’s it! You may choose to leave it the way it is or you may decide to float a candle on top. Both would look very nice!

Some final thoughts..

The project itself is really simple! The biggest problem you are going to have is getting them to your venue. Some people recommend seeing if you can bring the weighted flowers, stones and distilled water to the venue the night before and set it up to avoid transportation issues. Otherwise make sure they are secure in your vehicle and not completely full of water (enough to allow the flower to drink). Finish filling them up once they are at your venue!

As always if you use our instructions to make your own centerpieces..We want to see! Please e-mail your photos to us

Photos courtesy of: theknot.com

I found this DIY project browsing around the web and just had to share it with all of you! It would be a beautiful diy project for autumn wedding decor like centerpieces or decorations or even in wedding bouquets! Plus, it is extremely affordable as you can get the leaves just walking around your neighborhood..for free!

Some tips before the photo tutorial…

• Choose bright, freshly fallen leaves – the more colorful the more vibrant your flowers will be! Avoid the crispy dry leaves..they will not fold and form into flowers without breaking.
• It is best to use leaves of a similar color for each flower..a group of yellow leaves make a beautiful yellow flower..etc.
• The original tutorial is not written in english but the translation mentions soaking the finished bouquets in vegetable oil for a few days to maintain color and freshness. I have not tried this though – so don’t take my word for it! Other preservation methods would be dipping the finished flowers in glycerin(1 part glycerin to 2 parts water, left in solution 2-6 days) or spraying with acrylic spray from your local craft store.
• The thread can be covered with a matching floral tape to give the flowers a more finished look.

The full original tutorial can be found on Natalia’s Site.

As always I would -love- to see photos if you create these beautiful autumn leave flowers! Make you e-mail us if you do

I was watching Martha Stewart last week (as I always do!) and she had a beautiful spring craft on that I thought would be absolutely perfect for weddings! She created stunning fabric floral bouquets and it seemed pretty simple to do too. I’m definitely tempted to add another project to my growing list of diy things for my July wedding…fabric hydrangeas!

Here are her fantastic instructions! (If you’d rather watch the video click here!)

You will need…

• fabric (voile works nicely!)
• tray (something shallow like a clean baking sheet)
• medium paint brush
• liquid fabric stiffener
• petal and leaf craft punches (available at Michael’s and Walmart)
• micro hole punch
• floral pips (or stamens)
• contact cement
• floral wire (if making bouquet)
• wire cutters (if making bouquet)
• green floral tape (if making bouquet)
• hair comb(s) or pin(s) (if making hair combs/pins instead!)
• needle and thread and/or a strong glue (if making hair combs/pins)

Instructions

1. Begin by punching your fabric flowers: Lay a piece of fabric in a shallow tray. With a medium paintbrush, apply enough fabric stiffener to saturate, but not soak, the fabric. Let it dry, about 1 hour. Repeat with any remaining fabric.
2. Using craft punches, punch out petals and leaves as close together on the fabric as possible.
3. Using a micro hole punch, make a hole in the center of each bloom. Slip a pip through each hole, and secure it with a dab of contact cement.

For bouquets:

1. To make a stem, cut a length of floral wire, and wrap it around each pip with green floral tape.
2. For leaves, glue floral wire to each one to create veins and stems. Wrap stems with floral tape.
3. Gather blooms and leaves into a bouquet, and either tuck them in a vase or wrap the stems in more floral tape to join them.

For hair combs and pins:

1. If using a comb gently sew your flowers to it with needle and thread, reinforcing with a dab of strong glue (hot glue maybe?) if you like. If using pins place flowers where u want them at the top of the pin and glue with strong glue.

credit: Martha Stewart

There you go! with those easy instructions you can fill your ceremony and reception with your own handmade bouquets and centerpieces that will last forever! Beautiful keepsakes you will cherish. The hair pieces would also look good not only in your bridal hair..but your bridesmaids and flowergirl’s hair too!

Make sur eyou send in some pics if you create your own..we want to see!

Martha Stewart is having her yearly Valentine’s Day workshop right now so her show is full of all kinds of pretty Valentine’s themed crafts and projects! One of the projects she featured this week were small crepe paper roses that I thought would be beautiful for weddings too! While she explains how to make the roses and turn them into barrettes, you could choose to make them into something else too if you like!

For these pretty roses, you will need…

• double sided crepe paper (choose colors to match your wedding theme!)
• rose template (download here!)
• stapler
• scissors
• toothpick
• 28 gauge wire
• bamboo skewer
• hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• smooth-cast 327
• piece of styrofoam
• pruners
• krylon clear matte finish spray
• small scrap of green felt
• pencil
• barrette or pin backing (optional, you may choose to use them as decor instead!)

1. First, cut out three 6.5″ by 2.5″ rectangles from your doubl sided crepe paper.
2. Next, print the template! Then cut out the rectangle containing the petal shapes and stack them on top of the three paper rectangles. Staple into place.
3. Now, cut out the petals! You will end up with three tear-drop shaped petals and nine heart shaped petals.
4. To shape the petals: Cup in center; Wrap left and right top edges around a toothpick to curl.
5. Build the flower by placing the tear drop petals first, and then the heart petals around eachother, holding onto the bottoms.
6. Fasten the petals in place by wrapping wire around the base, then wrap the wire around a bamboo skewer. Secure with glue.
7. Mix Smooth-Cast 327 according to manufacturer’s directions. Dip the flower into the mix and shake off excess. Insert bamboo skewer into Styrofoam while the flower hardens. Repeat for a second coat.
8. Use pruners to snip off the “skewer stem”.
9. Finally spray both sides of the flower with the krylon matte spray and allow to dry.
10. To complete the rose, cut out the leaf shape from the template and trace it on your green felt. Cut out your leaf!
11. If you are making a barrette or pin, glue the barrette or pin backing to the back of the flower and then cover it by gluing on your green felt leaf. If you plan on using the roses simply as pretty decor, skip gluing on the barrette or pin and just attach the felt leaf!

Here’s the video if you would rather watch the roses created first hand than read the instructions

That’s it! When complete you will have a pretty crepe paper rose that is actually pretty durable since you sealed it with the smooth cast and the finish spray.

Some ideas for their use..

• Pin it into your pretty wedding hair, make one for each of your bridesmaids hair..or put some in the hair of your flower girls!
• You may choose to scatter them around your cake on your cake table for decoration, or even around the center of the guest tables as an addition to your centerpieces!
• Something that may be worth trying would be threading the backs of the roses with monofilament or clear fishing line, securing with glue..Then you could have  pretty strands of raining crepe paper flowers to hang as decor! You may need to thread them before sealing them though..I’m guessing the seal may make it hard to shove a needle through! You may be able to avoid the threading all together and just glue them directly to the monofilament and hide/secure the glue job with your green felt leaf!

These are just a few ideas..If you create these pretty flowers for your big day we’d love to see!

credit: Martha Stewart

A floral pomander (sometimes called kissing ball) is a great DIY project that can be used for a variety of things in your wedding! It is wonderful for bouquets, decor and centerpieces.

You may ask, what is a pomander? Simply put, it is a foam ball covered in flowers (either fresh or silk will do!) to create a ruffly floral ball. A ribbon can be attached to use it as a bouquet or hang up as decor. You can also prop it onto a pretty vase and use it as a centerpiece.

If fresh flowers are being used, a sturdy flower such as daisies, carnations, mums, roses or dahlias work best. If you plan on using silk go with whatever flowers tickles your fancy! Keep in mind fresh flowers would need to be created as close to your wedding day as possible, while silk flowers last forever and can be created as soon as you like!

To begin, you will need:

• Oasis Foam Flower Ball (size depends on project)
• Fresh or Silk Flowers (ie. a 20cm foam ball will need 50 carnations to cover, amount of flowers depend on size of ball and flowers being used!)
• Scissors
• Hot Glue (If using silk flowers or if you are attaching a ribbon or rope for hanging!)
• Pins (If creating a hanging pomander ball or want to better secure fresh flowers)

If you are using fresh flowers you will also need some flower food/preservative. Let’s begin!

1. If using fresh flowers you will first need to condition the flowers to allow them to last as long as possible once in the foam ball. Clean a larger bucket and fill it about 1/4 full with warm water and flower food (at ratio explained in flower food instructions). Remove all lower leaves from your flowers and cut stems at a sharp angle to allow for maximum water absorption. Allow flowers to sit in the water at least 10-15 minutes.
2. Next, if using fresh flowers you will also need to gently soak your oasis foam ball. Place the sponge/ball in warm water with flower food dissolved in it. Allow the ball to submerge itself. Avoid pushing the sponge down into the water as it can cause bubbles within the ball. These are air pockets that wouldn’t allow your flowers to drink!
3. Now you’re ready to start assembling! Remove your flowers from the bucket you were conditioning them in and cut stems at a sharp angle to about 1″-1.5″. Starting from the top, push the stem of your first flower into the foam ball, making sure it is pushed firmly(but gently!!) into the foam base. Continue in a straight line until you have created a ring all the way around your ball. Then, make a line halfway around, and fill in the quarters. If you feel your flowers aren’t secure enough, you can pin them in with greening or boutonniere pins.
4. If you plan on using your ball as a centerpiece resting on a bowl or vase, you’re done! If you plan on hanging the ball for decor or using it as a bouquet, you will need to attach some ribbon or jute.
5. Measure desired length x 2 and add 3 inches for the knot. Tie into a loop (double knot). Hold in place with greening pin. You can then add some hot glue and another greening pin over the top for an extra secure hold.
6. If making a hanging pomander, an additional detail you may like is attaching a corded tassle to the bottom of your ball, for a pretty dangly effect. To do this, attach the corded tassle loop to a wired pick. Dip the pick’s unwired end into floral adhesive and press the pick into your pomander.

Here is a fantastic video I found, creating a floral pomander with carnations.

It is such a beautiful finished look! I am thinking of trying to find some tinted blue and green carnations to make some hanging pomanders for my big day. Please send me your photos if you make some diy pomanders using my instructions!

Wheat grass is extremely easy and inexpensive to grow. It looks great alone or with some added flowers (roses for instance…as seen above!) creatively tucked in here and there. It makes a great living centerpiece for a spring or summer wedding, especially if you are going for a garden wedding theme..or simply going green!

To make your own centerpieces, you’ll only need a few things..and a 2-4 weeks of time! You will need some pretty containers for planting the grass in, some wheat grass seeds (found in a health food store or online at websites such as wheatgrasskits.com – 10 pounds of seed should make 25 small centerpieces), and some soil (miracle grow potting soil works great!). If you are adding flowers you will also need flower tubes, flower preservative and fresh cut flowers (preferably bought within a few days of wedding). Silk flowers may also work..it’s worth a try, and you don’t have to wait till right before the wedding to add them! Ready? Let’s get started….

1. Wheat grass seeds are sometimes prone to mold, so some choose to soak their seeds in water and mold control solution for no more than eight hours before planting. Mold control solution can be found at most garden centers or nurseries. (This is however optional, your seeds may not mold at all!) If you do soak your seeds, be sure to rinse them well before planting or the solution may stop your seeds from sprouting.
2. Fill your container(s) with soil until the soil is about 2 inches from the top of the container and moisten well.
3. Scatter your wheat grass seeds evenly across the moist soil all the way to the edges. Press the seeds down firmly, and then mist the seeds with a fine spray of water.
4. Now just wait! Within a couple of days to a week and a half your grass seeds will begin to sprout. Once the sprouts have grown an inch or two, move your containers to a bright spot, such as a south facing window.
5. Within 2-3 weeks your beautiful centerpieces will be thick with bright green wheat grass(4 inches tall!) and ready for your big day! If you need to trim the grass, that’s fine! Just grab some sharp scissors and give it a haircut.
6. If you decide you want to further your centerpieces with flowers you will now need your fresh cut flowers (tulips, roses, daisies, lilacs for example), and flower tubes. Cut your fresh flowers with a sharp clean knife or pruners at a height that would allow them to peek out of the grass.
7. Slide them into your flower tubes (filled with premixed water and flower preservative) and place them in your centerpiece(s).

Here are some more beautiful examples…

That’s all you need to do to have extremely inexpensive, diy centerpieces! Make sure you send me your pictures and takes on this diy centerpiece craft..I can’t wait to see how they turn out!