FLOWER CROWN DIY

I'VE BEEN ASKED A FEW TIMES to do a flower crown tutorial on my first blog and on this one, and so when Kaity wanted to spend a pleasant day a couple weeks ago making some crowns and snapping some photos, I was more than happy to oblige. I'm hoping we'll be doing a lot more crafty things throughout the summer! You can find the companion piece to my post on the day on her blog here. It's funny how, when it came down to it, I wasn't quite sure how to go about describing it. I sort of just did it on my own, which I think is how a lot of things end up being done. But it was nice to break it down into steps.

First off, materials (which you can find at MIchael's or Joann or another craft supply store):
floral tape, green cloth-covered floral stem wire (around 20 gauge so it's sturdy but still bendy), scissors, ribbon (optional), various flowers of your choosing

The first step is to take the stem wire and bend it into a circle that will fit around-- aptly-- the crown of your head. I usually just take the wire and wrap it around the part of my head I want it to lay, and that way it's curved to your head. Now the wire will be a bit smaller than the circumference of your head-- or a lot smaller, if you're like me and have a big head covered in big hair. You have two options: one is to add ribbon to the ends to tie in a bow, and that way it'll also be adjustable; OR, you can combine two stems in two sliding/adjustable half circles. Just bend the ends back into a crook to attach either the ribbon or the ends of the other piece of wire.

Then, gather your picked flowers and leaves (ours were foraged everywhere from the LA flower mart to the outdoors and from Fresh & Easy and Albertson's. Albertson's surprisingly has a great selection of inexpensive flowers, and Fresh & Easy had peonies!

Next, you need to clip the stems from the flowers and leaves, leaving just enough length to affix it to the wire with the floral tape. The tape we used was leftover from some flower girl crowns I made for a wedding I planned earlier in the month, and it was a bit thin. I usually prefer a wider tape, but you gotta work with what you've got! What you do is a little bit awkward and fumbly. You place the flower stem along the bent wire where you think it'll look pretty, and then wrap pieces of the sticky floral tape around it to secure it in place. You repeat that with the other flowers you've prepped and chosen to use. I end up putting some on and then tilting it, getting side views, trying it on my head to make sure there aren't any gaps or weirdly placed flowers. You can lay them in different directions or all facing the same way, stacked higher in front, a bunch different ways depending on the look you're going for.

Last thing is to make sure you wrap the last bits of tape around the back end of the wire to secure it. And there you have it! If you have any question, let either of us know. :) Afterwards, Kaity and I went to take some magic hour photos of our results. We made some with peonies. baby carnations, craspedia/billy balls, baby's breath, and queen anne's lace.