DIY Details & Directions
Posted in DIY, General Wedding, Personal Touches, Uncategorized on 11/25/2008 09:29 am by michelleDo you love the details from the previous post? Well here are the DIY instructions so that you can easily create your own.
Florets burst from place cards, made by gluing card stock over veneer paper; prop up the cards with a triangle of heavy paper glued underneath, perpendicular to the veneer.
Blossom How-To
Fill a small bowl with scales. For the work surface, you’ll need a cardboard box (at least 4 inches square) with a hinged lid. Snip 4 inches of floral wire; form a small hook on one end. From card stock, cut a disk a bit larger than the desired size of the bloom’s center. Secure disk to box top by poking wire through both, letting hook rest in the center so the wire won’t fall through. Using tacky glue, affix scales in a flower shape to disk; the hook will become covered with glue. For a fuller blossom, add another layer inside the first, using smaller scales, adding up to five layers for larger blooms. Use tacky glue to attach one or more cloves or tiny plant parts in the center; let dry, and remove bloom from box.
Use the “Blossom How-To” from above to create these Pinecone Candle Vines:
These climbers include flowers made from Sabulosum cone scales, buds from the tamarack tree, and leaves, which are really single Norway spruce cone scales. The finished vine can be tightly coiled around a candlestick.
Vine How-To
1. To make buds and leaves for a vine, affix tamarack buds and large scales to 4-inch-long wires: Wrap floral tape around wires and bases of bud or scale, adding tacky glue where necessary.
2. Cut a piece of heavy floral wire as long as desired length of vine. Alternate florets with buds and leaves: Lay stem against the floral wire, wrap it in place with brown floral tape, lay the next against the wire, wrap it, and so on until vine is complete.
3. Add pinecone blossoms.
A table arrangement of grains celebrates the bounty of fall. In addition to wheat, which symbolizes a fruitful life, this textured display includes other dried grasses (available at crafts stores), so it can be made weeks ahead. The final flourish? A luxurious satin bow.
Centerpiece How-To
To make each centerpiece, you’ll need about a hundred stalks (six bunches) of dried grass and wheat.
1. Bundle 15 or so stems together at a time (they’re easiest to handle if you secure bundles with floral tape about 4 inches below grain pods).
2. Hold between thumb and forefinger at an angle. Add bundles, in a spiral as shown, until all are used.
3. Wrap with floral tape (choose a color that matches your ribbon). Trim ends with floral pruner (cut center tips shorter for a stable base). Tie a wide ribbon over tape.
Autumn Luminaries
Autumn Luminarias How-To:
1. Collect fallen leaves, and arrange them on top of colored-paper treat bags.
2. Put 1 teaspoon acrylic paint (choose colors that contrast with bags) in a 2- to 3-ounce misting bottle. Fill halfway with water and shake to mix. Mist bags and leaves. Let dry 20 minutes. Remove leaves. Repeat on other side. Fill bottom of each bag with sand.
3. Illuminate: For safety reasons, use either glass holders that are three times as tall as candles or substitute battery-operated lights.
All Photos and Instructions via Martha Stewart
