Things You'll Need:
- Silk or fresh flowers Silk or fresh greenery Chalk or something that will mark the stems Floral wire Wire cutters 2 inch wide satin ribbon Corsage pins (for silk flowers) Hi/low temp glue gun Hi/low temp glue sticks
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Step 1
Select the flowers for the bouquet. Using one color and even one type of flower is easier and makes elegant bouquets; for instance, in the picture, this bouquet was made using cream roses contrasted with green leaves. For a bouquet that is 10 inches across, use sixteen roses that are two inches across and five to six small branches of greenery.
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Step 2
Hold all the flowers in your hand. Arrange them so that some flowers are higher than the others, creating a slight dome. Insert the greenery, placing the stems in between the flowers. Hold the bouquet and mark where you want the bottom of the bouquet's handle to be. The flower stems should vary in length from eight inches for the center flowers to eight and a half inches for the outer flowers. Mark the spot where the flower stems are to be cut. Cut the flower stems, making sure they are all even on the bottom.
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Step 3
Wrap a length of floral wire around all of the stems, at a distance of about three inches from underneath the petals of one of the outside flowers. Overlap the wire around itself once. Continue wrapping around the stems, moving down the stems without overlapping the wire, about two more inches. Cut the wire, wrap twist the ends of the wire and tuck them so that they are in between the flower stems.
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Step 4
Place several dots of hi/low temp glue in a vertical two inch line on the bottom of one of the stems. Lay the end of the satin ribbon along the glue and hold to allow it to dry. Wrap the ribbon snuggly around the bottom of the bunched flower stems. Continue wrapping while angling the ribbon upward, until about four inches of the flower's stems are covered. Allow approximately a quarter inch more of ribbon and cut off the excess. Fold a quarter inch of ribbon under and lay it on top of the other ribbon; note where that point is. Place a line of glue on that spot and lay the folded ribbon on the glue. Hold the ribbon in place until the glue dries.
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Step 5
Insert a corsage pin in the top of the fold on the ribbon. Slide the pin along the length of the stems. Move down about three quarters of an inch and insert another corsage pin. Insert three more pins, spacing them three quarter inches. Repeat on the opposite side of the corsage's ribbon handle. This is more than a decoration; it helps to anchor the ribbon in place.
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Step 6
Put a drop of hi/low glue behind each corsage pin head. Turn the bouquet upside down and smear a generous amount of hi/low glue to the flower's cut stems. Spread the glue to smooth it out; wait for the glue to dry before setting the bouquet down.
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Step 1
Select the flowers and greenery while they are still fresh. If you pick the flowers from a garden, use buds that are newly opened. Cut the stem at a 45 degree angle with sharp pruning shears If you purchase them from a florist, ask for the freshest flowers available. Store the flowers and greenery in a container of water in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
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Step 2
Gather the flowers in your hand and arrange them as you would if they were silk. Wrap a length of floral wire around the stems of the flowers several times. Cut off the excess wire, twist the ends and tuck them in between the stems of the flowers. Be careful not to pierce the stems with the wire. Cut the ends of the flower stems at the same point.
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Step 3
Wrap the ribbon snugly around the bottom of the bunched flower stems. Continue wrapping while angling the ribbon upward, until about four inches of the flower's stems are covered. Allow approximately a quarter inch more of ribbon and cut off the excess. Fold a quarter inch of ribbon under and lay it on top of the other ribbon; put a line of glue on the fold and lay it on the other ribbon.
