DIY Floral Crowns and Leaf Garland

Today I’m excited to share with you the quickest way to make a leaf garland and floral crowns. This is the last post of DIYs from my birthday dinner party- you can check out the whole party, the Monogrammed Velvet Napkin Rings, and my Naked Cake Cheat too if you like. This one is going to be quick, because the tutorial is, well, easy. But that’s how I like it- quick and easy crafts for parties, save the time consuming DIYs for home decor and things that will stick around a bit longer. And what’s really awesome about these crowns- the greens I chose dry kind of like lavender, meaning they’ll last for pretty near ever. I still have mine and it’s been over a month.

Since this was a party activity, I set out my supplies ahead of time. You’ll need a Calluna plant- I picked mine up at Walmart for five or six bucks- two plans provided more than enough heathers to make 8 crowns. In place of the Calluna you could use any type of flowers you choose, but I found this worked really well- looked wild and beautiful, and was frugal to boot. Other than your chosen greens, you’ll need wire, wire cutters scissors, and floral tape. Before you get to play with the floral tape, you need to create your crown shape. cut some wire and twist it together to make a ‘crown’. Now it’s time for the fun!

Start cutting the heathers- or bunches of them, off your plant and use the floral tape to secure them on your crown. Floral tape? Yes, it’s magic. It doesn’t work like normal tape in that it’s only sticky when you stretch it, and it only sticks to itself. When you wrap your tape, pull it tight to get it to ‘activate’, then use your fingers to press it together and secure it. This stuff is amazing! I’ve always used wire to attach florals and, honestly, I don’t know if I’ll go back. Three rolls of the stuff was five bucks and I don’t know that I’ll go through it anytime soon- that’s a lot of tape! Another nice thing about the Calluna is the slight curve the heathers have- it lends perfectly to a floral crown! Face them all in the same direction and anyone can make a beautiful crown. Just pay attention to cover the tape with another heather, and continue until you fill your crown.

 

Okay, so that’s the crown, and the leaves garland is just as easy thanks to the floral tape! I used ruscus to make the garland because the leaves are just as vibrant on either side, and it’s a hardy cut- it will last almost a week out of water! The only downside to using ruscus for a floral garland is that it’s pretty rigid, don’t expect to have it twisting and turning around centerpieces and such. To make the garland, just tape the stems together, paying attention to tape where a leaf covers the connection. Once you have it as long as you like, go back and add extra stems to make it twice as full- this is when it starts to look impressive!

And that’s… it! Both are seriously easy but make a big impact. They feel totally luxe, but cost so little, and they come together in a snap! I’m thinking of how I can adapt the leaves garland for my holiday decor, I just love it so much! Now- over to you! Have you used floral tape before? Do you love it as much as me? And floral crowns… yay/nay? Just for parties and photos or are they cool for every day wear?

 

PS. If you love floral crowns and pretty photos, I should probably point you in the direction of Jennifer Hawkins’ magical little girls birthday photo session… your welcome ;)