DIY: Floral Headpiece

We’re welcoming spring with a royal flair! Inspired by the glamorous cover of Melissa de la Cruz’s The Ring and the Crown, we’ve come up with a DIY tutorial for your own floral headpiece. There are a plethora of DIY floral hair accessories to choose from online, but this one is quick, easy and gorgeous — so give it a go!

What You’ll Need:
Coiled Aluminum or Steel Wire (comes in silver and gold – either works)
Floral Wire (get a green shade so that it will blend with the stems)
2-4 different colored flowers (make sure that you choose small buds with thin stems – you’ll have an easier time attaching them to the wire. Bulky flowers and heavy stems will weigh down the headpiece. Any and all color variations work. Have fun with it – play around with colors and flower types!)
*I suggest choosing one larger flower that will act as your “main” flower, and 2-3 smaller flowers that will be decorative side pieces. And don’t break the bank… random, colorful buds from your garden work just as well…
Bushel of Baby’s Breath (or similar inexpensive airy greens)
Scissors

How To Make It (refer to pictures in the slideshow above):
1. Cut about a dozen 2-4 inch pieces of floral wire.
2. Take the coiled aluminum wire and wrap it around your head… give it another 2-4 inches and cut. You want it to be longer than the circumference of your head so that you can create a hook and eye type of loop.
3. Bend the wire into a circle, then create your loops on opposite ends.
4. Choose a main flower – you’ll want to cut 4 buds from the bushel. Give yourself at least 2 inches of stem.
5. Attach the main flower to the FRONT of the aluminum wire by using floral wire. Wrap 2 of the flowers facing right and 2 of the flowers facing left. This way, they will face each other and create fullness in the front of your headpiece.
*don’t worry if the green floral wire shows… once the headpiece is on, it will blend in with the stems.
6. Create 2-4 groupings (this will depend on your head size – I used 2 groupings) of alternate colored flowers (I combined yellow and purple). Bind them together with the floral wire.
7. Attach the groupings to the headpiece, on either side of your main flowers.
*If you feel that the groupings are too large or cumbersome, attach each flower separately. This entirely depends on the type and size of flower that you choose.
8. Either continue with your floral groupings along either side of the headpiece, or attach Baby’s Breath (or the like) on either side. Again, cut small bushels, leaving stem room, and attach with the floral wire.
9. Weave the Baby’s Breath on top of each other and attach each new bushel with floral wire. You’re goal is to layer the visible stems with more Baby’s Breath. Do this on either side.
10. Once you’ve attached enough flowers to cover 3/4 of your aluminum wire, you’re pretty much done! I left the hook and eye uncovered so that I could adjust the headpiece, but you can also attach flowers or Baby’s Breath or even a piece of satin so that you can’t see any of the wire.

GENERAL TIP: When attaching flowers to the wire, wrap them as close to the bud as possible and work down the stem, lining the stems up with the wire. In other words, don’t leave the stems protruding in a vertical direction, but rather closely nestled against the bend of the wire.

The headpiece will last about a day, maybe longer if you keep it out of the sun and in the refrigerator while not wearing it. Feel free to experiment with different types of flowers, greens, and even stems. It’s true trial and error. And remember, floral wire is your friend. If a flower feels loose, keep wrapping it!

For more information on Melissa de la Cruz’s epic tale of kingdoms, monarchies, and royal happenings, click here and watch the trailer below.

Questions on how to make your floral headpiece? Ask away in the comment section below.