What do you do with extra flower heads or seed pods that you have laying around?

You make a gorgeous flower garland!

A SIMPLE CRAFT

This is such a fun craft that everybody and anybody can enjoy.  While making an everlasting wreath can take a matter of hours, garlands like this can take a matter of minutes.  

I am so pleased to have found this lovely, brassy Garland Wire that is perfect for creating with. It is very thin, almost thread-like, so instead of trying to tie little knots around your flower heads, all you have to do is twist the wire around the stem a couple of times. The wire also has a slight crinkle in it, making it incredibly easy to handle. 

HOW TO MAKE A FLOWER GARLAND

• To begin, please do not feel limited to flower heads.  You can use anything... such as seed pods, leaves, tiny branches... or mix it up. 

• Each flower only needs to have a tiny bit of a stem left on it for you to work with.

• Cut a length of wire a bit longer than the total length of the garland you want to create.

• Form a loop at the top of the length and twist it around itself a few times, this loop is for hanging.

• Start by holding the wire in one hand with the flower head/stem bit on top and hold in place with your thumb and forefinger. Using your other hand, carefully wrap the wire around the stem at least three times to make sure it stays put.  You can do this in a twisting motion after a bit of practice.

• Move down the wire a few centimetres and repeat. Thats it!

USING THE NEEDLE METHOD

• This wire is also thin enough to use with a needle.

• Thread your needle with the wire, and poke through the middle of each flower head, piling them all together or space them out with little knots or twists.

• This method is best for when your flower heads are still fresh. Hang up your garland to dry out completely.

The best part about this wire is that you can manipulate it really easily. You can style it in waves, perhaps alongside a strand of fairy lights, or you can pull it straight to make long curtain-like strands.  As you can see, my favourite materials to use are my Honesty seed pods with little gum-nuts added to the bottom of each, which adds a bit of weight to them.  Let your creativity run wild with this material.

Use this wire with my Wildflower Confetti to get started on some garlands right away, or start drying some flower heads from your own garden and make something really special with them.

Strawflowers are also beautiful in garlands; I usually have an extra kitchen colander around that I use to dry out the flower heads that Ella and I gather from the garden.  Fully dried flower heads and seed pods can be stored in cardboard boxes in a dry place for later use.

I hope you enjoy this incredibly fun flower project. 

With much love,

Elizabeth xx