Cherub-Style Fresh Flower Crown Tutorial
A fresh flower crown is nothing short of enchanting and these headpieces, a style I call “Cherub,” are made from fresh, locally sourced botanicals chosen with purpose and meaning. Since these were going to be worn by young children, I designed them to be only 8” long so they weren't overly heavy, and only used soft foliage and blooms that were not abrasive to the skin. I also chose several medicinal herbs which I’ve found are less likely to cause unexpected skin irritations. While these crowns were made for children, they can just as easily be worn by adults and with give an overall effect of ethereal beauty, perfect for special occasions, festivals, or just a summer walk in the garden. Go ahead! Let your inner bohemian goddess or woodland fairy come alive!
Botanical ingredients in this crown:
Astrantia for youth and innocence
Eucalyptus for protection
Feverfew for good health
Waxflower for enduring wealth
You Will Need:
- Fresh botanicals of choice
- Floral wire
- Floral tape
- Ribbon or twine
- Snips
To Create:
- Conditions each of the ingredients by trimming them into small pieces 3-4” long. For Astrantia, cut each small stem that has a bloom (or small cluster of blooms). For eucalyptus, trim and collect the ends of gunni or blue boy. For waxflower, cut the small bloom bundles from the tops of each individual branching stem. For feverfew, cut each small cluster of blooms.
Tip: Varying the length of the foliage in your crown so some pieces are a bit longer than the blossoms and allowing tendrils or leaves to stray, will give the headpiece or more natural, organic look.
- Create small posies (miniature bundles) using a sprig or two of each ingredient. Remove all foliage from the bottom inch of each posey. Create 7-10 posies for each crown.
(Note: removing the foliage from the stems is an important step and will help ensure the structural integrity of the crown. As foliage dries, it shrinks, so if there is foliage under the floral tape, the tape will become loose and sprigs will begin to fall out.)
- Cut a piece of floral wire approximately 18” long. Form a small loop on one end and twist tie to secure. Leave the other end straight.
- Wrap the twisted section with floral tape, winding the tape around at least five times tightly, moving down the wire a bit. Unravel some of the tape from the roll but leave it connected.
- Take your first posey and lay it over the wire, leaving the loop visible just above the blooms. Wrap the floral tape tightly around the stems about five times, securing the bundle to the wire.
- Lay another posey over the wire, overlapping the first. The blooms from the second posey should cover the taped stems from the first. Repeat this step until you get the desired length.
- Before detaching the floral tape, make another loop with the floral wire at the end of the crown, twist tying it and snipping off any extra wire. Then wrap the twisted section with the floral tape just as you did in the beginning. Be sure to cover the end of the wire with floral tape so it doesn’t poke.
- Cut a piece of ribbon (cream or dusty rose chiffon is my favorite for these) or twine 18” or longer and string it through the end loops. This provides an adjustable tie in the back so the crown can fit any head circumference and so it can sit on top of the head or be worn lower across the forehead.
Tip: Secure the sides of crown to hair with two bobby pins for additional support.
CLICK HERE to view an Instagram reel of the making of these flower crowns.
Tips for choosing fresh botanicals:
- Choose botanicals that have soft foliage and no sharp edges, prickles, thorns, or other abrasive parts that can irritate or scratch the skin.
- Choose botanicals with strong stems to stand up to several hours of wear.
- Botanicals with longer vase lives are excellent choices for flower crowns. Botanicals with short vase lives will likely wilt and/or begin to fall apart soon after assembly.
- Choose combinations of botanicals that are similar (or the same color) with a secondary color being the foliage or splash of a vibrant color that is added intermittently.
- If harvesting your botanicals from roadsides or if foraging your materials, be sure that the botanicals are clean and free of pests and infestations.
- Add a fresh botanical that is fragrant.
Storing your flower crown until use:
Always try to assemble your flower crown(s) as close to the time of wear as possible. To keep them looking fresh for 24 hours, cover the bottom of a food storage container with two layers of damp paper towel, lay the crown(s) on top of the paper towel, and then lay two more layers of damp paper towels on top of the crowns. Cover with an airtight lid (if possible) and store in the back of your refrigerator.
Other fresh botanicals that I often use to style flower crowns
yarrow, lavender, olive foliage, spray roses, freesia, strawflower, lavender, gypsophila (baby’s breath), hypericum buds (St. John’s wort), dianthus, sweet William, daisy, succulent, chamomile, hydrangea, peony, bunny tail grass, forget-me-not, ivy
