Cheap Corsage Craft Idea

How to Make a Homemade Prom, Easter, Wedding or Mother's Day Gift on a Budget

Nikki
Corsages make a thoughtful gift for a wide variety of purposes such as a prom, Easter holiday, wedding favors or boutonnieres, or Mother's Day.

This corsage craft project is created using a single flower bud and natural grass or twigs, making it an eco-friendly inexpensive gift idea. The quick and easy assembly makes it a perfect last minute way to honor that extraordinary person in your life. People will be honored to receive this unique homemade present for a special occasion such as a prom, Easter holiday ceremony, Mother's Day event, or even wedding favors or boutonnieres.

Supplies needed to create this quick and easy craft.

Single flower bud such as a tulip or rose
Floral wire
Floral tape
Floral glue
Scissors
Ribbon or lace
Natural grass sprigs or twigs from your yard

Note: If you don't have any floral wire or tape, go to your local florist and ask them for scraps. I've done this in the past and it saves money and waste because you don't have to buy a lot of supplies you might never use again.

Instructions

The first step is to pick a flower. If possible, find one in a color that will accent the outfit your recipient will be wearing. You also want to look for a bud that hasn't fully bloomed to give the piece an elegant look.

Next, take your flower and lightly cover the outer petals of the bud with floral glue. This will keep the petals from opening or blooming any further so your bud will stay intact; it will also seal in moisture to slow down the wilting process.

After the glue has dried, cut off all but about 1-2 inches of length from the stem of the flower. Then cut a piece of floral wire to the exact length of the flower stem. Place the floral wire along one side of the stem, and then insert it through the top of the part of stem close to the bottom of the bud. Use some green floral tape to secure the wire to the stem and wrap the tape tightly around the stem several times. This will make the stem more secure and will serve as a sturdy base when it comes time to pin on the corsage. The tape will also help to hold in the natural moisture at the bottom of the bud to keep it from wilting.

Next, gather some hearty sprigs of grass from your yard or slim green twigs from a tree. Use some floral tape to attach the grass or twigs to the stem, close to the bottom edge of the bud. You could also use fake greenery or dried baby's breath instead of real grass or twigs if you something a little sturdier to work with.

Finish off the project by tying some colorful ribbon or delicate lace around the stem. You can make the ribbon as long as you want, but a good rule of thumb is to keep it a tiny bit shorter than the actual stem. Curl the ends of the ribbon for some added pizzazz. If using lace, gather it loosely around the bud and then poof it out so it makes a cradle to accent the flower. Try to pick colors for the ribbon or lace that will showcase the color of the bud.

Insert a couple of long pins into the stem area. The pins will be needed to attach the corsage to the clothing of your friend or loved one.

After the event, the flower can be pressed or dried and kept as a sentimental reminder of the prom, Easter holiday, wedding, or Mother's Day celebration. This single bud corsage is a creative, cheap craft that is easy and quick to make. The recipient of this gift will never know it was homemade unless you tell them!

Published by Nikki

Recognized as one of the Top 100 highest-performing writers for 2008, Top 1000 highest-performing writers for 2009 out of over 300,000 contributors, and one of the Yahoo! Contributor Network's Top 1000 contr...  View profile

32 Comments

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  • connie l. mclaughlin3/31/2010

    So appreciate theses instructions.
    plan to do this for Easter. Thanks!

  • katie frances4/21/2009

    Great article. I'm going to try your instructions to make a corsage for Mother's Day.

  • PennyB4/17/2009

    More wonderful, inexpensive gift ideas... thanks :)

  • Dan Reveal3/27/2009

    This is such a timely article because of Easter and the prom coming up. Thanks.

  • Morgan3/24/2009

    cute idea!

  • Onemargaret3/23/2009

    Cool!!!

  • Sheri Fresonke Harper3/20/2009

    Terrific idea for a craft, sounds easy :) Sheri

  • Linda M. McCloud3/19/2009

    Great idea and great instructions.

  • Matthew P. Valois3/19/2009

    Great instruction!

  • Sally Robertson MA, MA, LPC3/17/2009

    I love knowing how to work with natural flowers.

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