Button Bridesmaid Bouquets

Starting with the finishing touches first! I got engaged two weeks ago, and the projects have started. Despite having over a year before we plan to get married, it has already taken over. I plan to do quite a lot of the creative stuff myself, so I decided to keep a record. It is partly to keep costs from spiralling out of control, but mainly because I love making things and a wedding is the ultimate project. Nothing too difficult though. All you need to copy anything on here is a steady hand and a bit of an eye an eye for colour.


I was a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding and the beautiful, professionally made rose bouquet I had fell apart. Real flowers also don't last, and I am a sentimental hoarder. I thought it would be nice if my bridesmaids could keep their bouquets.

Horrified by the prices, even online, of button bouquets, I had a go at making one myself. I couldn't be bothered to wire everything, so just got going with a glue gun!


Things you will need:

• Polystyrene balls


• Kebab sticks


• PVA


• String 


• Tissue paper


• Buttons 


• Paper flowers


• Other embellishments such as sticky pearls and resin flowers


• Glue Gun (of course)


• Ribbon

Method:

1. Put polystyrene ball on a kebab stick to make it easier to handle.









2. Tie a loop of string around the ball and tie in a knot, leaving a loop for a handle.


3. Tape it top and bottom to hold the string in place.





4. Cover the ball in PVA and tissue paper (this is to provide a background colour so there are no white gaps between flowers). Allow to dry over night - the string means you can hang it up, the stick means you can stand it in a glass.




5. Make your flowers using the buttons, paper flowers and embellishments. Make sure they are all different (you need about 100 to cover it).


6. When you are happy with the mix, glue gun the flowers together.


7. Glue gun the flowers to the ball when it is dry. Try to push the flowers up close together to avoid gaps and lift the petals.




8. Finally, remove any stray glue threads (perhaps the most annoying job) and tie a co-ordinating ribbon around the string.

Cost per bouquet: