Floral Swags

One of the things I've been working on is creating floral swags. The photos are never as nice as they are in person, but here's a few anyway:










Here's the steps I've used. Not really a tutorial, but general steps.
Find your supplies. You will need:
-eucalyptus (or other greenery base)
-flowers (at least 3 kinds and an odd number of each)
-filler (I use a dried flower usually)
-floral foam
-Spanish moss
-ribbon
-hot glue gun and glue sticks
-(optional) something fun like a fake bird or unusual dried thing or single different flower

1) Make the swag base. Take a piece of wire flower stem, bend it in half and bend the ends back. Shove the ends of the wire into the back of 1/2 piece of floral foam and glue into place. Cover the floral foam block with Spanish moss and glue into place, don't cover the side with the wire. It doesn't need to be perfect. Note that if you use lots of glue and moss, it may get in the way when you're putting flowers in and you'll end up cursing it!

2) Put the greenery in. Start with the longest in the middle on both sides and work out. Try to keep it balanced and don't be afraid to cut pieces so they match a little better. Use a little glue when putting them in. When using natural items like eucalyptus, ensure the natural arch is the correct direction. If it is put in upside down, it will look funny, but you won't quite be able to place why.

3) Start putting flowers in. Start with the flowers that will be the furthest out and work in. It's MUCH easier. Make sure to glue when you're happy.

4) Put filler in. Start furthest out and work in. You'll find that there will be a limited number of long filler stems, so be careful about where they're used. Depending on the filler used, there may be a right and wrong way like the eucalyptus. Try to make sure it looks 'right'.
5) Ribbon. Make a nice bow, stick it in the middle and work the ends into the flowers. It will help fill empty spots and balance out the colors.
6) Fun thing! Now is when you'd add your bird, wheat, whatever odd-ball thing you want.
7) And it's done!


A few tips:
* Flower selection is key. Some flowers just won't 'work' together, but work just fine with others. Some just look fake and awful. Price is not necessarily an indicator... Dollar store flowers can be ok if you are careful about what you pick.
* Size can vary greatly. It can be anywhere from 12 to 48 inches. So be careful when you start to ensure you get the size you want.
* It shouldn't be symmetrical. If it's too even, it won't look right. It should be a little wild to look good.
* expect it to take at least 4 hours. This will not be a quick project and it will make a huge mess.

This is one item that I will do consignments and custom orders on. I'm trying to use up alot of my stash, so if you're a little less picky you can get a fantastic deal!
There has also been some requests for me to do a seminar on how to make these. If there's interest, I'll see what I can do.