Wondering how to make a corsage? Making a corsage is simpler than you think, especially when it comes to wrist corsages!
Whether you’re gearing up for a wedding or prom night, a corsage is the final touch to your formal ensemble — it’s also a fun project for all the DIY babes out there. (Bonus, it will save you money!)
With a few supplies and easy-to-follow instructions, you can make your own DIY corsage in no time! It’s so easy you don’t even need floral wire or tape to create this beautiful wristlet. You can also make a corsage that attaches to your clothing with a pin or pair of magnets.
Pro tip: if you’re planning on making corsages yourself, do it on the day before or the day of your event so your corsage is at peak freshness! Also, consider spraying some Professional Glory, which helps prevent the loss of moisture, if you’re worried about the flowers wilting.
Here’s what you’ll need to make a corsage:
- Ribbon
- Floral glue or hot glue gun
- Wristlet
- Shears
You can pick up most of these items at your local craft or grocery store, or you can get all your supplies in our handy boutonniere and corsage kit. You’ll also, of course, need flowers. Here are the exact flowers we used to create this wrist corsage:
- 1 stem of creamy white spray roses
- 1 stem of Italian Ruscus
- A sprig of white wax flower
- 1 stem of Parvafolia
- A sprig of seeded eucalyptus
You can make one identical to ours, or you can play around and choose different colors, flowers and greenery to make the look your own! Other hardy and long-lasting flowers that would be perfect for corsages include carnations, baby’s breath, billy balls, cremons and thistle.
Read on to learn exactly how to make a corsage.
1. Prep Your Corsage Flowers
Before you jump in, make sure all of your flowers are processed and hydrated. This means removing any access greenery or guard petals, trimming the stems and placing them in fresh cool water. (Spray roses may have two to three outer petals that need to be plucked off.)
In addition to removing petals, you’ll also need to trim the flower stems. Remove the stems entirely so all you’re left with is the bloom itself. When it comes to greenery, trim it so each sprig is about three inches.
2. Tie a Decorative Bow
Begin by tying your ribbon into a decorative bow and on to the wrap wristlet. Once you’re happy with the bow shape, start to trim off the Italian Ruscus leaves from about two sprigs. Apply a small amount of glue onto the back of the leaves. If you’re using floral glue, allow the glue to become tacky before you place in on the wrap wristlet. Once the glue is tacky, place a few of the leaves around the base of the wristlet. In this case, we glued three leaves on either side of the bow.
3. Layer Your Greenery
Next up, you’ll need three springs of Parvafolia. Apply the glue and then overlap the Parvafolia with the Italian Ruscus. To add extra texture, we also added a couple of sprigs of seeded eucalyptus in between the ribbon. Set the corsage aside for 5 to 10 minutes for the glue set.
4. Trim Your Flowers
When it comes to trimming your spray roses, we recommend cutting as much as the stem as possible leaving a flat base. Then apply the glue (wait a few seconds for the glue to become tacky) and place the bloom in the center. The other two blooms you’ll want to place on the sides.
5. Fill in Your Corsage
Next, you’ll want to fill out the corsage. That’s where (the aptly named) filler flowers come in. Filler flowers are generally a bit smaller and can add volume to a corsage, arrangement or bouquet. For this corsage, we used a sprig of wax flower and then trimmed five blooms. You’ll want to place these smaller blooms through the corsage making sure to fill in any empty areas and to add texture.
Voilà — now you know how to make a corsage any time an occasion calls for one! To keep the corsage fresh, place it in the refrigerator. Note: if you used floral glue instead of hot glue, give the corsage ten minutes to fully dry before you pop it in the fridge.
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