Homecoming Wrist Corsage
Fall means back to school, football games and of course, the homecoming dance - flowers are an important part of that tradition! In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne shows you a jeweled-enhanced wrist cuff — a modern take on the classic wristlet corsage, updated and on-trend for homecoming & prom (and even weddings), plus a clever technique to design several at one time for efficient assembly. Enjoy!
Video Transcription
Welcome to the Flower School.com video resource library. I'm Leanne Kesler, director of the Floral Design Institute. And today I'm here to share with you an updated take on a corsage, perfect for homecoming.
The base mechanics, I'm using one inch OASIS metal wire. Cut it down to fit the wrist, somewhere between six inches and seven inches, depending on how large the wrist is. The benefit is it can be molded to adjust to a variety of sizes. Then to remove those sharp edges, using a bale plier, curl it around and tuck it back inside. And do that on both ends. That way you have a nice smooth surface, then that can be easily molded around the wrist. Now for working, you may have seen on our Tulip Tuesday using a pool noodle. It's perfect. That way you can line it up and do several at one time.
For the base you want a bit of foliage, maybe three leaves. I'm using the Israeli ruscus of the nice base, and maybe a little bit of the green trick for some texture. And just a little bit of the variegated oregonia to get nice contrast, breaking it down into bits. Then the trick to make sure that it's secure and works well is put a little bit of glue on the metal before you begin, and let that begin to dry. That way you'll be doing glue-to-glue, and it secures better then on the back of the leaf. And again. And let all of this set just a bit, so it's starts to get tacky. You'll see little bubbles on it. If you've taken basic floral design you know what to watch for. Laying it out. And by laying it out ahead of time like this, it allows you to have everything prepped, everything to the tacky stage. So that when you go back to do the gluing, it goes pretty easily. If you need to hurry it you can blow on it, get it a little tackier. But best to just let it set. And then after words go back, attach, apply just a small amount of pressure. Holding it secure. Then a tiny bit of glue on the top. Again, glue-to-glue is always best. Then the oregonia, and the green trick, and wait until it dries.
With the base established and letting it dry, then you can go back and add flowers, just adding a bit of pressure periodically to make sure that that's secure while it cures. And then when you add the blooms, maybe the miniature gerbera daisies, giving them a cut. Then again, glue on the base, let it begin to dry. Glue on the base. Then nestling it down into the base with the textures and overlapping so you get a bit of terracing going on. And then for interest going back and adding just a bit of hypericum buds. Again, a bit of glue, let it begin to set. And go back and tuck them in place to add interest.
As a final detail, adding jewels. Which always a challenge, finding the perfect thing. And what I've discovered is oftentimes wine charms are absolutely perfect. These are some glittery ones that I found, and they come in an assortment of colors. So with the pink I can add the black center. With the yellow, going back and adding a green center, just adding glue on the base, repeating and coming back. And adding that right into the center, providing a keepsake that can be treasured, and adding just that little bit of bling to make it extra special, right in the center of the blooms.
It's such an interesting time to be a florist. Last year so many things were canceled. This year homecoming's back on, prom's to come. And it's more important than it has been for years because people are trying to make up for lost time. So now even schools that didn't do flowers are starting to do flowers. And having treasures to remember, be it the little bling, those are kind of important. You'll find more creative inspiration, more ideas for flowers to wear on our website, at Flower School .com.
If you have questions, you can reach us through there, or pick up the telephone and give us a call at (503) 223-8089. Now it's your turn. What are you going to create for homecoming? Be sure to take a picture, post it on social media, hashtag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
