Our designers have outdone themselves this year, creating a stunning cottage garden centerpiece with sparkling pink Swarovski accents that is ready just in time for planning a spring wedding. This centerpiece would look gorgeous on tables at a wedding reception or displayed with larger house plants near the altar. It is designed to go with our floral antique photo stand and our beaded flower napkin rings.
You will need to purchase your own bouquet of artificial flowers for this design at your local craft shop. You can find the rest of the supplies you'll need on our website.
Step one: Cut nine 12-inch pieces of 20 gauge silver non-tarnish artistic wire. When the wire comes off the roll, it will want to retain its shape. You can smooth out the wire using a nylon jaw pliers, but do so very gently. If pressed too hard, the pliers will take off the silver finish. On one end of each piece of wire, bend the tip of the wire around and squeeze it with chain nose pliers to form a head. You now have nine wire stems.
Step two: Onto one wire stem thread a Swarovski 4mm XILION ruby bicone, a Swarovski 12mm rose AB margarita bead (non-iridescent side first) and a Swarovski 18mm orchid olivine pendant. Hold these beads in place by sliding on a clear "rubber" earwire clutch. Repeat twice to create a total of three stems.
Step three: Onto one wire stem thread a Swarovski 6mm faceted fuchsia round and a Swarovski 12mm rose AB margarita bead (non-iridescent side first). Hold these beads in place by sliding on a clear "rubber" earwire clutch. Repeat twice to create a total of three stems.
Step four: Onto one wire stem thread a Swarovski 4mm XILION ruby bicone, a Swarovski 12mm faceted light rose round and a Swarovski 10mm fuchsia AB margarita bead. Hold these beads in place by sliding on a clear "rubber" earwire clutch. Repeat twice to create a total of three stems.
Step five: Gather your flowers and arrange the Swarovski stems artistically throughout the bouquet. When you are satisfied with the position of the flowers and the stems, finish the bouquet by wrapping the bundle securely in wire. To do this, bend about a half inch of the wire's tip at a ninety degree angle. Start wrapping the wire around the bundle of stems and the wire's tip. We wrapped our wire around nine times. When you are done wrapping the wire, snip the wire from the roll, making sure to leave a little extra. Twist the extra wire around what is left of the original tip of wire and tuck the ends into the stems of the bouquet.
Step six: If needed, snip the ends of the Swarovski stems so that they are flush with the rest of the stems in the bouquet.
