Wedding Blog
Well. This might not be an exciting post, but if you know anything about me, then you’ll know this craft project is above and beyond anything I’m actually capable of. I am the worst DIY crafter on the planet. I really keep waiting for Mrs. Bee to find out and revoke my Weddingbee status. But, so far, I’ve been sly and gotten past everyone! Ha! I’m more of a “buy things and pay too much and complain later about how I SO could have made it myself for $1″ kind of person, which would be taking the whole wishful thinking a little bit too far.
But, I must have bumped my head over the weekend, because I went to Michael’s and got crafting supplies. About 4.5 hours and $44 later, I ended up with this:
Granted, it doesn’t look that bad in pictures, but in person it looks like one hot mess… hence, the title of this post.
Here’s how I did it:
1. Get a styrofoam ball. You can get whatever size you want. I bought two sizes because I wasn’t sure how big they would look with the petals stuck on them. They were $5 each.
2. Pull the flower petals off of any big flower in the fake flower section of your craft store. This takes time, people. I suggest watching a long movie to keep yourself company during this most boring hour and a half you will probably spend in your entire life. I watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The flowers I used were pink and white hydrangeas on clearance (no returns) for $12 each. I bought two because I overestimated how many I would need, but I only ended up using 1/4 of one of the flowers.
3. Push pins- splurge on the $7 box of fancy pins with the pearl on the end. Make sure you buy two boxes, cause you’re gonna need ’em. Be careful not to accidentally poke yourself with one. You *might* cut your finger and proceed to bleed profusely all over your new white peasant shirt with the ruffles on the top that you were totally going to wear to work on Monday. Just sayin’. Oh, and this takes about 2 hours, so go ahead and watch the next Harry Potter movie during this time.
4. Ribbon- You’ll need something for your flower girl to hold onto it with. Otherwise, she, too, might end up sticking herself with the pins on accident and getting her dress dirty. $3
:Drumroll:
TA-DA!
Look close. Closer… see the Styrofoam poking out? Cute, right? I meant for it to be that way.
So, lets add this up.
Flowers: 2 @ $12 each.
Styrofoam balls: 2 @ $5 each
Pins: $7
Ribbon: $3
Total: $44
Would it have been cheaper to get a fresh flower pomander? Can someone tell me how much a pomander costs? Have you overestimated your level of craftiness and wasted your hard-earned money?
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Share this post: One Hot Mess of a DIY Pomander
This post had me laughing out loud at work. Question: Can you just put a flower over each area that the styrofoam is showing? It will look much more lush and you will have covered those spots. I actually like the way it looks. I haven’t priced pomanders, but if you have a florist do it, I suspect it will be more than $44 for two, but what do I know??? Also, sorry to hear about that blouse! ):
It honestly doesn’t look that bad in the photo, but could you maybe use more flowers closer together to cover the foam? I know nothing about DIY-ing a pomander, but I would just think if there is foam showing to stick in more flowers. Especially if you only used 1/4 of ONE of the bunches you purchased. That way you wouldn’t be wasting money if it ends up improving the look.
good luck!
Hehe, I hear you on the money wasting! I have a tendency to screw up the first time I try something, so I have to go back and buy the supplies again, thus doubling the cost.
But I think your pomander looks cute! No one is going to be looking at it that closely.
Ooohh nice job, Ms. Dumpling!
Looks so cute! I would suggest painting the styrofoam first to cover the white. Paint with a coat of Elmer’s glue first (to cover the holes so it doesn’t soak up all of the paint), let it dry, and cover with a pale pink poster paint or other water-based craft paint. I like it!
Our real flower pomander cost exactly $40. I’m sure it depends on your area and flowers used. Can’t win them all I guess.
It doesn’t look that bad! But, I was quoted for a carnation pomander for my wedding (to hang on chairs that mark the aisle at the reception site-so they were bigger), and it was less than 50.00, but i don’t remember exactly how much, i’ll look and get back to you.
I had 2 silk pomanders made by a florist for my wedding for about $40 total.
The florist used silk roses as the flowers; the small ones you can get at craft stores for little money.
I would rec that you use whole flowers to make a fuller more lush looking pomander.
Don’t give up! You will be so proud when you see your hard work go to use.
I made half pomanders (cut the styrofoam ball in half). I left some stems on the faux flowers, used a toothpick to poke a hole in the styrofoam and then put glue in the hole before putting the stem of the flower in. It worked really well.
My problem was how to hang them b/c I couldn’t get ribbon to stick to the styrofoam. I ended up buying a knitting needle to poke a hole through the pomander (towards the edge) and push ribbon through. The will then be tied around the arms of the pews.
P.S. I’m almost positive I could have bought fresh one for what it cost me. But…I can sell these.
hahaha! you crack me up. i really don’t think it looks bad, but i have definitely overestimated my craft abilities too 
Thanks for keepin it real, Dumpling. I feel pretty lame when I see Bees whipping up amazing gardinia covered terraces in 30 minutes for $5….
I don’t think it looks bad though, I think you should def use it. No one notices small errors like 2 centimenters of foam ball sticking out from the pretty flowers.
I think they are pretty! I would probably add more flowers though, to cover the styrofoam and fluff up the pomander.
And, hydrogen peroxide is amazing at taking out blood- learned that one working for a vet. Just put a little on there, rinse it off and repeat till the blood is gone! Should be safe for a white shirt too, I used it all the time on my blue scrubs
oh dumpling haha! you are too funny!
I too have gotten myself into some DIY messes. Coffee filter flowers anyone? Yeah I have been working on that project for, oh about a year.
I think it looks pretty good!! I agree with the other posts - you should add a few more to cover up your blank spaces and make it more poofy. I also think that when it actually gets photographed, no one will ever notice the white spaces… unless they’re staring real close up!
i like, i like!!! and you crack my shizz up!!!
i seriously laughed out loud whilst reading this post.
First off - You funny girl!
Second - It doesn’t look bad, especially if you cover it w/ more flowers… I suggest gluing down a bunch of the flowers at first and then pinning the last ones on top
I ALWAYS spend too much on my DIY and crafts. I usually justify it by telling myself that my creation is unique. Yours looks great:)
Weddings are like theatrical productions– its all an illusion.. No one is going to look at anything too closely– it just must look good from a distance… Especially anything Church related… seriously everyone is so far away in those pews they can’t see the “detail”.
I LOVE YOUR PROJECT!!
I think it’s super cute, but definitely add a few more flowers and it would be perfect.
We have all been there… but just think, regardless of how much a real pomander costs, your flower girl will be able to keep this one much longer - though I don’t know if that makes you feel any better 
it looks great!
i’d just suggest layering more flowers on top of eachother where there is any styrofoam poking through. also, add a dab of hot glue so when the girls most likely pick at the pretty flowers, there’s no chance of poking themselves!
Sure, you could have maybe got a fresh flower pomander cheaper. . . but those bad boys are HEAVY! I don’t know how old your flower girls are, but if (and that’s a big IF) mine does carry anything down the aisle, I’ll probably opt for a DIY styro pomander because she’ll only be a year old.
I heart you Dumpling with your lack of craftiness and sheer honesty. Too funny! This is the best:
You *might* cut your finger and proceed to bleed profusely all over your new white peasant shirt with the ruffles on the top that you were totally going to wear to work on Monday. Just sayin’.
Anyway, I do that OFTEN. I have a 2′x4′ box full of craft rejects, it’s filled with fabric, ribbon, hot glue messes, those coffee filter flowers that Martha Stewart makes look SO easy (mine were flourescent and hideous with bits of floral tape sticking out), attempted DIY pocketfolders and more. Ugh. It doesn’t help that i get impatient and quit early
If you tuck flowers in between existing flowers, you can totally make it look more lush and fill it out.
lol, i loved this post! i agree with pp, it looks great and with a little more flowers added here and there even you will be patting yourself on the back with your victory over the diy creature.
lol! I hate to say this, but what if you took out the pins and doubled up on the flower petals?
And as for screwing up DIY projects…all I have to say is that my mom is letting me borrow an electric kitchen knife for my ‘planter card box’ project this weekend. Let’s see how much damage I can do with that baby!
fyi- my florist charges $65-75 per pomander…
my florist is doing the flower girls’ pomanders for $35 each and they’re pretty big. about the size of a cabbage.
my florist is charging about $25 for a FG pomander… i’m only DIYing mine because i got those same hydrangeas on sale @ michael’s (85% off!) for about $1/flower.
they look great, though! and you can always sell them later to make some of that money back!
@Suzanne: I likes to keep it realz.
@ash: WHOA baby! Thats pricey!
@Jenny Louwheeze: yeah, i thought of that….but its so poorly made that it will probably fall apart before the ceremony ends….its that crappy!
@Kenzie: I heart you too, Kenzie! I heart everyone who said my Pomander didnt suck, actually. Yall are some really nice Bees!
i did a version of a pomander ball. i think you could fix your problem if you use two petals per pin and when you’re pinning, space it so that the next row will be in between the row before it. then when you’re all done attaching, take a bamboo skewer and gently lift the petals so that they all stick out. it’s kind of complicated to explain. i hope you get it. if not, send me a message and i’ll take pics of my pomander and show you what i mean. good luck! i think they can look GREAT with a little more work!
here’s couple pics from my project:
[IMG]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/bjfong13/1222900882.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/bjfong13/1222900880.jpg[/IMG]
They look nice. How did you get the ribbon handles to stick on pins under the flowers? I’d suggest you glue the ribbons to the ball so they don’t pull out and stick baby fingers. I made a pillow covered in fake flowers once upon a time. I found that it took quite a few of them to fill in all the spaces. Just used hot glue. Like Almostanderson said try the glue and paint to hide the ball if any bare spots show. I don’t know if you’re into the sparkle, but you could also sprinkle the wet paint with some glitter and it might sparkle if the light catches it. Pointer for anyone who wants to try this, if you want to forgo the cost of the pins hot glue the flowers directly to the ball and. Make sure you are using a glue gun with a low temperature, super hot glue will melt the foam. I like sparkles so, I’d probably either glue iridescent seed beads onto the centers of the flowers, use some puffy paint dotted into the centers of the flowers, or mix up some Elmer’s glue and fine grit glitter from the fabric section of the craft store and use that to dot into the centers. Side note, I’ve been making my own paper lanterns… I’d use the same base for the pomanders as I am the lanterns by blowing up a couple of small water balloons or party balloons, depending on the size you want and paper-mâché them with flower water and junk mail. These take a while to dry depending on the size you make and how thick you put on the paste and paper. Once dry you can either leave the balloon inside and cover it over, with a bit more paper-mâché or just pop the balloon and cut off the knot and cover with a flower. I’m a penny pincher, so I’m always looking for a way to DIY even if it does take longer to get what I’m envisioning. I know I have spent a lot on supplies for projects I have not actually made because I did say to myself “Oh I can make that for a dollar”. It didn’t help that I worked for that craftstore for almost a year… Oh, if you want some help with the DIY or crafty stuff let me know, I’m always up for a project.
The easiest way to make them it to take floral foam, soak it in water, add chicken wire and stick the flowers in. Same thing for silk flowers, minus the soaking in water.
I got a few estimates for real flower pomanders, they were priced anywhere from $175 - $450 per pomander since a lot of works goes into making them… I’ve found it a lot cheaper to make them on my own. =)
i think they are CUTE! What if you just make a bow at the top of it using the same ribbon? How would that work??
i think the price of the pomander depends on where you get it and what flowers are used.
OH and FYI sign up for Michael’s mailing list…. they give coupons every week, normally 40% but sometimes 50% off products normal price. or you will be able to know that something you want to get for a DIY project is onsale.. this helps SO much! I don’t think I have bought anything full price at Michaels since I found out!
I do wedding flowers so let me say you are on the right track. Add more flowers and keep on truckin! If I were doing them for you, I would be using whole flowers and they would clost about $20-$25 each depending on the specifics. Take pride in what you do girl!
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Mrs. Dumpling, Las Vegas
Age and Occupation: 27, Finance
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Real Estate
Engagement Date: March, 2008
Wedding Date: March, 2009
Blogging Since: August 26, 2008
Venue: Catholic church ceremony & golf course reception
About Me: I grew up in the Deep South, and while most people say I have a thick southern accent, I tend to think it only comes out when I need to use it. Living in Las Vegas has definitely been an adventure and Mr. Dumpling and I are loving every minute of it! We are planning a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony and a reception with lots of DIY! We might even get Elvis to show up! I'm a HUGE Beatles fan, love The Office and can't wait to become a Mrs.!
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