I’ve been keeping this secret to myself for a little while know, but I am so excited to finally announce Anna Bond of Rifle Design is our newest DIY contributor. I’ve been a huge fan of her amazing invitations for quite some time now, and when she accepted my invitation to create wedding projects for Once Wed I was of course thrilled. Anna will be joining us on Tuesdays which I’m sure will quickly become my favorite day of the week. Welcome, Anna!

This centerpiece is based on one that I created for my own wedding. It’s easy to make and can be customized by using different colored tissue paper, patterned paper, fabric flowers, painted branches, and so on. For my wedding I even added little paper animals to the bottom so it become a miniature forest scene. Also, try hanging your table number from one of the branches or inserting it into the bottom of the jar.
At about $7 each these are a great cost-saving alternative to fresh flowers and they can be made far in advance of your wedding. They’re manageable to make alone but will go much faster and will be a lot more fun to create with the help of a friend or a few bridesmaids. Enjoy!

-Anna, RIFLE design

Supplies:
1. gallon size glass jar; 2. sheet moss; 3. found branches; 4. pom poms; 5. scissors; 6. tissue paper; 7. hot glue gun.

Fill the bottom of each jar with moss and trim the branches to your desired shape. It’s best to trim the branches after they’ve been placed each jar so that you can see how the centerpiece will take form.

Cut the tissue paper into 3 different sized circles (try cutting at least 4 sheets at a time to prevent the tissue paper from ripping and to save time).  Download the pdf to print out a template with the circle sizes that I used.

Create the paper flowers by layering the three sizes on top of each other and then:
1. Pinch the papers underneath with your fingertips in the center of the stack.
2. Gently twist the bottom to start giving the paper it’s floral shape.
3. Smooth out the paper as you go so the petals don’t get wrinkled and continue to twist until you have your desired shape.
4. You should now have a little nub on the underside of the flower from where you were pinching. You will use this to attach the flower to the branch.

Attach the flowers and berries (pom poms) by dabbing small drops of glue onto the branch with your glue gun. Press the flowers and berries gently to the branch for a few seconds while the glue sets.

Online Resources:

glass jars: Uline
tissue paper: Nashville Wraps
pom poms: local craft store
sheet moss: local craft store or Save on Crafts
branches: your backyard, neighborhood or purchase bundles at Save on Crafts

Total

cost per piece: about $7
prep time: 45 minutes
time per piece: 5-10 minutes