by Chiara Alberetti Milott

My friend Roxana’s daughter had a birthday, so I jumped at the chance to do a little something pretty and flowery. I love making party hats and crowns for children’s birthdays, and this sweet, floral head-wreath made little Maya feel like a princess for her special day.

Materials: Morning glories (any soft and flexible stem, from Dandelions to Lisyanthus, would do), a variety of other small blossoms, small vintage fake flowers on wire, wrapped floral wire, scissors and seam-binding ribbon.

Step 1. Trim off extra greenery and cut long stems into three 8-inch lengths. Pre-cut a few 3-inch pieces of wire so you can just grab it and wrap it as you go. Pre-cut and make a little pile of blossoms and blooms with approx. 2-inch stems.

Step 2. Depending on the flowers you use, you may have to wire two or three stems together to get your initial base stems to create a circle. I found that a 5″ diameter was good for a 3-year old.  Gently pinch the stems together as you wrap the wire tightly around the stems. Cut off any extra wire, or tuck it parallel to the wreath so it won’t stab any little heads.

Step 3. Add your additional blossoms and blooms at regular intervals around the wreath. Tuck the ends gently into your circle and then wrap gently with more floral wire to secure them. I used some vintage purple flowers on wire and used the wire to wrap them to the wreath, creating an extra secure layer.

Step 4. Cut two 18-inch lengths of ribbon and tie a bow. Leave the extra length hanging down. I used seam-binding because it is lightweight, flowy, and comes in great colors.

This is such an easy and simple project, too, and the beauty of is that you can really use any seasonal greenery and flowers. Just maybe not evergreens and holly for a winter birthday! Voila! Go and crown your birthday girl!

PS. It’s best to make this right before the party starts, as the flowers will not have water and therefore will only last for a few hours – probably just long enough ’til the meltdowns start!