Introduction: Custom Cards for Flower Bouquet
I recently had the immense pleasure of seeing my friends perform at Ringstar Studio in Ann Arbor! The studio specializes in circus/acrobatics type stuff, including lyra, aerial silks, aerial chains, aerial pole, and other stuff I don't even know about! Think cirque du soleil, but not as high off the ground.
In anticipation for my friend's performances, I knew I wanted to make them something unique that was related to what they do at that studio. I decided to put a small twist on a classic: bring them flowers, but add in custom cards that relate to their performances!
The showcase included many people who are regulars at the studio performing original choreography, which was amazing! I am so in awe of their work, and I'm glad I got to express that through this little gift. I hope you'll find it helpful for gift-giving in the future!
Supplies
These are the supplies I used just to make the cards themselves:
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- Cardstock (various colors)
- Sharpie
- Mod podge/tape runner (just something to adhere the paper together)
- Tissue paper (various colors)
- Chenille sticks (any color, but you will only need one - you could also trade this for floral card picks, I didn't have any on hand)
- Hot glue
You'll also probably want:
- A bouquet of flowers (I got mine from the grocery store)
- Regular tape
Step 1: Pick & Assemble Your Design
I've written about the general process for creating & assembling multi-layered designs here, so I won't spend too much time on it in this instructable.
Basically, once you have the design you want and in a png/jpeg/svg format, you can cut it out on the Cricut. I have made the cricut projects themselves available below:
Luisa Madrigal (from Encanto)
"C'mon cirque du soleil!" (quote from Shuga Cain on RuPauls Drag Race Season 11)
Note that the RPDR quote has a design that needs to be paid for (the flower). You can always change the background and keep the front image!
Once you cut it out, you will have multiple pieces. I am using Luisa as an example here, but you will layer them so that you get the effect/image that you are going for. I used mod podge to attach the layers, but you could also use a glue stick or anything else that is adhesive to your liking.
After this step, you will have finished the assembly of the designs!
Step 2: Attach the Backing
This step depends mostly on what you decide to use. If you use a chenille stick, then you may want to add tissue paper on the back to add some support for keeping the card up. If you use the regular card holder for a bouquet, you probably won't need it (though it will look nice!).
This step isn't too precise, so I'll just give you the gist:
- You'll want to take a square of tissue paper and in the center, twist it a bit so it looks like a flower. You'll want to do this until it will appear out of the back of the design you use (like the image.)
- Using a hot glue gun, put some glue on the back of your design and attach the tissue paper (keep the part you twisted in the center out).
- Now that you have the back sticking out, twist the chenille stick around the part you twisted. You can also use hot glue to secure them together.
- Now, you are done! Adjust the tissue paper in the front to your own taste/needs.
Step 3: Add It to a Flower Arrangement
I don't have any background in flower arranging, I just went with making something I generally thought would be pretty. I have some tips I can offer based off of what I did:
- Take apart the bouquets when you start. Since these cards are designed to be looked at head-on (not from above), I found it was easier to just take the flowers apart and then arrange them around my card.
- Don't be afraid to prop it up on something in the bouquet. Since the chenille sticks are a little flimsy, you may find that you need to put it in front of something sturdier. For the quote bouquet, I ended up wrapping the chenille stick around a thicker branch that was included in the arrangement.
- Use tissue paper to add some (more) color. I reused the wrapper that it comes with from the store in addition to some that I added from home. I wanted something that could lie flat, so instead of putting the wrapper on the way it was, I folded it and used it in the very back. Ultimately, the bouquets could be lied flat, and the back had plenty of protection.
- You'll want some tape to put everything back together. I reused the rubber bands that came with the flowers, but I had added layers and rearranged the design so I felt it wasn't enough. Feel free to add some tape too for extra security.
- Have fun! I took an open mind to this part of the project since I didn't have any experience, and I think it turned out pretty good!
Step 4: Give It Away!
You can see me with my friends holding their bouquets! I'm so proud of them and I think these custom cards are a really great way to show support!
I hope these turn out well for you and your loved ones!