How To Make Your Own Succulent Corsage

And boutonniere! Whether it's for a prom, a wedding, or just because succulents are the best, this is a quick and inexpensive way to make any outfit special.

These are succulents.

Macey J. Foronda

They're like the love-children of flowers and cacti.

They're hearty, easy to care for, and look fantastic.

Macey J. Foronda

It varies depending on conditions, but if you put a succulent in a sunny spot and water it about once a week in the summer, once a month in the winter, yours should be just fine.

They also make gorgeous, unexpected accessories.

Macey J. Foronda

We made a boutonniere and a corsage, but you could also use them in a bouquet, a centerpiece, a hairpiece, or anything else you can think of.

Here's what you'll need:

Macey J. Foronda

- Floral wire

- Floral tape

- Strong scissors or wire cutters, depending on the thickness of the floral wire

- A hot glue gun

- Twine

- Burlap

- Pins/a pin back

- Any decorative items you'd like to add, such as colorful embroidery floss or buttons

And of course, your succulents:

Macey J. Foronda

We used, from left: a pork & beans (seriously) succulent, a jade plant, sedum burrito (seriously x2), pink sedum, and a haworthia fascinata. The two spiky guys in front are air plants, which are totally fascinating and don't take root in the soil and look like they are from the prehistoric era.

Each of these cost $4 at a local nursery, and we got a corsage, boutonniere, and enough left over for at least one more out of the 7 plants. If you coordinated with a friend or a wedding party, it would be even more inexpensive.

Start by deplanting.

Macey J. Foronda

Shake out the soil into a bowl or paper towel and carefully brush the excess off the roots; if you're especially gentle and keep the roots intact, you'll be able to replant the cuttings when you're done.

Repeat for each of the plants.

Macey J. Foronda

The air plants won't require anything since, as noted before, they are made of magic.

Then, wrap your stems.

Macey J. Foronda

1. Trim the wire into 3" pieces (make sure to hold either end so you don't send metal flying off into the ether/your own eyes).

2. Gently poke the wire into the base of the succulent, as close to the actual root (if there is one) as possible.

3. Using the floral tape, wrap all the way from the top of the wire to the bottom, attaching the root to the wire.

4. Repeat for the desired number of stems (we used around 5 or 6 for each accessory).

5. Gather your stems together.

6. Wrap all stems together with the floral tape.

7. Not pictured: wash the heck out of your hands, because floral tape is a strange substance that gets stickier and stickier with use.

For the boutonniere:

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1. Wrap your stems; we used one haworthia fasciata, two sprigs of sedum burrito, two jade plants, and a pink sedum.

2. Wrap the piece in burlap.

3. Tie twine loosely around the burlap.

4. Secure with hot glue.

5. Attach an optional pinback with the hot glue; it's traditional to use long pins to secure a boutonniere, but a little extra insurance never hurt anyone. (Unless, of course, you stab them with the pin [don't do that.])

And for the corsage:

Macey J. Foronda

1. Cut a piece of burlap slightly shorter than the diameter of your wrist. Cut two pieces of embroidery floss or string (or use the twine from the earlier project) about three times as long as the diameter of your wrist. Thread a yarn needle with the floss (you won't need a needle if your string of choice is stiff enough, since the holes of the burlap are so big).

2. Weave the thread loosely through the burlap on either side, leaving the loose string in equal lengths on both sides.

3. For this project, we used two air plants, a pork & beans, and two pink sedum.

4. Lay the wrapped stems down the middle of the burlap.

5. With the needle and thread, secure the stems to the burlap.

6. Bend the wire stems around the burlap to make a cuff.

Secure with a bow, and go have fun!

They should stay fresh for up to a week if you keep them in the fridge.

Macey J. Foronda

Now here are some more pictures of succulents, because succulents <3

Macey J. Foronda

Macey J. Foronda

Macey J. Foronda

Macey J. Foronda

Macey J. Foronda

Macey J. Foronda