DIY Brooch Bouquet - Thoughts, please!

Omg that is beautiful! Colours are stunning, well done you!!!

Aw, thank you! It has taken AGES - and I've taken the whole thing apart and put it back together again about 3 times, but I love it! Turquoise and bright pink are my fave colours, so I decided to mainly stick to those.

Anyone else making/made a brooch bouquet? I'd love to see pics, especially keen for ideas on how to finish the handle...

That looks amazing! Really lovely bright colours, job well done!! No idea how you have the patience haha, looks lovely

That is beautiful. I know the hard work that goes into them, I made my own too.

Oh my goodness that's so pretty, the colours are gorgeous together

That's fab, well done!! And a lovely idea to make smaller ones for your friends too, I'd be thrilled to be given something so pretty & sparkly!!

Hi I'm also making my own and bridesmaids too (with help!). This is my bouquet. I just need to complete the handle and its done! Good luck with yours x

Aw that silver bouquet is gorgeous - love the shape!

They are both gorgeous, , this was mine

Yours is gorgeous, too.

I've started the smaller ones for my 'bridesmaids' (not actually having bridesmaids, but for my girlies at the party...) - am trying to make them individual to each person by using their fave colours...sorry the pics aren't great

Love this!!

They're so pretty! You're doing really well! Lovely

That is lovely and will stand out on the pictures

Ive just started collecting sparkly things from charity shops. Where did you get all of your accessories from?

I got a lot of stuff from Ebay - look for job lots, and don't be afraid of bidding on items labelled 'scrap' or 'harvest' - I've got some really cheap lots, and with a couple of quick repairs, there is usually plenty of sparkle that can be used!

Also got some bits here: http://www.thehandcraftedcardcompany.co.uk/craft/121-diamante-embellishments.asp

Another good site is http://www.imaginedoingityourself.co.uk/ - I bought lots of their pearl and crystal embellishments - cheaper than brooches, and they work just as well.

I also asked friends and family to send me any old/broken jewellery, and to look out in charity shops for cheap sparkle - everyone was amazingly helpful!

Hope that gives you some ideas...

That is beautiful, love the colours. Make sure you wrap the wires on the handle well eith tape before you cover it with ribbon or whatever as you don't want a stray end poking it's way through and cutting your finger on the day.

Thank you for the advice Ive got a year till the big day so should be able to get a good collection going ?

Hope im replying to this right im new to using forums

Hi,

It is really pretty. well done. You should be really proud of it.

Lynne

Wow these all look great. I'm planning on making mine and adding a few brooches to some foam roses for my BMs. does anyone have any methods/tutorial recommendations? I've seen a few different ways of doing it - just wondered what people found works?

I used the following tutorials:

http://offbeatbride.com/2010/06/diy-brooch-bouquet

http://www.noimpactbride.com/2011/07/diy-how-to-make-brooch-bouquet.html

http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/a-homemade-brooch-bouquet/

A lot of it was trial and error, and figuring out what worked for me and for each brooch. I tried using fake hydrangeas as filler (suggested by a couple of tutorials), but I just didn't like the effect (for my bouquet - I did end up using it for the smaller bridesmaid bouquets). So in the end I bought some small foam roses from Ebay and used them to pad out/soften the brooches - you can't really see them on mine, although you can on the smaller ones.

I also found it useful to use a thinner gauge wire to wrap around the brooches (in gold or silver, depending on the metal) and only use the green floral wire for the stems. It was easier to work with the thin wire, and it looked better. But you do still need 22 gauge floral wire to make the stems sturdy enough.

Word of warning: it takes a really, really long time, and if you are anything like me, you'll get frustrated and fed up and have to have a (long!) break at times! So start it as early as possible, so that you aren't under any pressure! And be prepared that you may have to reassemble it a few times before you're happy with it. But it is so worth it! I love mine, can't wait to use it!

If anyone wants any more advice/tips, or has any questions, just let me know!

And here are a couple more pics - my bouquet with the b'maid ones ?

Wow, very pretty ?

Hi i'm also trying to make my own brooch bouquet I have all my brooches put on the wire I tried to put it together with a fake hydrangea head but i'm struggling with the shape I am trying to get, its very hard to hold in place & put more brooches together i'm just wondering if you have any tips on how to put the bouquet together please x

Hi i'm also trying to make my own brooch bouquet I have all my brooches put on the wire I tried to put it together with a fake hydrangea head but i'm struggling with the shape I am trying to get, its very hard to hold in place & put more brooches together i'm just wondering if you have any tips on how to put the bouquet together please x

JenBop, I also started off with a fake hydrangea, but it just didn't work for me. I found it much easier to use the brooch stems and some stems of foam roses.

I started off with the brooches I wanted in the centre, and made a very small bouquet from them. I secured that small bunch with an elastic band and then added more brooches around the outside - I found it really helped to hold the bouquet upside down, add 4 or 5 more stems, then secure with another elastic band or some masking tape, shape as I wanted, and repeat the process. If you keep turning the bouquet and looking at it from all angles, you can build out from your central bunch.

Hope that makes some kind of sense!

That's great thank you I will give that a go & see how it goes ?

Finally got all my bouquets finished! Here is mine (handle looks really big in pics, but looks much better when I am holding it!):

And here are the bridesmaids' ones, with finished handles!

Let me know what you think!!!

xxx

This is mine x

That's so pretty!! Love it!

xxx

There are some gorgeous bouquets here.

I do love the brooch bouquets but OH wanted me to have real flowers... He's quite traditional when it comes to some things.

BB13 they look great - I love yours too JHenson. I've just started the process of wiring my brooches - I've only done about 10 and it's taken me ages and hurt my fingers!! Just trying to do a few a night.

I'm glad I came across this, I was thinking of doing something similar (I have seen a few button ones that look fab), but when I was looking online i've seen a few comments that made it seem like I would not be able to do it (I mean not experienced in making them) looking back it might have been a selling ploy by the companies advertising pre-made ones.

If I don’t decide one a bouquet like this I’ll be walking down the aisle with nothing, (well except from my dad), but either way is good with me.

Thanks for the inspiration guys, may be back to get some more help.

put a sock over your hand while you are twisting the wire

Genius! Thanks 3d jewellery you've saved me from a lot of future pain!