Last minute preparations for you and your prom date? Unfortunately, sometimes boutonnieres and corsages can be sold out or be way out of your price range. Jenny Zukovsky from save-on-crafts.com, provides a DIY tutorial on how to make your own boutonniere for that special guy. Zukovsky said they “can be made a day ahead of your event, and stored in a cooler temperature” and still look fresh and store-ordered.

  Here’s what you will need:

• ribbon scissors

• floral clippers

• ribbon in ⅝” to 1” width

• floral tape

• pearlheaded corsage pins

• 18 gauge floral stem wire

• flowers and foliage

1. Select the flowers and foliage of your choice. Try to use sturdy materials so that the flower will not wilt. Flowers that hold up well include carnations, standard roses, calla lillies, cymbidium orchids, and dendrodium orchids. For this specific example, sin rose sprays, chinaberries, rosemary, french lavender, passion vine, and geranium leaves will be used.

2. Use 1 to 2 roses. Cut the rose bloom off the stem, leaving a ¾” to 1” of the stem. You may choose whether or not to leave the guard petals.

3. Cut your 18 gauge floral stem wire into 3 approximately 6” sections.

4. Cross the wire through the base, or calyx of the rose bud, taking care not to hit the bloom. Hitting the bloom can cause the petals to fall off from calyx.

5. Send the ends of the floral wire down and hold between your thumb and index finger.

6. Stick the floral tape where the floral wire crosses through the calyx and then unroll 7” of tape for the next step.

7. Twist the floral tape downward around the floral wire in a counterclockwise motion to cover the wire completely.

8. Repeat steps 2 to 7 if you are using a second flower. In case you are using thinner wire, cross two pieces of floral wire through the calyx and then bend down to tape.

9. Position the two roses together and then tape their stems together so that you have one thick stem to work with. Arrange your accent foliage around the roses in any that looks good to you. Wrap floral tape around the entire arrangement.

10. Use floral clippers to trim approximately 2” to 2-½” stem.

11. To finish off the appearance, wrap it in unwired ribbon ⅝” in width up to 1” in width. Then tie a ribbon bow.

  Here is a beautiful example of how your creation could look.