Get Clever with Confetti

Make use of those loose petals that fall from your arrangements as they age. Set them aside in a cool, dry area until you’re ready to decorate for the holidays. Floral artist Ann Langley, owner of Futral’s Urban Farm, suggests breaking out the petals during the winter season to make delicate, floral ornaments.

“You never throw anything away, you just recycle it into something else,” Langley said. “Work over a table, sweep it all off, go to Hobby Lobby, get your ornament and just put it in there.”

This craft uses clear globes and ribbons to hang the creation from your tree. Fill the globe with a collection of petals in any colors you desire. Secure the lid of the ornament with glue and let dry before looping a strand of ribbon through the top.

Rustic & Radiant Wreaths

The front door welcomes guests into your home for the holidays, so hang a wreath that invokes a sense of joy. Ditch the overused, dark winter palette and add bright marigolds to your wreath instead. This project takes patience as securing the dried flowers to a wreath frame can go awry if mishandled, said Jenny Derevere, owner of Jenny’s Garden and Design.

“When I make a wreath, I use hairspray,” Derevere said. “That’s a good trick just to spray it with nonscented hairspray, that just helps hold things in.”

Like marigolds, you can find vibrant color in dried gomphrena and strawflowers. Dry the blooms from a vivid bouquet in the early fall and save them for your homemade holiday wreaths.

A Christmas Challenge

This centerpiece elevates your tablescape to a new level of grandeur. A miniature tree that blooms dried buds from every branch is the perfect way to incorporate a light, floral motif into your holiday decorations. This intricate project is meant for courageous artists, said Lisa Feng, owner of Peaceful Peasants flower farm.

“Don't be afraid of anything,” Feng said. “I think that's the biggest thing is taking that big step and seeing where it goes.”

Starting with a foundation of chicken wire formed into the shape of a cone, use floral wire to secure the dried materials to the frame. If needed, hot glue can also be a life-saving component for this craft.

Risk it with Resin

Add an artistic touch to your holiday decor with floral ornaments encased in resin. Working with resin isn’t easy for amateur crafters. But with enough practice, the result is an eye-catching addition to your ornament collection, said Lara Jackson, owner of Wolfsong Flowers.

“I started out with the smaller pieces to get through the learning curve of working with resin,” Jackson said. “There's a lot of different little things you have to figure out how to do.”

Begin by arranging a handful of tiny, dried blooms into a small mold; even a tart tin with clear packing tape on one side is acceptable. Fill the mold with clear resin to coat the flowers and let the ornaments set for 24 hours before removing them from their molds.

Hydrangea Handiwork

Faux foliage tends to lack the same kind of fullness you can expect from a live Christmas tree. Consider closing the gaps with dried cluster blooms like limelight hydrangeas. Langley adds shimmer by spray painting her hydrangeas with metallic hues, but she understands any hesitancy to work too extensively with dried plants.

“If you're afraid of working with the drys, cause if you handle them too much they do kind of fall apart, go to Goodwill and grab all of their plastic or silk (florals) and just practice with those first,” Langley said.

Once the materials are completely dry, start placing the flowers in spots that require more substance. Evenly disperse as few or as many blooms as you’d like around the tree.