Floating Flower DIY: How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

  |   16 comments

Floating Flower DIY: How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

Ever since making this floating flower project in Palm Springs years ago, I’ve been dying to give it another try. I wanted to make something that would be a unique addition to different kinds of summer events – pool parties, weddings, birthdays, etc. And I eventually landed on this floating flower DIY, that is currently making all of my summertime wishes come true.

I teamed up with Fiskars to make it happen. And the end result is kind of SUPER. 🙂 Click through for the step by step instructions and a whole lot of obligatory pool shots.

Floating Flower DIY: How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

Floating Flower DIY: How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

Much like the process I followed for the other floating flower DIY, I started with large sheets of foam board. This time around, there was a lot more measuring, hand lettering, etc. But it was pretty straightforward once I got started and is definitely something that you can recreate for your own event – with any word, phrase, etc.

One of the big time savers for me was using the right materials to keep the process moving as quickly as possible. Things like super sharp blades for cutting the foam, the right gardening shears for trimming the stems, etc all helped to streamline the process. Fiskars makes a really great detail knife (Easy Change Detail Knife) for precisely cutting lots of different materials, which worked great for this project. And I really love their pruners as well (the PowerGear2 Pruner).

As for the flowers, I’m not going to lie. You’re going to need a lot of flowers! I used fresh flowers from Flower Muse, who kindly donated the flowers for this project, but you can also use fake flowers if you want something that will never wilt. Fake flowers (in my opinion) won’t make as big of an impact as gorgeous fresh flowers will though. I mean look at those beauties. So, I strongly recommend going the real flower route on this one, if you can.

How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

Peonies and garden roses

Materials for Floating Flower DIY

*I used a variety of flowers from Flower Muse (who I buy from regularly when we’re not working together on something – they ship really fast and their flowers are AMAZING). Here’s the list of all the flowers I used: ranunculus, coral peonies, pink salmon peonies, pink peach garden rose – free spiritdusty pink garden rose – romantic antikepink garden rose-mariatheresia caraluna garden rosesred garden spray roses – piano, and pink peach dahlias.

How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

How to Make a Floating Flower DIY

1. First, decide what word or phrase you want to use. I would recommend coming up with short words or phrases and separating each word if you’re doing a phrase (meaning each word would be a separate piece of foam board). This will help with the floating.

Here are some phrase suggestions: super duper (this was my original plan, but I ran out of flowers), vacay all day, make a splash. Writing someone’s name for a birthday party, a hashtag for an event, or a monogram for a wedding would all be good options for this type of project too.

Then, you’ll officially start by taking some measurements to give yourself a good guide for the lettering. I used a piece of 30×40 foam board and my word had 5 letters. So I split the width of the foam board into 5 equal sections and then determine the height of each letter and mapped that out as well, with an acrylic ruler. This will really come in handy for step 2.
How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

2. Once all the measurement guides are finished, you can write your word or phrase on the foam board. I used a pencil first and then went over the whole thing with a marker once I knew what I wanted it to look like.

Note: When drawing out the letters, it’s important to remember that they need to have some width to them (similar to mine) to keep the flowers supported and have enough room for the flowers to be attached. I found that at least an inch wide in all areas worked well, with some areas being much thicker to give the word some personality and additional support.

How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

3. Then it’s time to cut everything out, using a sharp blade and the marker lettering from step 2 as a guide. I used the Easy Change Detail Knife. It was very sharp, easy to hold, and the blades can be switched out quickly too when needed. Perf!

When cutting, try to use long, fluid strokes as much as possible to keep the edges smooth and professional looking. It also helps to cut large chunks off of the foam board edges from time to time, so that you can get as close to the sections that need to be cut as much as possible. Using a cutting mat (mine is 24×36) will help with getting smooth lines as well because it provides a softer surface that will help you cut all the way through the foam board, without damaging whatever is underneath – like a table.

How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

4. Once the word or phrase is entirely cut out, it’s flower time. Cut the entire stem off a flower with PowerGear2 Pruners and glue it to the foam board with a hot glue gun. It helps to get as close to the base of the flower as possible to create a flat surface for glueing. Repeat this process over and over again with varying flower sizes until the entire piece of foam board has been covered. Use small flower buds to fill in any small areas where the foam is showing through.

Highly recommend the PowerGear2 Pruners btw. They’re honestly the best ones I’ve used. They have a lot of power, and the handles are really comfortable. Which means you won’t hurt your hands when you’re continuously cutting stems (and for this project, you will be).

Floating Flower DIY: How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

Once the foam is completely covered with flowers, it’s ready for the pool. Just set it in gently and you should be good to go.

Note: The finished project (with all the flowers attached) will be fairly heavy. BUT it will still float, as long as you use foam board as your base, like mine. Do not use floral foam – it will sink. I tend to think that the thicker the foam board the better it will float for a longer period of time, because it will be slightly lifted from the water. So, keep that in mind when buying foam board for this project. The 1/2 inch thick board that I used worked great.

If you keep each word relatively short (like 7 letters max for each word) and the piece is uninterrupted in the water (i.e. people aren’t jumping on it or splashing it too much), it should float for 4-6 hours or longer. So, it’s perfect for an event or party.

Once the party is over, you can actually remove the flowers from the foam board (the hot glue makes it easy to pop the flowers back off of the foam if desired). Put the blooms into shallow bowls of water and they’ll stay fresh for days longer, so  you can keep enjoying them after the party is over.

Floating Flower DIY: How to Create a DIY Flower Message (That Also Floats)

Floating flowers for summer

Love this summer DIY idea for a floating flower DIY. Click through for the tutorial.

Photography Amelia Lawrence

What do you think of this floating flower DIY? Would you ever try something like this? And what word or phrase would you create if so?

For more information on Fiskars crafting products, including their Orange-handled Scissors (which will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary in October), check out their website or follow Fiskars on FacebookTwitterInstagram and Pinterest.

This post is in partnership with Fiskars. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.

16 comments | Click here to reply

This is so beautiful, what a shame that the flowers won’t last that long!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Michelle recently posted..Inspiration | How To Style Your Work Desk in 3 Steps

Michelle | June 13th, 2017 at 8:26 am

Thanks Michelle. As I mentioned, you can use fake flowers instead if you want something that will last forever. 🙂 So, there’s options for everyone.

Brittni | June 13th, 2017 at 8:30 am

This is such a cool idea! 😀
x finja | http://www.effcaa.com

finja | June 13th, 2017 at 8:33 am

Thanks Finja.

Brittni | June 13th, 2017 at 8:38 am

This is so gorgeous! I love it!

Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Paige recently posted..Jay’s School Plans for Next Year

Paige | June 13th, 2017 at 9:45 am

Thanks Paige. 🙂

Brittni | June 13th, 2017 at 2:31 pm

These literally could not be more beautiful!!!! I just keep pinning every single picture.
Lisa @ NatureImmerse recently posted..Best Electric Knife Sharpener Reviews 2017

Lisa @ NatureImmerse | June 13th, 2017 at 8:14 pm

Aw, thanks so much Lisa. I appreciate it!

Brittni | June 13th, 2017 at 9:00 pm

I love this DIY. It would make a great photo prop for a photo booth.

http://goldclutter.com
Sophie recently posted..Gold Clutter is 1!

Sophie | June 13th, 2017 at 11:46 pm

Thanks Sophie! Yes, it would be a great photo prop for sure.

Brittni | June 15th, 2017 at 6:00 am

This is GORGEOUS!
Antonella | White House Crafts recently posted..FREE PRINTABLE FATHER’S DAY COLOURING BADGES

Antonella | White House Crafts | June 15th, 2017 at 12:10 pm

Thank you Antonella. 🙂

Brittni | June 15th, 2017 at 12:38 pm

Beautiful flowers. I very love this DIY.
Joseph Roberts recently posted..Top 60 Home Decor and DIY Blogs To Visit If You Want To Be A Better DIYer

Joseph Roberts | June 16th, 2017 at 8:58 am

Thanks Joseph. Flower Muse has the best flowers! It’s easy to make them look good. 🙂

Brittni | June 16th, 2017 at 10:18 am

That’s a great idea the floating flowers are amazing Great work !!!

Simran Ahuja | July 7th, 2017 at 3:27 am

[…] 8. Chic and minimal printable “hand sanitizer” labels (Almost Makes Perfect) 9. DIY Floating Flower Message (Paper & Stitch) 10. The Story Behind ‘Gypsy’, Netflix’s latest series […]

Take Note: Links and Reads | The Blondielocks | Life + Style | July 10th, 2017 at 7:22 am
Leave a reply

CommentLuv badge