Using these tried and tested techniques shared by expert florists, you can easily create a wrist corsage bracelet using our patented tools and attachments. Perfect for designing beautiful flower jewellery for proms, weddings, parties, celebrations or just because.
How to make a floral corsage using cold glue
Your will need:
Wrist corsage bracelet — here we’ve used
Hailie but browse the
full range
Flower glue -
Oasis Floral Adhesive
Accessories — here we’ve used
Fireworks but browse the
full range
A selection of flowers and foliage — here we’ve used 4x Kalanchoe Leaves, 2x Spray Roses, 3x Kalanchoe Florets
Before you start:
• Flowers should ideally be at room temperature before gluing or the condensation will not allow the glue to set securely.
• If you've got a lot of corsages to make, florists say,
“Make all your bows and glue them on to the wristlets days or weeks ahead of time, then just glue in the flowers when you get the orders”
• OASIS Floral Adhesive is the highest recommended florist glue, but if you can’t get hold of that or you’d prefer a pot to a tube, then Elmer’s Rubber Cement is florist-recommended. You may have to hunt for it on eBay or Amazon.
How to make:
1. Depending on the flower choice and design, two methods are suitable for gluing flowers: 1) Dip flowers and accessories into a glue puddle. 2) Using the tube nozzle, glue straight onto the flower surface.
2. To make your glue puddle, squeeze a little glue onto a surface, such as a piece of packaging from your
Corsage Creations wristlet, a ceramic tile, a non-stick tray or something similar. This will keep your work-area tidy and means it's ready for the next use. Don’t make huge glue puddles as it dries out quickly, instead add fresh glue regularly leaving you with less waste.
Tip: Florists say,
"Use cold glue not pan hot glue… flowers are likely to pop off if you use hot glue. Use pliers to squeeze the nozzle to an oval as this makes the glue flow more controllable."
3. Cut your flower heads from the stems. When cutting, give yourself as much of a flat surface as possible. For example if using roses, cut the calyx flat – right next to the head — to create a large surface area for the glue to adhere to. Florists say,
“You don’t want any stem left on the bloom before sticking.”
Tip: Before gluing anything down, lay your flowers in place on the bracelet and settle on your desired design. You'll probably want to start with a base of foliage, then followed by flowers - with a mix of heavier heads interspersed with smaller, more delicate blooms.
4. Glue holds better when sticking to more glue, so be sure to layer glue on both surfaces: the plastic attachment of the bracelet, and the cut flower stem. Glue is cheap in comparison to a returned design, so allow plenty.
5. Whether using a puddle or gluing straight onto the stem, cover the whole of the cut stem ends with glue to preserve moisture within the flower.
Tip: In order to release the tube without coming away with a stringy mess, just quickly "swizzle" the nozzle around in circles a few times.
6. One by one, add the flowers in place on the plastic attachment of the bracelet, layering up from foliage to flowers. Cold glue sticks best once it’s slightly dried and tacky, so squeeze the glue onto the surface then count to ten before placing down.
7. Using glue means you can really make the most of adding little details to your design – impossible with wire. We recommend making the most of this by using small, delicate flowers where possible.
Read Rob Wallace’s top tip to test flowers for "gluability".
Tip: Florists say,
“Use glue to add detail to different areas of a design. Sometimes it’s better to wire really heavy flowers but glue the rest.”
8. Let corsages rest for 10–12 minutes to allow glue to dry and set before spraying or sealing in protective packaging or placing in refrigeration. Flowers last longer if kept cool, but glue will not continue to dry once it’s been placed in a fridge. Florists say,
“Make sure your piece is completely dry before refrigeration.”
Tip: We advise not to use leaf shine on your corsages because it dissolves the glue.
9. Store glue with the lid tightly sealed. If the top does get lost, insert a corsage pin into the nozzle to seal it until the next use.
Tip: Save a few of glue tube lids from finished tubes, to replace lost ones!
10. Rub an oily substance like leaf shine, oil, or hand cream on the nozzle and cap to prevent the glue building-up before next use. Plus, if you rub some on your hands it’ll be easier to remove glue from them as well. Be careful when using it near your design, because leaf shine will dissolve the glue in your corsage.
Tip: Florists say, “
Practise makes perfect… the first couple of tries may take way longer than if you’d wired, but once you learn a system that works for you and utilises the waiting time it’s fine”
If you’re not comfortable using glue, or you're making a design that needs wire no matter what, check out our
range of wires in different colours and thicknesses. For all the accessories, including essential wristlets and boutonnieres with florist-friendly plastic attachments, visit
corsagecreations.co.uk.
For a live tutorial visit the our
YouTube channel where you’ll find lots of videos demonstrating best practise for florists.
Article created in collaboration with Purple Spotted.
