Floral Projects

Floral arrangements, wreaths, anything with flower projects

Cafe Orleans Terrarium | Level 1 or Level 3

/ Alex Nadell / Leave a comment

Hello, y’all! This terrarium is inspired by favorite restaurant in New Orleans Square: Cafe Orleans! You read that right, not Blue Bayou. Cafe Orleans. They have pomme frites, monte cristos, and they used to have the most delicious sausage gumbo! And if you’re lucky you can watch Fantasmic from the outside dining area after dinner.

Originally, I was planning on putting a lot of plants in this terrarium–you’ll see in the supplies photo– but I ended up using just one faux plant. It made things simpler and I think it really worked out.

This projects is a level 3 because we’re going to be painting, HOWEVER!! You can make it as a level 1 by printing out a photo of New Orleans Square!

Here are the supplies:

Supplies List:Tools List:
For Level 3:
Watercolor PaperWatercolor brushes
Watercolor SetRuler
Pencil, Colored Pencils
Paper Towel
White Gel Pen
For Both Level 3 and 1:Scissors
Terrarium
Moss
Small Vase Filler Rocks
Black Vase Filler Stones
Magnolia Flowers
Mini Dining Set

Instructions

Painting the Background!

Grab a piece of Watercolor Paper and lay it underneath your terrarium. Outline it with a pencil. Depending on the shape of your terrarium, you might want to do more than two paintings.

Have some references at the ready! I chose to paint the blue building for the inside of my terrarium and the tan building for the backside.

Start lightly sketching out your building with a pencil. Use a ruler to keep things straight and symmetrical.

The blue building has a circular window at the top, columns on the sides, and symmetrical windows so everything you do on one side, you’ll draw the same of the other.

Because the 1st and 2nd level windows line up, I drew guidelines all the way down the front facade.

The tricky part were the rounded shutters on the 1st level’s windows. The highest point of the curve–which is the outside edge–lined up with the highest point of the rounded window. Drawing a horizontal guideline there will help keep everything even.

The railing is simple enough. The 2nd floor is just vertical spindles, the 1st floor is made of X’s.

A box in the middle is for the name of the restaurant. Little drapes flow on the bottom. Erase where needed.

Start off by brushing your paper with water where you want the paint to flow. Add more paint to the places there are shadows like under the trimming, the inside parts next to the columns, and underneath the 2nd floor windows.

Don’t add too much paint and water at once. Let it dry and you can layer up the color for a deeper appearance. Remember, wherever it is wet, the color will flow.

Use different shades of green to create the potted plants on the balconies.

Go in with relevant colored pencils to amp up the detail and deepen shadows. I also painted some blue in the windows (on dry paper) and went in with a grey colored pencil and drew a line on the left and bottom edges of each little window to create some dimension.

Finally, use a white gel pen to clean up the white parts if necessary.

Go ahead and sketch the other facade using another piece of watercolor paper. This one is also symmetrical! Erase where needed.

The corner pieces of the balcony and the railing are left blank because I’ll be drawing in the detail with a colored pencil after everything is dry.

Paint the same way you did earlier. Watercolor is all about many thin layers so take your time! Use colored pencils after it’s dry to define details.

If you’re not up for the painting, you can always print out a photo of your favorite building in New Orleans Square and use that as your background instead!

Assembly

Cut your watercolor pieces to fit inside the terrarium. You should have one facing outside and one facing inside. I tried gluing my pieces together so they’d lay flush, but it didn’t work that well. The paper was too strong! I’d suggest you try to flatten them out under something heavy before continuing.

Take a handful of Moss and stuff it on the bottom of your terrarium,

Add some smaller Vase Filler rocks and top those with larger black Pebbles.

Cut apart a couple Magnolia flowers from their stem and stick them into the pebbles.

Lastly, pop in your Miniature Table and Chairs.

You can glue the dining pieces to some pebbles if you want more stability. They can end up toppled over otherwise. But, that’s it!!

You Made It!

Amazing job, everyone! I would love to see what kind of terrariums you guys came up with. Each can be so unique especially with the variety of terrariums out there. I really liked this house shape from Michaels. It sparked the idea in the first place! New Orleans Square is my favorite land in Disneyland and I just love the atmosphere and delicious food of Cafe Orleans. I hope you enjoyed this project!

Thank you for making it all the way down here. Please follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for more projects like this and pictures from the parks! Share with your Disney DIY loving friends and family, too. We’d really appreciate it! See you all next time!

@mainstreetdiy

All images on this website were taken by and belong to Main Street D.I.Y. If you wish to share an image, please give credit where credit is due! Send the people our way!

Magic Flower Vase – Inspired by “Tangled” | Level 1

/ Alex Nadell / Leave a comment

Flower gleam and glow and happy 10th project to Main Street DIY! Today we’re making a Tangled inspired vase to display our beautiful magic flowers. This project is fairly simple so let’s go over what supplies you’ll need!

Supplies List:Appx Cost:
Faux Yellow Lilies$3
Additional Faux Flowers/ Greenery$8
Cylindrical Clear Vase$10
Vase Filler$3
Yellow Paper$1
Tracing Paper/Tissue Paper$1
Fairy Lights$5
*Total Approximate Cost of Supplies:$31
*Cost is approximated with coupons/sales and if you don’t already have all the supplies. You may have leftovers!
If the cost is $0, I’m assuming you already have these things.
Tools List:Appx Cost:
Glue Stick$1
Scissors$0
Hobby Knife$5
Wire Cutter$4
Sun Template$0
Pencil$0
*Total Approximate Cost of Tools:$10
*Cost is approximated with coupons/sales and if you don’t already have all the supplies. You may have leftovers!
If the cost is $0, I’m assuming you already have these things.

Instructions

Start off by filling the bottom of your Vase with Vase Filler. I used sea glass I already had. Don’t fill it too much. Just enough to raise your “lantern” up a little bit.

Grab your Yellow Paper and roll it to fit inside the vase.

Mark the height of your vase on your paper with a pencil.

Cut the paper across where you marked. I used a straight cutter to get a perfect 90 degree angle.

Make sure you like the height of your paper. I ended up slicing off a little more.

Make a mark where your paper overlaps.

Print out the Sun Template (link in the Tools Table) and pick which size would work best for your vase. I used the smallest size.

Hold up your template under the yellow paper to a window and trace the sun design onto the yellow paper.

Use a Hobby Knife to cut out the shapes. Go slow and take your time! You got this!

Take your Glue Stick and glue around the sun design on the back of your yellow paper and attach your Tracing Paper/Tissue Paper.

You can cut your tracing paper to fit before or after gluing.

This is extra, but you can cut out little shapes surrounding your sun and glue some metallic paper to show thru the holes. My yellow paper had these designs on the front so I just cut a few of those out using my hobby knife.

Glue the rest of the tracing paper down.

Glue your paper into a cylinder where you marked earlier.

Drop in your Fairy Lights. I only had purple, but it looks pretty cool!

Lastly, grab your flowers and arrange how you please! If you need more support for your flowers, you can use a piece of cardboard and cut a hole for your flower stems.

You Made It!

Great work, everybody! I hope you enjoyed this little project inspired by Tangled. It feels very summery and bright! The lilies look a lot like the flower in the movie. It’s a perfect centerpiece for any Disney lover! I had to use actual greenery to fill in the spaces. Luckily, I had a lot of plants that needed some trimming anyway!

Thank you for making it all the way down here! I hope you stick around to look thru all of our other projects. Check out our Instagram and Pinterest. We really appreciate any likes and shares! Tag us if you made this project and thanks again!

@mainstreetdiy

All images on this website were taken by and belong to Main Street D.I.Y. If you wish to share an image, please give credit where credit is due! Send the people our way!

Earth Day Castle Motif | Level 1

/ Alex Nadell / Leave a comment

Happy Earth Day, everyone! We’re celebrating Earth Day this week with this Disney castle motif that is made with pressed flowers and twine. Disney is known for the amazing flower beds and horticulture found in the parks. Most notably: the Mickey face in front of Main Street Station right when you walk thru the gates into Disneyland. Let’s get inspired, pick some flowers from the garden and let’s get started!

Supplies List:Appx Cost:
Burlap or Wood Panel$2/ panel
Twine$3
Glitter$1
Circular Flowers or Leaves$0
Small Thin Leaves$0
Flowers of your choice$0
Two Sheets of Felt**$2
*Approximate Cost of Supplies:$8
*Cost is approximated with coupons/sales and if you don’t already have all the supplies.
If the cost is $0, I’m assuming you already have these things.
Tools List:Appx Cost:
Hot Glue Gun + Hot Glue$10
Scissors$0
Mod Podge-Matte$2
Soft Paint Brush$2
Two Ceramic Tiles (square shaped; fits in microwave)**$2
Black Pen or Marker$0
*Approximate Cost of Tools:$16
*Cost is approximated with coupons/sales and if you don’t already have all the supplies.
If the cost is $0, I’m assuming you already have these things.

**These items will be used for our flower pressing process. There are many ways you can press flowers, this is the way we did it because we had the necessary items to do so. If you would rather purchase faux flowers and skip pressing all together, go for it!

Instructions

Flower Pressing

Select your flowers and leaves! The ideal flowers for pressing are flat and not too “juicy”. You might find some plants to be too delicate so there is some trial and error involved.

I used nasturtium leaves, a paperwhite flower, lavender, lavender leaves, and a different type of purple flower I don’t know the name of.

Take out two Ceramic Tiles–I used extra bathroom floor tiles that are 6″x6″— fold your Felt pieces in half and place one on each tile.

Arrange your picks on one of the felt-topped tiles, making sure there’s no overlapping. You can do a test run first to see how your picks held up.

Place your other felt-topped tile on top to make a sandwich. The felt is there to absorb any water from the plants.

Microwave on high for 60 seconds.

Use a towel or something to protect your hands from the heat to gently lift off the top tile.

Let your picks set for a couple minutes. If they are still fleshy or wet to the touch, microwave in the press again for an additional 30 seconds. The plants should feel like parchment if they are pressed and dried enough.

Making the Castle

Print out a favorite picture or drawing of a Disney castle. Make sure you like the size! Cut it out and lay it on your Panel.

Trace the castle with a pencil or pen.

Take your Twine and Hot Glue it in the shape of your outline.

Tip: Use a toothpick to help getting corners a little sharper. You can squeeze the corner together as the glue is drying.

Arrange your Flowers

Place your flowers and leaves in an arrangement you like.

I used my round leaves and paperwhite flower to create a Mickey head in the center of my castle and the lavender leaves for the fireworks.

Use a soft brush to delicately apply Mod Podge to the backs of your leaves and flowers and glue it to your panel. It’s best to go one at a time and slowly to avoid breaking the plants. If they do break, no worries, just use the Mod Podge to glue it back in place.

Mod Podge over the top of your plants as well.

Finishing Touches

Add a little sparkle by Mod Podging whatever glitter you might have on top of your fireworks leaves. Avoid cleaning up your glitter in the sink please! Glitter should be on art, not in the ocean.

Use a black marker or pen to line the inside of your castle to make it pop off the panel.

Finally, add a twine border around your panel!

Done!

You made it! Awesome job! I wonder what types of flowers everyone used. I had never pressed my own flowers before so this was a fun learning experience. I wanted to do something more “natural” looking for Earth Day and I hope this hit the mark.

Thank you to everyone who made it all the way down here! Let us know if you did the project by tagging us on Instagram. Give us a follow for more pictures and projects and please share with your Disney-loving friends and family.

@mainstreetdiy

All images on this website were taken by and belong to Main Street D.I.Y. If you wish to share an image, please give credit where credit is due! Send the people our way!

Spring Wreath-Inspired by Daisy Duck | Level 2

/ Alex Nadell / Leave a comment

It’s the first day of Spring 2020 and it’s the first project we’ll be doing here on Main Street DIY! I’m so excited! I hope that this project is something you can enjoy even if you can’t go out to the craft store to pick up supplies right now. I hope that this is something you can look forward to making.

Without further ado…this is the Daisy Duck inspired Spring Wreath and the supplies you’ll need!

Supplies List:Appx Cost:
12″ Floral Ring$3
6ft Garland with Purple Flowers$10
9 Large White Daisies$5
Long Stem with Leaves$4
4 Yellow Cattail-Like Flowers$1
3 Small Yellow Daisies$2
White Feathers$3
1.5″ Pink Wired Ribbon$2
*Total Appx Cost:$30 + tax
*Cost is approximated with coupons/sales and if you don’t already have all the supplies
Tools List:Appx Cost:
Clear Hot Glue + Hot Glue Gun$10
Wire Cutters$4
*Total Approximate Cost of Tools:$14 + tax
*Cost is approximated with coupons/sales and if you don’t already have all the supplies

(Please note that the supply links may not last forever since flowers tend to be seasonal items at craft stores. I will update as needed.)

Instructions:

Place the Garland with the purple flowers on the Ring, following its shape. The first wrap should be placed towards the opening in the ring, the second should go outside of the first–and so on if your garland is super long. Make sure you like the placement before hot gluing down.

Tip: I put one of the plastic ends of the garland thru a hole in the ring and glued it down in the back before wrapping and gluing.

Use the wire cutters to separate the branches from the Long Stem with Leaves. You should have enough to fill in most of the gaps left by the garland. Concentrate most of these leaves where your garland didn’t overlap twice. We’re going to have this be the top of the wreath. Glue ’em in place!

Tip: I placed the leaves pointing up. Those on the right side of the ring curve counter-clockwise and those on the left curve clockwise.

Create a hidden mickey with the three Small Yellow Daisies in the lower right corner of your ring. Mine had wires in the back so I wrapped them around the ring.

Next, use the wire cutters to separate each Large White Daisy from the bunch. Keep the stems if you want to fill in more space or finish the edge of the ring. Arrange the daisies around the ring on the outside. These flowers typically have wire in the stem so you can manipulate how they’re angled and curved.

Tip: Hot glue ended up melting the outer coating of the stems, separating them from the inner core. Make sure you hold the stems down to the ring until they’re set.

Nearing the end! Go ahead and stick some Feathers around the bottom half of your wreath. A dab of hot glue on the bottom of the feather should do the trick. Add the Yellow Cattail-Like Flowers on the left inner-circle.

Tip: I added the two leaves that came with the white daises to fill in more space.

Finish it off with a bow made from 1.5 inch Pink Wired Ribbon. Cut two 15 inch lengths of ribbon. Remember to fray check the ribbon ends. Fold the ends to the center and sew or glue one side so that there’s a little peak and the loops make a shallow ‘V’ shape. Do this for both pieces of ribbon.

Tip: To get center, I folded my ribbon in half to make a crease then folded each end to that crease.

Layer one piece on top of the other with the peak on the outside, scrunch the centers, and sew or glue together.

To finish the bow, cut a small length of ribbon–about 3-4 inches–and wrap that around the center over the sewed pieces, sewing or gluing the ends in the back. Leave space to feed thru an additional length–30-32 inches–of ribbon for the tails. You can cut little triangles in the ends of the tails for a cuter look.

To attach the bow to your wreath. Either thread craft wire thru the part where the tails fed thru and wrap around the ring or hot glue in place.

YOU MADE IT! Congrats!

Took a couple hours didn’t it. Phew!

I would like to thank every one of you who made it this far. I know I don’t read everything on blogs, so if you did I’m so proud of you! Let us know if you made this Daisy Duck inspired wreath by tagging us on Instagram @mainstreetdiy!

@mainstreetdiy

All images on this website were taken by and belong to Main Street D.I.Y. If you wish to share an image, please give credit where credit is due! Send the people our way!