You know those moments in your life that you can think about after and they just make you feel all warm and smiley inside? For me, one of those was the Swallowtail Farm 2016 Fall Festival. It was just two weeks after my father passed away, and we planned a trip to Gainesville from South Florida for Veteran’s Day weekend. We often travel on that weekend since it’s right after my birthday, but this time, it was to look at homes {yes, once again} with a real plan to buy one at the end of the school year. We were ready, and the amazing time we had that weekend sealed the deal. I saw a Facebook event for this fall festival, and I figured we would check it out. I had no idea what to expect… but it was AWESOME! Tucked away in the rural part of Alachua County {the town of Alachua specifically} is Swallowtail Farm. Check out the event highlights from last fall.
Swallowtail Farm grows flowers and vegetables, raises chickens, cows, and pigs, and hosts two festivals a year. At the fall festival, participants have the opportunity to attend all different types of demonstrations. This year, we attended a fermentation workshop and the kids each made a jar of fermented veggies, we learned about how bees make honey, and the kids got to pick different types of seasonal veggies to make a salad. There were also food trucks with tasty food and beverages.
Most importantly, we were also excited to see the flower crown-making session again at the 2017 event! This was our favorite workshop last year {in addition to the one about creating cocktails infused with herbs}. Lydia and I were very happy to make flower crowns again. Since we enjoyed it so much, I figured I would share it with you, too!
The presenters gave us a brief tutorial, and this is how our flower crowns turned out this year. I don’t know what’s more beautiful — The crowns or my children?! Okay, it’s obviously my children, but the crowns are pretty awesome, too, and very easy to make.
Materials:
- Large variety of fresh flowers
- Green floral wire
- Green floral tape
- Wire cutters
Directions:
Begin by gathering or purchasing a variety of beautiful fresh flowers dublin. We had marigolds, peonies, and several other varieties. They were so bright and colorful! I just loved them all. The reds, oranges, and pinks make such a beautiful crown.
Gather your other materials. You will need to make a large circle of green floral wire by cutting a piece a little larger than the circumference of your head and twisting the ends together to hold it in place. The wire cutters are to trim the wire and the flowers as needed. It is all held together with the green floral tape.
Select the specific flowers for your crown and remove the leaves. I went with all one type of flower {I’m not sure of the name, but it’s the type that looks like feathery cones} but the kids chose a variety of flowers. I like my stems to be about 4″ each after the leaves are removed.
Place one or two flowers along the wire at a time, and twist around with the floral tape. After you go around the stem of the flower about 4 or 5 times, add another flower. I staggered them every inch or so all the way around the crown, continually wrapping with the floral tape. You can cover just a portion of your wire with flowers or cover the entire crown. Just remember to keep the floral tape tight as you go.
When you’re finished, your crown is ready to wear! How amazing does this crown look? I feel like a little woodland fairy, prancing around in the cool fall weather. Well, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea, right? As you can see, I selected very similar, smaller flowers, but Lydia has varied, larger flowers. Both style is beautiful!
Lydia wore her crown the rest of the day, as we visited all the different areas of the farm, attended different workshops, and even while she practiced her hula-hooping in the hay while a live band performed. Another perfect fall day near our new home in Gainesville!
What are some of your favorite fall crafts?
I love that first photo of Lydia.