How to Make a Dandelion Wreath for your Head

 

If you are a hippie, bohemian, free-spirit like me, you know that there is a lot of joy in having flowers in your hair.  It connects you to the Earth, it helps others to notice your natural beauty and the beauty around you, and it is also a cheap, easy, and "green" way to be pretty and fashionable.




So here, I give you a step by step guide for making a great floral wreath out of dandelions.

(Because I am not very good at details sometimes, as I just DO things and experiment, I will be referencing The Hippie Handbook by Chelsea Cain.)

First, you need to gather your materials.  This is a project you will have to do in the spring and summer months if you live in Michigan like I do if you are looking for fresh materials.  You CAN make floral wreaths with fake flowers, but not with the method I am going to show you today.  If you want to make a floral wreath with fake flowers, check out this article by Melissa Howard.

MATERIALS:
25-45 blooming dandelions (yellow)*
A rag or washcloth
Your fingernails or a small, sharp object

*Make sure you pick your dandelions as close to the root as possible so that you will have a lot of stem to work with.

STEPS:
1. Using your fingernail (or your small sharp object) make a 1/2 inch long slit all the way through each stem.  Make this slit close to the flower itself in order to have a thick, lush wreath.

2. Pick a dandelion to start with.  Then, take another dandelion and insert it into the slit in the first dandelion stem.  Pull through gently, but make it tight.  Then take your next dandelion and slip it through the slit in your second dandelion.

3. Continue this process until your chain is the length you will need to have it fit comfortably on your head.

4.  When the chain is the right length, take your last flower and increase the slit to about 1 whole inch.  Fit the entire head of your first flower through it and pull gently to tighten it.  You should have a dandelion wreath now!

5. Using your rag or washcloth, wipe all the dandelion goo from your hands. (Or you can wash them, if there is water available.)

6. Wear your beautiful, handcrafted dandelion wreath with pride!