How to make natural confetti using flowers from the garden...
It’s wedding season! Couples across the UK have finally been given the green light, removing restrictions on guest numbers at weddings leading to a spike in weddings this year due to catch ups and cancellations. And whilst there are loads of beautiful flowers in the garden, all coming into full bloom at this time of year, there’s no better time to make your own natural flower confetti, the perfect sustainable addition to any wedding or party!
Confetti is one of the best things at a wedding, primarily because every couple wants to get the ‘confetti shot’ outside the church or venue, and guests so enjoying throwing it to congratulate the happy couple. Confetti can be found everywhere on the internet but with lots of flowers and lavender in the garden at this time of year I thought I would embark on making my own for my sister’s wedding last year and it turned out great.
The house smelt amazing for weeks in the buildup to the wedding and the confetti cones were super quick easy to make and can be whatever colour you like, meaning you could even use coloured ribbon or paper to suit your chosen theme.
You can also choose to use flower petals that best suit your colour theme, I mostly used white, pink and red roses and some lavender ends (this really bulked up the confetti mixture and meant more cones could be filled for the amount of rose petals, it also added a lovely colour and fragrance to the confetti).
As well as looking and smelling AMAZING! Natural confetti also has the benefits of being super sustainable and biodegradable, and if you’re using flowers from the garden, it can also save you some money! If you don’t have any blooming roses or the like in your garden, you can always make natural confetti from flowers you, or a loved one has received for their engagement, or birthday! Whatever flowers you have on the turn, be sure to save and dry the petals for this delightful little sustainable addition to your own, or a friends, wedding!
And if you don’t have a wedding coming up, you can always make some to save for later, alternatively this natural confetti would make great potpourri to fill bowls around the house in the summer, and it could also be used in presents or gift bags, or can make a great addition to a summer table display.
To make the confetti... YOU WILL NEED: Some flowers of your choice (I found that rose petals and lavender flower heads worked best). A baking tray lined with grease proof paper. A cool oven, radiator top, aga top etc. METHOD: 1. Choose fresh flowers in full bloom (try to avoid petals turning brown at the edges as they won't dry as well). 2. Remove the petals from the flower head and stem and place on a baking tray. 3. Dry flowers. If using an aga, place in the bottom warming oven for roughly 15 minutes. If using an electric oven, place the baking tray in the oven at 80 degrees centigrade for roughly 25 minutes. If you wish to use a warm radiator, aga top, or warming drawer, place the tray on the warm surface, and leave until dry. The petals should feel completely dry once done. 4. Put your petals in an airtight container once cool and store until the big day!
To make the cones... YOU WILL NEED: 1 x roll of paper in colour of your choice (I used a Kraft wrapping paper) 1 x roll of twine in colour of your choice 1 x roll of double sided sticky tape 1 x sheet of double sided sticky squares A pair of scissors A guillotine (if you have one) METHOD: 1. Measure and cut out a 6x6 square of paper. I used a guillotine to get straight edges, but a ruler and scissors can work just as well. 2. Measure out a 6 inch length of double sided sticky tape, and stick this along one side of the square. 3. Fold the bottom edge of the square to the sticky taped side of the square to form a cone. 4. Unravel your double sided sticky tape to stick the two sides together. (You can fold down the top middle of the cone for a better finish if you wish). 5. Tie a bow of twine around the centre of the cone, and stick on with a double sided sticky square. 6. Fill with your homemade confetti.
