Dried Flower Panels Are the Perfect Spring DIY You Can Do in a Weekend

Is it really the start of a new season if you haven’t swapped out your seasonal decor yet? Adding a few seasonal pieces is a great way to give your space a refresh that matches the mood of the season—plus, it’s an easy way to add intrigue to your home, keeping it from feeling stagnant over time.

If you’ve been on the hunt for new decorations to add to your space, there’s no better way to prep for the spring season than by a little DIY crafting.

Flower panels are the latest decor trend that’s been taking the crafting corner of social media by storm. They’re delicate, super customizable, and add a small pop of color to any space—plus, they’re easy to make. 

To get started, all you’ll need are long-stemmed dried flowers of your choice and some wire or mesh grid panels. If you want to create a panel shape that’s different than the shape the panels already come in (typically square or rectangular), have spare wire, a thin picture frame, or flexible sticks on hand. 

For the most successful flower frames, you’ll want to work with dried flowers that aren’t too fragile. You’ll need to weave the flower stems through the wire or mesh paneling to support them, and the delicate blooms of the flowers themselves will be exposed (meaning that there’s potential for the flowers to crumble if touched or jostled).

Some of the best flowers are those that keep their original shape once dried; lavender, eucalyptus, amaranths, baby’s breath, and roses (especially small varieties) are some flower varieties to keep in mind while you’re thinking about which flowers to dry.

Once you have your dried flowers ready to go, you can prepare your frame by attaching the wire or mesh gridding to your choice of framed support.

If you’re working with sticks or separated pieces of the frame, you may want to tie or glue them together before getting started—once you’re done attaching the gridding, though, the frame should be held together by the paneling itself.

Wrap, tie, or hot glue the paneling to your frame of choice. If you’re working with mesh paneling, make sure it’s pulled completely taut and doesn’t shift or bounce when you press down lightly on the individual panels. With wire paneling, it’s easiest to wrap the ends of the wire panels around your frame—make sure the gridding lays flat between the edges of the frame, with no curves or bumps.

Once your frame has been secured, you can finish off the project by simply weaving your dried flowers through the panels in your frame.

Work slowly and try to avoid bending the stems of the dried flowers as you work. Instead, hold each flower by the stem just below its bloom, and stick the stem through the panel you want the head of the flower to stand at. Slowly lower the head of the flower towards the paneling, and gently weave the base of the stem through one to three panels as you lower it.

Try to keep the flower stem as straight as possible, lightly pushing the end of the stem to move it through the paneling without bending it. Adjust the flower until the flower’s bloom is at the height you want or is being supported entirely by the paneling. 

Some floral paneling uses the panel support to stand the flowers up as though they’re growing naturally, laying them out individually to look like they’re standing upright. You can also take a slightly more cluttered approach, weaving and layering flowers over each other so that the stems of the individual flowers are no longer visible—this creates a thicker, more vibrant frame of blooms. 

The great part about flower paneling is that you don’t need to permanently attach the flowers to the frame, which means you can swap out dried flowers as the seasons change or as you notice them starting to fade.

If you don’t have access to dried flowers that are guaranteed to last a while, this also means you can regularly swap out your flowers as they fall apart, or you can use faux flowers.

To extend the life of your flower frame as long as possible, try not to place it in direct sunlight, as this will cause the color of your flowers to fade quickly. Hanging it in a space that isn’t directly against a wall may also help prevent your flowers from crumbling, but if you are planning on hanging your frame against a wall, just make sure the blooms of your flowers are all coming out of the frame in the same direction. This will add some space between them and your wall, keeping them from being crushed.

Read Next: You Can Make These Adorable Spring Napkin Print Candles in a Pinch

Read the original article on The Spruce.