How To: Frida Kahlo inspired Floral Headband

It’s fun having creative friends, friends that love colour and irreverence and fun. Friends that make art and think it’s awesome when you show up to their exhibition opening night dresses as Frida Kahlo. Maddie had suggested it in passing, “you should come as Frida” and I thought, yes I will, and so will Emma, because the only thing better than one Frida is two Fridas. The exhibition had a Day of the Dead theme (Dia de los Muertos), so we fit right into the riot of colour.
The costumes were easy to put together with clothing and accessories we already had at home, I only had to make the headbands. It didn’t take very long, and Emma enjoyed helping me choose the colours and bend the wires.
If you want to make a floral headband for your own costume or even as a bridal wedding headpiece read on…

You will need:

• artificial/silk flowers with wire stems (I used 3 bunches for 2 headbands)
• Wire cutter pliers
• plastic headband blank
• electrical adhesive tape (I had this laying about, but do recommend it as its very adhesive and has just the right amount of stretch)

How to:

1. Gather your supplies.
2. Trim the stem of your flowers about 5cm (2″) down from the head.
3. Wrap you tape over a small section of the top (crown) of the headband.
4. Bend the stem of the flower to a right angle
5. Starting from the middle top, lay a flower on the headband and wrap tape around to fasten. Do this one flower at a time with the stem of the flower facing down towards the ends of the headband.
6. Stop adding flowers about a third of the way down. When you are satisfied with your arrangement keep winding the tape around to the end of the headband. Trim excess at end.
7. Repeat on other half of headband.
8. Arrange the flowers to finish.

Obviously I’ve chosen lovely bright coloured flowers just like Frida would have worn, but you can use exactly the same technique to make headpieces for a wedding or to match a race day outfit, just choose different coloured flowers.

I must admit my eyebrows need some work though, I really didn’t commit fully Frida’s signature facial hair.

Emma really looked super cute and I couldn’t resist sharing these photos. I’m considering blowing them up to display at home. She rarely poses for photographs but was so thrilled to be a ‘flower princess’ that she was happy to let me snap a few shots.

What did you dress up as this Halloween or Day of the Dead?