$25 - $30 (based on 2025 prices)
Makes one bouquet
Makes one bouquet
Taking what I learned by creating the cemetery wreath, I decided to create two props with dead flowers to incorporate into the haunt. This first one, which is featured here, is a simple bouquet that I placed atop a coffin. The second is an urn which was nestled among the tombstones. Although I used this prop to add ambiance to the display, it can easily be incorporated into a costume as an accessory for a scare-actor.
- Twenty-four artificial flowers (six camellias, six lilacs, six peonies, and six roses)
- One pan large enough to soak all of the flowers
- At least one tablespoon of dark roasted coffee grounds
- One baking sheet large enough to accommodate all of the flowers
- One standard lighter
- One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
- One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat brown*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
- One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
- One 7” x 3” foam cone
- One 3” x 3” foam disk
- One 33 oz. bag of Spanish moss
- Four feet of steel wire
- One 18” x 21” piece of gray fabric
- One foot of two-inch-wide plaid ribbon
- One decorative brooch and stick pin
2. Sprinkle the coffee grounds into the pan and add boiling water, allowing the flowers to soak in the liquid. How dark you stain the flowers will depend on your desired state of decomposition. For a light brown, only use one or two tablespoons of coffee and let the flowers soak for less than a day. For a dark brown, increase the coffee to three or four tablespoons and let the flowers steep in the liquid for several days.
3. Once the flowers have absorbed the coffee, move them to a baking sheet to dry. To expedite this process, set the flowers outside in the sun; however, do not bake them in the oven like those made for the cemetery wreath because it will melt their plastic ends and make it difficult to connect them to the stems.
4. Use a lighter to burn the edges of the flowers. I found that a Butane gas lighter, because of its length, makes the process easier and safer. Likewise, perform this step in a well-ventilated area and near either a sink or pan of water.
5. Use brown paint to darken the pistil and sepal of each flower to make them look withered. For additional rot, you can add slight touches of black around the edges and along the section which connects to the stems.
6. Spread the stems outward to separate the leaves. This will make it easier to paint them. Then, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, dust the stems and leaves with lights coats of brown and black paint. For the best results, hold the can over twelve inches away from the stems and leaves and make quick flicking motions. Once they are dry, turn them over and repeat the process on the other side.
7. For further distress, use a lighter to wilt the leaves and burn their edges. As with step four, perform this process in a well-ventilated area and near water.
8. Form the base for the bouquet by gluing the foam cone to the foam disk, creating a ten-inch structure. Depending on how you plan to use the prop, you may want to increase or decrease this size. If you plan for a scare-actor to hold it, you may want something larger to give them better grip.
9. Reattach the flowers to their stems. For visual interest, try not to cluster the same blooms together. Rather, divide them up so that multiple types of flowers are on the same stem. Once you have arranged the flowers to your liking, insert the ends of the stems into the foam structure.
10. Coat the top of the foam cone with a layer of glue and press the moss into it, allowing it to dry. For added detail, you can also glue worms or other insects to the foliage.
11. Cut the four-foot section of steel wire in half and wrap the strands around each other to form one sturdy two-foot section. This will be used to give the edge of the bouquet’s wrapping a bendable structure.
12. Cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap around the foam cone (mine was 18” x 21”). Following this, glue the wire four inches from the edge. Then, fold the four-inch flap over the wire and glue it down. This will become the upper edge of the bouquet’s wrapper.
13. Starting on one side of the cone, wrap the cloth around the structure, gluing down portions as you go. You want the upper edge to rest just below the flowers and the bottom edge to hang about an inch below the tip of the cone. Likewise, you want a V-shaped opening near what will be the front of the prop.
14. Cut a length of ribbon long enough to wrap around the middle of the cone and glue it in place. You can always position it higher or lower on the prop based on its intended use. If a scare-actor will hold it, you may want to position the band closer to the top to prevent it from catching on their gloves or other parts of their costume.
15. Toward the front of the prop, accent the ribbon with the brooch and stick pin. What accessories you decide to use are dependent on your chosen aesthetic. You can incorporate a larger embellishment like an ornate medallion or simply leave the ribbon unadorned.
16. Depending on your theme, you can add additional touches, like insects crawling out of the rotting buds or splatters of blood.
*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.
