Pony McTate: Say it with flowers

By Pony McTate

Weekend magazine·

27 Oct, 2017 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Amanda Billing creates bespoke pieces customised to your occasion.

Actress and photographer Amanda Billing is inspired by flowers and this week shows us how to put a floral spin on a usually spooky fete, writes Pony McTate.

Hold on to your hydrangeas, team - you're in for a real treat. This week, Amanda Billing kindly shows us how to create these fanciful floral head bands. Amanda is, of course, a well-loved and familiar face on telly and stage. But she sprinkles her creative magic across a whole range of artistic endeavours. As well as being a photographer, Amanda, pictured, uses artificial flowers to make fun and fabulous headwear.

We've made this one with cheap and cheerful flowers, which would be the perfect addition to your Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) or Halloween celebrations next week. But using the same technique, you can readily personalise these headbands to your requirements. Go as over-the-top or understated as you desire. For an affordable burst of playful colour, use inexpensive flowers from the $2 Shop. Perhaps you're after some kind of haute couture headwear for the races instead? Something elegant for a summer wedding? An artful cascade of silk blossoms will turn heads.

If you love the look but would prefer to buy one ready-made, Amanda can create a bespoke piece customised to your occasion. Contact her directly through Instagram, @-amandabilling-

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
● A plastic headband - the wider sort work well.
● A sheet of black felt
● Scissors
● Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
● An array of fake flowers

STEP ONE
Prepare your flowers by pulling off the long stems, which can be discarded. You may wish to retain some leaves to embellish your floral band.

STEP TWO
Cut a long oval shape from the black felt, about 30cm long and 10cm wide depending on the size of your headband. This is the base to which you will glue the flowers.

Run a line of hot glue down the centre of the felt base, and stick it to your headband. Make sure it's evenly centred so your arrangement doesn't end up lopsided.

STEP THREE
It can be helpful to play around with the placement of your flowers before you start gluing. Aim for a pleasing contrast of shapes and colours. Or if living dangerously is more your style, just plough on in and just see what you end up with. Either way, start with a few of your biggest flowers at the top of the band, arranging them outwards along one edge.

STEP FOUR
Gradually cover the felt base with flowers. You can build up another layer along the first row by gluing the flowers to each other. Add another line of blooms facing out along the other edge, so your headband looks lovely from every angle. Continue adding smaller flowers to fill in gaps until you're happy with the result. Once everything's secure, don your floral finery and spread some joy.