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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

My Unknown Talent: DIY Bridal Headpiece

This weekend my sister came to visit me and shop for accessories for her wedding next month.  We went to browse at some of the local bridal shops, but the prices for basic hair pieces made of rhinestones and maribou feathers topped $90.  Ridiculous, we said.  We decided to buy the pieces needed to make our own version.  We figured my sister would be out $15 max if it didn't work out, and we found the perfect supplies at Sam Moon and the wedding aisle of Hobby Lobby.

A $13 pearl and rhinestone brooch from Sam Moon plus a white silk flower hair pin and white feathers from Hobby Lobby turned into this after 5 minutes with a hot glue gun and scissors.


I wish now that I'd taken photos step by step, but if you're interested in making your own here is what I did:
  • Pull the center petals out of a large flower hair comb ($2.50 at Hobby Lobby) so that only the large petals remain around the outside
  • Take two "feather picks" from the silk flower section of a craft store (99 cents each at Hobby Lobby) and clip off the wire stems, then use hot glue to attach them to the center of the hair flower
  • Finally, attach the rhinestone brooch over where you glued the feathers, making sure the pin is fastened to the middle of the flower so it doesn't weigh the petals down
Everyone who has seen this says I should make more and sell them on Etsy, but I'm not sure how much to charge or if people will actually buy them.  Each one costs about $15 to make if I use that exact brooch and takes me less than 20 minutes.  Should I be all entrepreneurial and open a shop?

11 comments

  1. This looks great! Yes, I totally think people would buy them. I'm not sure how the Etsy fees work, so it's hard to say how to price them, but I do think you could sell them! If you do open a shop, let me know! How fun.

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  2. For sure open a shop =) I bought my wedding headpiece from an etsy shop and it was a huge hit! It cost 50 dollars though so if you charge less than that you'll totally have buyers! =)

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  3. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Yes, you could sell them. I'd suggest $30 to $40. And you could make them in different colors. It would be cool if had a "pin" attachment on the back so you could wear it as a broach as well as a hairpiece. Just a thought.

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  4. WOW! well done! just gorgeous.
    xo
    carolyn

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  5. That looks great! Very professional.
    house-in-tillford.blogspot.com

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  6. Katherine Allison LangeFebruary 1, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    You should sell on Etsy! I wish you would have discovered this talent before November!

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  7. Thanks ladies! I think I may make about 5 pieces and see if they sell. Just what I need... another hobby to eat up my evenings ;-)

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  8. The reason a professional hairpiece costs so much is that they don't use hot glue, they don't but cheap ready-made parts, and they have some sense of composition, and they're charging for the labor as well as the parts.

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  9. Laura - I agree that a hair piece with hand-placed rhinestones and real silk should cost more and takes far longer to make. However, one of the lines of fascinators for sale at the shop my sister and I visited was definitely not that caliber of craftsmanship.

    If a bride cannot afford to spend very much money on accessories, I think there's a chance she could be happy with this option after making it herself. Many will choose to spend more on something else, and that's fine too. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Sell them on Etsy for $25-$30. :)
    That is absolutely gorgeous!
    I would totally buy one. ^^
    It is perfect for us DIY/Low budget brides.

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  11. Sell them! I wish I had come across something like this...I bought just a hair flower for like $30 and it was nowhere near as cute. Too cute!

    xo,
    Laura

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