Things You'll Need
Wire saddle bracket
Styrofoam
Silk flowers
Measuring stick
Wire
Wire cutters
Buying flower arrangements to put on a headstone can get expensive, especially if you want a different arrangement for each holiday or season. Making a flower arrangement that fits over the top of a headstone is not difficult, and you can do it yourself for far less money than what you would pay for someone else to make it for you, or even than what it would cost for a pre-made one at a discount store.
Step 1
Measure the depth of the headstone (front to back) and make a note of the measurement. Most headstones will be about 4 to 6 inches thick.
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Step 2
Cut the Styrofoam to a piece 12 inches wide by 2 inches thick by the depth of the headstone. Place the Styrofoam onto the "teeth" that project up from the center plate of the saddle bracket. If there are no "teeth" on the bracket, you will have to wire the Styrofoam to the center plate of the bracket. The Styrofoam should go east to west, while the rounded brackets of the saddle go north and south.
Step 3
Insert three of the longest stalks of flowers horizontally into each end of the Styrofoam. (From the tip of one stalk to the tip of an opposite stalk can be a bit wider than the headstone.) Cut the stems of more flowers to poke into the blank areas between the long stalks.
Step 4
Add several more shorter stalks of silk flowers at similar angles above the first stalks. Gradually cut more silk flowers and insert them into the Styrofoam so that you have slightly taller ones in the center of the top of the Styrofoam and shorter ones toward the ends. Add more flowers with shorter stems to the front and back of the Styrofoam so that you can no longer see the Styrofoam.
Step 5
Bend the rounded ends of the saddle bracket down at slightly more than 90 degree angles. "Pinch" these rounded ends over the top of the headstone. One bracket will be on the front and one on the back of the stone to hold the arrangement firmly upon the headstone.
Tip
Do not be stingy with your flowers. If you purchase them at a "dollar store," you can get more than enough for an elegant-looking arrangement. Decide on a color scheme that will complement the color of the headstone. For example, oranges and yellows will set off a black headstone dramatically.
Warning
If you intend to re-use your saddle bracket, Styrofoam and flowers, be sure to pick them up after a week or so, as some insects such as earwigs will make their homes in the Styrofoam.
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