Creating a Really Sweet Bootie Bouquet

Everyone knows that the mommy-to-be needs lots of tiny baby booties to cover up those sweet little toes. But before they're actually needed, they can pull double duty in the nursery by posing as part of a bootie bouquet. A fun and pretty gift can be had by rolling little baby booties into a rosebud and mixed flower arrangement. It's really simple and easy to do – and here is how.

Bootie bouquets are terrific for accenting table centerpieces that the mommy-to-be can take apart and use when needed.

The materials you will need are 24 gauge covered floral wire, a pair of wire cutters, floral tape, and some cute little baby socks or booties. The booties with ruffled edges will make exceptionally frilly, delicate little rosebuds and the ones with plainer edges will make cleaner, seemingly unopened, rosebuds.

To start the bootie bouquet, take the floral wire and cut around two or three pieces of the same length, depending on how heavy or large your booties are. Twist them all together to form the stem of the bootie flower and twist the ends tightly to secure. Choose one end that will go into the bootie rosebud and curve that into a hook, kind of like a candy cane. Do this to prevent the wire from sticking into the baby booties and tearing holes into them.

Take a little bootie and, starting at the toe end, wrap it around the hook part of the twisted wire. If you want a tight little rosebud, roll it a little firmly. If you want a slightly opened bloom, roll it a bit loosely. The finished product will be entirely up to you.

Hold the bootie and the wire together tightly and roll the tape securely over the sock and continue for about an inch down the wire. You want to overlap the tape as neatly as you can to keep the two components from separating. Fuss with the bootie a bit to arrange the “petals” in the way you want them to look. Once the bud is secure on the stem, start wrapping the stem tightly with the floral wire. The easiest way to do this is just to turn the stem around and let the tape edges overlap. Have the roll of tape just hanging over the side and let its weight be the one to tighten the tape onto the stem.

When you reach the bottom, wrap the tape backup for about three or four tight twists to secure everything together. If the stem is a bit messy, just take a little bit more of floral tape and cover it up to neaten it.

After you've created about half a dozen or so of these bootie bouquet rosebuds, start arranging them in a vase of your choice. Mix them in with some fully blooming artificial roses and some filler flowers like baby's breath or orange blossoms. They're also pretty with some ribbon bow picks mixed into the arrangement.

Finish off the container with a large ribbon tied into a bow on the outside. You could suspend the card from that bow and you'll be done.