This vase of miniature pussy willow branches is the latest addition to my farmhouse-style dollhouse in progress!

I’ve been on a flower and plant-making kick lately, and since I’ve been completely obsessed with farmhouse decor, I decided to try making some arrangements that would be fitting with that style. Hence, I tried my hand at one of my favorite spring florals, pussy willow branches. And lucky for us, they’re really easy to make, so let’s get started!

What You Need to Make Miniature Pussy Willows

These cute little pussy willow branches are a great project for beginners because they’re not only easy to make, but they also don’t require too much in terms of special supplies. Here’s a rundown of what I like to use:

Floral Wire

The brown wrapped floral wire isn’t quite as easy to find as the green variety, but it’s definitely available on Amazon if you can’t find it in the floral section of your local craft store. I used 24G Brown Floral Wire, but you could use a higher gauge (meaning a smaller diameter) if you’d like.

Styrofoam Balls

The miniature styrofoam balls I used came from the Dollar Tree (they were selling it as fake snow at the holidays), but I think they’re the same kind used for making slime and can be purchased on Amazon.

Flocking

I purchase my flocking on Etsy, but I know you can also get small quantities that are sold for nail art on Amazon. Look for “velvet flocking powder” or “velvet manicure” and you can get an assortment of colors if you’re just trying it out.

Matte Gel Medium

I like to use Liquitex brand for matte gel medium. It’s a thick yet smooth medium with a decent amount of body that dries with a satin finish. It also mixes really well with paint and gives

Acrylic Paint

For the brown acrylic paint, I used Winsor Newton Galeria Acrylic in Vandyke Brown, but any dark brown will work.

Glue

My favorite white tacky glues are Aleene’s brand, and I really like the Loctite Super Glue Professional because it’s not too runny.

Tip for Making Pussy Willow Branches for Your Dollhouse

The white tacky glue and superglue trick is one I picked up from Mary Kinloch, a very talented miniature flower maker. You can certainly just use white tacky glue, but the combination of the two together creates an almost instant bond that I find very useful when working on pieces like this.

How To Make Miniature Pussy Willow Branches

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Learn how to make pussy willow branches for your dollhouse!

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Materials

• 24 gauge brown floral wire
• Tiny white styrofoam balls
• Off-white or ivory flocking
• Matte gel medium
• Brown acrylic paint
• White tacky glue
• Superglue

Tools

• Wire cutters
• Small paint brush
• Tweezers
• Toothpick
• Paint palette or aluminum foil

Instructions

1. Trim your brown floral wire to 2" - 3" lengths (or as needed to fit your vase) with wire cutters.
2. Bend the wire back and forth in different directions and then smooth it out so that it's mostly straight but not perfect.
3. Prepare your glue: I like to use a palette or a little piece of aluminum foil with a blob of white tacky glue and a small pool of superglue so I can dip the pieces in and work quickly to adhere them.
4. Carefully pick up a styrofoam ball with your tweezers, dip it in the white tacky glue and then in a tiny bit of the superglue before touching it to the side of your brown floral wire. Start at the top (maybe 1/8" down) and work your way down. Repeat for as many as you'd like, but don't space them perfectly evenly so that they look a little more natural.
   
   
   
5. Once the branch has as many balls attached as you like, set it aside to dry and repeat until you have as many branches as you want for your arrangement. I always go with odd numbers and found five was a nice amount for a small vase.
6. Get a fresh bit of white tacky glue on your palette/foil and dip a small paint brush into it, brushing it all over the tiny styrofoam ball and where it connects to the floral wire. Only apply glue to 2 or 3 balls at a time so they don't dry before the flocking can adhere.
   
   
   
7. With your tweezers, pick up a little clump of the off-white flocking and sprinkle it over the fresh glue on the styrofoam balls, then gently tap off the excess. Repeat until all the balls are flocked, and set aside to dry.
   
   
   
   
8. Using a toothpick, scoop out some matte gel medium onto your palette/foil, then mix in your brown acrylic paint until you get a shade of brown you like.
   
   
   
9. Once that's completely combined, scoop a blob of the medium onto your toothpick and apply it gently underneath each flocked ball, making sure to coat the brown floral wire up to the bottom of the ball. Also be sure to place a tiny dollop on the top of the floral wire branch so that you don't see any exposed wire from where you cut it. Set aside to dry thoroughly.
   
   
   
10. That's it! You can paint the rest of the floral wire the same color if you like, but I didn't really feel it was necessary. Now, the fun part - arrange it in your favorite vase and enjoy!
    
    

Notes

© 2021 Erika Pitera, The Petite Provisions Co.

This tutorial is for personal use only. Please do not repost it without permission. Sharing a link with attribution is fine!

Please feel free to tag me on Facebook or Instagram @petiteprovisionsco with your version of miniature pussy willow branches, and let me know if you have any questions!

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