When my wedding planning process first began, I knew that it would involve a few DIY projects. But it wasn’t until I put together a visual direction that it became apparent what that might be. I knew silver accents were going to play a key role in styling, so I came up with an idea that would mimic the geometric shapes of constellations, incorporate pieces of greenery and use disco balls to create that twinkling effect in our tented reception. Today I’m sharing the instructions for how to make silver geometric diamonds using items you likely already have on hand – so get crafting and enjoy!
Straws (I used regular thin straws and wider “smoothie straws” for variety)
Silver muffler tape
String (I used ‘Bamboo Cord’, from the beading section of the craft store)
Thin wooden dowel or skewer
Ruler or measuring tape
Scissors
Tape
Invisible thread (for hanging)
Greenery of your choice
Thin floral wire
Wire cutters
Disco balls (in a variety of sizes)
Cut your straws to size. You can experiment with various lengths and shapes, but I used two different sizes for this project, using the regular thin straws for the smaller diamonds, and the wider straws for the larger diamonds, with the following lengths for each:
Small Diamonds:
Four 3” straws
Six 5. 5” straws
Large Diamonds:
Four 9” straws
Six 6” straws
Cut the muffler tape into pieces that correspond with your straw lengths. For the thinner straws, one piece of muffler tape will actually cover two straw pieces, so you can cut those in half lengthwise once they’re the right size. For the thicker straws, you’ll need the full width of tape to wrap each piece of straw.
Wrap the straws lengthwise with the muffler tape. You’ll want to be very careful doing this, as the tape is incredibly sticky and wrinkles easily. Gently peel off the tape backing, lay the tape flat on your work surface and then place the straw lengthwise along one side of your tape. Roll the straw gently, covering with tape and smoothing as you go.
In order to start constructing our diamonds, we first want to attach a length of the string to the wooden dowel using a small piece of tape, which we’ll be “threading” through the straws. I like to start with a fairly long piece of string so that I can limit how many times I need to reattach a new pieces of string, but do whatever you feel comfortable working with.
Thread through three straws in this sequence — long, short, long — leaving a small tail of string at the beginning. Pull the string taut at the end, forming a triangle with the three straws and tying off the string with a tight double knot where the two ends meet. Trim any excess string.
Following the same idea as the previous step, we’ll add our next section. Start from the bottom, threading through one of the long straws, then adding a short straw followed by another long straw. Again, tie off at the bottom and trim the ends, leaving you with two triangular sections.
Again, starting from the bottom, thread through one of the long straws, then add a short straw and then another long straw, once again tying off at the bottom and trimming the ends. Now you’ll have three triangular sections.
To finish off the bottom section and create the pyramid shape of the diamond, thread through one of the long straws, add a short straw at the top, and then thread back down through the long straw on the other side, tying off at the bottom. Now you should have a 3D pyramid shape.
For the top section of the diamond, we want to thread through one of the small straws on the pyramid, and then add two more small straws, threading back through one of the base small straws in order to meet the other end of the string and tie it off.
Follow the same instructions as the previous step to add your final two small straws that will create the top of the diamond shape. And voila! You now have a silver diamond, ready to be decorated and hung as you please. If you want to add greenery, disco balls or any other decorations, you can follow the steps below, or you can simply use the diamonds on their own.
To Add Greenery:
Trim off small pieces of greenery, grouping to create little bundles that achieve the look you’re going for. Use a small piece of floral wire to tie the pieces together, and then to attach the bundles to the diamond shapes.
To Add Disco Balls:
Use invisible thread to hang the disco balls or other accents in the center of the diamonds, tying at the top of the diamond. Hang the diamonds in groups at varying heights to create a layered effect. They make a great installation or backdrop, and when they catch the light, you’ll find it dancing it dancing on the walls thanks to the disco balls and reflective silver.
Photography + Styling: Studio Bicyclette
