{diy} whiskey bouquet

So. My boyfriend loves two things in this world [besides me of course ;)].

Whiskey and Notre Dame.

(his alma mater)

His birthday and our one year anniversary were both last week. As most of you probably have realized by now, we do not live in the same city... or even the same state. We are about as long distance as it gets. Unfortunately, we were not able to be together for our one year or our birthdays last week... BUT he will be here in two days. :) I got him a Kindle for his real present, but wanted to do something else as well.

Enter the Notre Dame whiskey bouquet.

His favorite whiskey is Wild Turkey but I decided to switch it up and get a few different kinds.

I wish I had taken a before and after picture of this process but I honestly thought I was going to mess up painting the bucket. I have no confidence in my crafting abilities. It was pretty easy though, once I got a few painting tips from some sorority sisters who create ridiculously awesome coolers for their formal dates.

How to create a whiskey bouquet:

What you'll need to create the structure: 

• A base - this can be a clay pot, a plastic bucket, etc. I used a $3 silver bucket from Hobby Lobby.
• Paint - I used cheap navy blue and gold paint from Hobby Lobby
• Thick foam brushes for the base painting.
• A styrafoam ball that fits inside of your container
• Wood sticks that are a bit larger and sturdier than popsicle sticks (found in the wood section at Hobby Lobby)
• Tape
• However many bottles of your boyfriend/husband/best friend's favorite alcohol.
• Moss or shredded paper

Directions:

1. First, paint the base. Let it dry. Paint the base. Let it dry. Repeat until necessary. This is the step in which I was convinced that it was not going to turn out well. It took a while to get enough coats on to not see the silver peering out underneath.
2. While you let that dry, begin to paint the wooden sticks. This step isn't completely necessary but I painted my sticks gold.
3. Paint the detailing onto the bucket. (See below for how to create a stencil from an online picture)
4. Place styrafoam ball inside bucket.
5. Tape whiskey bottles to the wooden sticks with a few pieces of tape. 
6. Push sticks into styrafoam ball.
7. Place moss/shredded paper into bucket to cover the styrafoam ball.
8. Give to your boyfriend/husband/best friend and enjoy their reaction. :)

How to create a stencil and transfer it onto the bucket:

What you'll need:

• A sheet of tissue paper
• A pencil
• A permanent marker
• A thin paintbrush for the detail

Directions:

1. Find the perfect picture online. I chose to use Notre Dame's logo because I was not feeling brave enough to attempt their mascot. I would love to create an FSU version though!
2. I copied and pasted the picture into Microsoft Word and then zoomed to about 60%. Adjust the picture size to how large the base of your bouquet is.
3. Tape the tissue paper to your computer screen.
4. Trace the picture's outline onto your tissue paper very lightly with your pencil.
5. Once you make sure your base is DRY, tape the tissue paper to it.
6. With a permanent marker, trace the pencil outline you just created on the tissue paper. Even with my navy blue paint, I could see the outline of the ND logo. This technique should work with most paint colors!
7. Carefully paint in your transferred stencil. 
8. Give it a few more coats and you are good to go!

Here is a close up of my bucket!

This bouquet is currently my pride and joy. :)

PS. Of course I found the idea for this little project on Pinterest.

Check out some more versions of this project here and here.

I like how the second one also incorporated cigars! 

I hope that this tutorial was clear enough. 

If you have ANY questions feel free to comment, as always.

xo, Jen