how to make a tussy mussy

A tussy mussy is a small hand held bouquet of flowers that were given as gifts during Victorian times. Ladies would carry them to sniff when the nasty odors of no indoor plumbing and not so regular bathing became too much. When the tussy mussy was given as a gift the flowers usually each had a different meaning.  We went to a wedding last week and my grand daughter wanted to give the bride a gift so this is what we came up with.  If a nine year old can do it with little help so can you.  What a charming present for a sick friend or elderly neighbor.  There are many resources on line that can list flowers and their meanings if you want to include that with your gift.

You will need:
flowers, leaves and herbs that will dry well and smell great
rubber band
cutters
satin ribbon 1/2-3/4" wide
Starting  with your central flower held in your hand then add more flowers or herbs around it.  When the group is about 5-6" around fasten with the rubber band.  Trim the stems to 4"  Wrap the stems with ribbon to within 1" of bottom and tie off, a drop of hot glue will hold everything in place if you are worried about it coming apart.  Add a bow from the same ribbon if you like.
Stand the bouquet in a coffee cup with a small amount of water until you are ready to give it.  If you like add a card with the meaning of each flower and instructions to hang upside down to dry.  It will last for years when dry.

the beautiful artist and designer, all I did was show her which flowers would work best and wrapped the stems, she did the rest.