Why pay lots of money for readymade beautiful silk flower arrangements, or have one custom made for your home, when you can do it yourself for a fraction of the cost? Once you get the knack of flower arranging, you can have a different flower arrangement for every season of the year.
Initially, it is a good idea to go to the craft store and study the arrangements they have on display there. Notice the ratio of large to small flowers and what they choose to use as greenery for filler. Notice what they have chosen as containers as well.
Then the thing to do is decide on your own container. You may have one at home you can use, or you may need to pick up one at the craft or pottery store. This can be anything: a glass or crystal vase, a woven basket, ceramic bowl, brass bucket. Almost anything can be turned into a container for flowers.
The size and style of your container will depend on where you plan to place your finished arrangement. Once you’ve picked out your container, you are left with gathering what you are going to fill it with. You must have something to anchor your flowers in place with so that they stay where you put them. The craft store sells green Styrofoam for just this purpose. There are many different shapes and sizes, just buy the size that most closely fits your container. It is very inexpensive.
You should buy enough to fill your container to within a couple of inches of the top with the Styrofoam. It will be easily shaped with a steak or craft knife at home if it needs a bit of custom fitting. It will need to fit snuggly into the flower container. Craft stores also sell green gooey tape called Cling that you can place in the bottom of your container, and then press your Styrofoam onto it for added security.
Next, pick up some Spanish moss. You can get all you need for about a couple of dollars. If you are making a spring or summer arrangement try to find green moss, the gray moss is good for fall and winter arrangements.
When buying your flowers, consider where your arrangement will be placed in your home. You want to choose colors and sizes to compliment the room. There are some really very pretty and realistic looking flowers for sale. Pick out a nice variety of styles and sizes in the colors you like. Larger flowers are great as focal points in the arrangement, while smaller ones are great to fill in the empty spaces. The flowers are sold in bunches. You will also need to pick out some greenery as fill in. Ivy is nice as well as longer fronded ferns or grasses.
When you get everything together that you need for your arrangement, lay it all out on a large, smooth, clean surface. I like the kitchen table. Decide if your arrangement is going to be seen from all sides, or if it will be placed where only two or three sides will show. This will determine the spacing of the flowers.
Next place your container in front of you. Put a bit of the Cling in the bottom of the container. Then place your green Styrofoam in the container. Cut to fit as needed with a steak or craft knife. Make sure it is a snug fit. Use the pieces you cut off to wedge in if needed.
Now chose the focal flowers that will get the most attention. As stated, the flowers come in bunches, but they should not stay in bunches. This is where your wire cutters come in handy. The flowers in your arrangement should be at least as tall as the container itself, but can be much taller. This means that the finished product will be twice the size of the container alone-at least.
For the most part you should place one flower into the arrangement at a time, so cut them apart, initially, as low on the stem as possible. Begin pushing the flowers into the Styrofoam. Space the focal flowers out nicely but more toward the center of the arrangement. They are your focal point. Then you begin filling in.
Generally, use all of each kind of flower before moving on to the next. All of your flowers should not be the same height, so begin cutting some of the stems for variety as you go. All the while turning the container around so that the flowers are evenly spaced. The last thing to go in is the greenery filler. It’s just tucked in and around all the flowers.
When everything looks like you want it to, it’s time to open up the Spanish moss. You want to use it to cover your Styrofoam so it doesn’t show. If you are using a glass vase you will want to tuck some down in between the glass and the Styrofoam so you won’t see the Styrofoam. Do this right after you put the Styrofoam in the container.
Like everything else you will improve with practice. But before you know it you will be turning out lovely flower arrangements with the ease of a professional, and for at least half the price.
