DIY: Valentine’s Day Floral Arrangement

This week I bring you a special treat…floral arranging with Mom! My mom has always made the most beautiful flower arrangements and when I asked her to create one for the blog, she excitedly agreed.  She created this floral arrangement using silk flowers from local craft and art supplies stores.  The color choices make this an obvious choice for Valentine’s Day, but you can also use it at a wedding reception or pair it with my rose petal tea recipes and have an old fashioned tea party.  I hope you enjoy this fun project!

Arrangement Type: Free-form vertical
Finished Height: Approx. 4′

Mom Tip #1: When getting started on your own floral arrangement, you’ll want to start with an inspiration piece.  It might be a particular type of flower, or like in this case, it was the vase.  Then select flowers of different colors, shapes and petal types. To complete the arrangement you’ll also want to select some greenery.

Mom Tip #2: The general height proportions for any floral arrangement, is to keep the height of the flowers no higher than 1 1/2 the height of the vase you are using.

Mom Tip #3: Sometimes you’ll want to pay more money for your feature flowers, in this case the red roses which were $8 a piece, but SO worth it!  She was able to find nice looking carnations and greenery that didn’t cost as much, but still looked very nice in the arrangement.

Mom Tip #4: Hang a necklace or other jewelry from the vase to add interest.  I found the necklace for this arrangement on clearance!

Flower and Greenery List
1.red roses 2.small red cattails 3.red carnations 4.red poppies 5.white roses 6.white peony 7.small white flowers (snowballs) 8.ivy 9.maidenhair fern 10.leather leaf ferns 11.willow branches 12. glitter branches

      

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Materials and Tools List

1.floral foam for dry or silk flowers 2.scissors 3.wire cutters 4.floral wire 5.hot glue gun 6.sharp knife for cutting floral foam 7.floral tape (optional)

Assemble the Cattail Fan

The cattail fan goes on the back of the arrangement to add a unique element.  Make the fan by hot gluing the cattails to a piece of cardboard that has been cut into the shape of a teardrop.  Then cover the base with small leather leaf fern pieces.

    

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Flower Arrangement Assembly Instructions
(click the images below to make them bigger)

1. Pick the front of your container, make sure there aren’t any chips or dings.
2. Fill the vase with floral foam.  This will be the media that you put all of your flowers into, so keep the pieces as large as possible.
3. Remove any price tags from the flower stems and wrap unsightly stems with floral tape.
4. Use the floral wire (if you don’t have floral wire, you can use bent paperclips) to form two loops.  Thread one loop through each end of the necklace and insert it into the foam, allowing it to drape down the front of the vase.
5. Start with your tallest element, for this project the willow branches, and insert them into the foam at varying heights.
6. Select the next tallest element, the roses and insert them into the foam at varying heights.
7. Add the carnations in varying heights.
8. Place the cattail fan in the back of the arrangement by pushing the cardboard point into the foam.
9. Add the peony and white roses to the base of the arrangement.
10. Tuck the snowballs around the carnations and roses.
11. Add the red poppies.  Bend one of the stems into a curve and place it hanging down the vase.
12. Tuck the various types of greenery around the base of the arrangement to hide any exposed floral foam.  Add additional pieces between the flowers.
13. Finish the arrangement by tucking several glitter branches among the flowers and greenery.

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Have a good time making your own floral arrangement!  Thanks for the tips, Mom!