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Floral Looking Glass

Want an instant perk? Try fresh cut flowers. They're an immediate mood booster and bound to please others too. Decorating with flowers doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming. Furthermore, former flower arranging experience is NOT required. Just a few simple flower recipes will enable you to enjoy flowers, not only on holidays and special occasions, but every day of the week. The following simple centerpieces decorate the home or office easily and affordably.

 

Glassed Gerberas

Big and colorful blooms make Gerbera Daisies quintessential flowers. Originally from South Africa, gerberas now grow in a wide range of riotous hues and even tri-colored petals. This rainbow of color makes it easy to select stems that perfectly match your home or office décor. Flower shops and grocery stores always provide a good selection of these popular beauties. 

 

Due to their large sized vibrant blooms, gerberas command a dynamic presence when used as a single flower in a vase. A small collection of single gerbera daisies really adds the "Wow" factor. Greenery isn't even necessary, as these daisies dazzle all by themselves. 

 

Materials 

 

  • 3 glass cylinder vases, approximately 14-inches tall by 5-inches in diameter 

  • 3 gerbera daisies of the same color 

  • Food coloring to match the color of the gerbera daisies 

  • Floral Clippers

 

Directions 

 

  1. Fill each cylinder vase with about 3-inches of water. 

  2. Add drops of food coloring to the water and then mix the water and food coloring slowly and thoroughly. You may even try mixing colors of food coloring to achieve the correct hue that matches the flowers. 

  3. Cut the gerbera daisies different lengths. One gerbera reaches slightly over the rim of the vase, another one just meets the vases' rim, and the third flower is cut to about three-quarters of the height of the vase. 

  4. Place the Glassed Gerberas together as a collection in a location that needs a bit of decorative floral drama.

Floral Looking Glass

Decorating with stylish simplicity has become very popular and it's now in vogue to make the most of just a little. This 'minimal' decorating trend can be applied to fresh flower accents. An intriguing design is quickly created with just 3 flowers and 1 large glass vase that contains 3 smaller vessels. 

Peer through the large vase to see the smaller vases of flowers inside. This Floral Looking Glass adds modern drama to the dining table, coffee table or bedside.

 

Materials 

 

  • 1 large round glass vase, approximately 10-inches in diameter by 11-inches tall 

  • 3 glass bud vases of varying sizes and heights. Make sure all of them fit easily inside the larger glass vase 

  • 3 flower stems of the same variety and color: i.e.3 iris, 3 roses, 3 carnations 

  • Floral clippers

 

Directions: Two Simple Steps 

 

  1. Fill the 3 small bud vases with water and 1 flower. Cut the flowers slightly taller than the individual vases or very short so that the bloom sits just at the rim of the vase. 

  2. Now simply insert each bud vase into the large vase.

Bobbing Bouquet

The next time you need a simple centerpiece to decorate the dining or coffee table, office desk or practically any place in the house, float this idea around in your head: a small bouquet of flowers that floats freely in a vase. 

 

The idea of floating flowers isn't new, except instead of floating single flowers a petite-floating nosegay is the center attraction. This arrangement decorates a space without the expense of numerous blooms, and in just minutes a unique display can be assembled. 

 

Now every day you can enjoy the simple and beautiful pleasure of fresh cut flowers. Blossoms to create this bobbing bouquet are widely available at florists or grocery stores. 

 

Materials

 

  • 1 clear glass wide-mouthed vase, approximately 10-inches in diameter and height 

  • Here are two ideas for the nosegay floating bouquet- 4 stems of standard carnations or 2 stems of spray roses combined with 3 stems of orange hypericum berries. 

  • (Optional) 3 medium sized bush ivy leaves or gaylex leaves 

  • Floral preservative 

  • 1 small rubberband 

  • Floral clippers

 

Directions 

 

  1. Fill the vase three-quarters full of water that includes floral preservative. 

  2. Cut the flower stems to approximately 4-inches in length. 

  3. Gather the flowers in your hands and arrange them so that the heads of the flowers are at the same height and right next to each other. Turn the bouquet so that a round nosegay shape is created and the bouquet is balanced (has the same amount of flowers) all the way around.

  4. Evenly dispersed flowers insures the nosegay will float upright, instead of tipping to one side. (Optional: add the small greens.) 

  5. Rubberband the bouquet, bringing the rubberband just under the blooms. Now cut the stems even and short, leaving them about 2- to 3-inches in length. 

  6. Float the nosegay in the bowl.

Vase Mechanics

Often times we purchase mixed bouquets of flowers from the florist or grocery store. If arranging these into your favorite flower vase is sometimes daunting, then follow these directions below to look and feel like a flower pro. 

 

Materials 

 

  • 1 vase to fit the size and height of the bouquet 

  • 1 mixed bouquet 

  • Floral preservative 

  • Floral clippers

 

Directions

 

  1. Fill the vase three-quarters full with water that has been treated with floral preservative. 

  2. Remove the leaves from the flowers and foliage that will be below the water line. 

  3. Insert the greens first. Do this by criss-crossing the stems as you insert them into the vase. This will create a web affect that will help keep the flowers in place. 

  4. Cut the flowers about twice the height of the vase, leaving several stems an inch or two longer for the center of the arrangement. 

  5. Now insert the flowers in a criss-cross fashion along the rim and towards the center of the vase, just like you did with the greenery. Place the longest and thickest stems in the center the vase.

Note: To increase the life of the flowers, change the water in the vase and add more floral preservative every 2 to 3 days.

My best,

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