DIY Creative Floral Arrangement

Happy hump day, friends! I decided to attempt something I've never tried before....making my own flower arrangement. This idea was inspired by the lovely Katy Roberts at http://www.twentythreeohone.com/. You MUST check out her blog; it's fabulous. The funny part is, I'm doing this in the hopes of impressing my very horticulturally-savvy husband. He knows SO MUCH about flowers! It blows my mind, really. I also wanted to share this with you guys because I feel that fresh flowers are one of the most vital elements to making your house (or in our case, apartment) feel like a home. Zach will be here any minute and I'm anxious to see what he thinks! Or if he even notices it.

And here are the steps on how to make it yourself!

STEP ONE: Go to your local grocery store and purchase a few of your favorite flowers. I would recommend getting a large hydrangea for this arrangement. The other "filler" flowers that I bought are hypericum berries and white cremon, but you can get whatever you like.

STEP 2: Take all of the flowers out of their packaging and place them in a large container of water. If you're going to leave them there for a while, make sure to trim all of the stems about 1 inch with good scissors or floral shears. Save the plant food, you will need it!

The other items you will need for this arrangement are: A clear glass vase (round or square), and a smaller vase (or a drinking glass works just fine too) that can fit inside the larger one. I got both of mine at Michaels for $4 and $1.50. Score! The smaller vase or glass will need to be filled halfway with water.

 STEP THREE: Place the smaller vase in the center of the larger vase. Excuse the kokeshi dolls in the background...

STEP FOUR: Take some sort of "filler" material and begin placing it between the two vases. Fill it so that the smaller vase can't move or tip over. I cut up lemons and limes, but I've seen similar arrangements with coffee beans, rice, sand, pebbles, spanish moss, and many other things. Let your creative juices flow!

Make sure to pack the spaces between your two vases really tight with the filler. 

STEP FIVE: Pour the plant food into the water of the smaller vase.
STEP SIX: Pull off any leaves on the flowers that you don't need in the arrangement.

STEP SEVEN: Cut the first and most substantial flower you will be using (in my case, the hydrangea) to the same height as the vase. Place the stem (or stems) in the smaller vase.

Please excuse my poor photography skills! These pictures did NOT turn out how I hoped. I'll just blame it on the camera.... 

STEP EIGHT: Take your "filler" flowers and trim them to a height that's a little taller than the first flower.

STEP NINE: Began placing the filler flowers into the arrangement. Play around with it; you will know what looks best!

You're all done! Enjoy the "fruits" of your labor :).