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Category Archives: Make

Pretty simple gift of flowers

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A while ago I started to save the empty jars of almond butter I used for the toddler plumping shakes I was making for my little girl.   It felt like a waste to just keep tossing them in the recycling.  Now I have a little stock pile of “go to” vessels for impromptu flower deliveries for friends or family.  Adding a simple ribbon or even some yarn can really dress up this repurposed jar.

All you need is

  • a jar
  • ribbon, twine, yarn, or even paper
  • flowers
  • scissors

It can be tricky to get those labels off after you wash out the jars, so just soak them in very hot, soapy water for a couple of hours or overnight.  Most of the label will fall off.  I use rubbing alcohol to get rid of any of the sticky residue.  Works like a charm.

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I cut six pieces of yarn long enough to fit around the jar and to be tied into a bow.  The bow knot would have been a bit too bulky if I used more than 6 pieces..

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Then lay the pieces of yarn flat and tie your best bow….

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Then trim your flowers to fit the jar.  Just size them up next to the jar.  I like the blooms to be just at or slightly above the lip of the vessel.  These flowers are called Anemones.  I like their rustic look …

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This was strange, there were two stems fused together . . .

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And here you have it…

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These jars also come in handy if you wan to break up a larger bouquet of flowers and divvy them up.

P.S.  I only had one tiny project in mind a couple of years ago when I bought this yarn, but I’ve used it in so many other projects since then.  . . .the hair from the Friendly? Doll, the swing from the yarn wrapped tree, the fishing pole from fishing for fishies, the birthday banner from the Dora birthday brunch.  I’m sure I’m leaving a few others out too.

Also, saving jars is not a form of hoarding (I don’t think?)

Until next Monday,

Jennifer

Iceberg roses in bloom

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We have some sweet smelling Iceberg Rose bushes that line part of our patio.  When they bloom they look so pretty and are super fragrant.  They are blooming out of control right now and I thought I could snag a couple of bunches once and for all to make a pretty arrangement.

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In the past I’ve hesitated to cut these and use them in an arrangement because they are really crawling with itty bitty aphids and other critters like spiders and even mini snails.  But I decided to clip them and dip them in and out of a utility sink full of water to clean the guys off.  I also sprayed them with a little bit of dish soap and water solution:

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Ew.

Well after I felt guilty (and creeped out) about the real condition of my roses I finished bathing them and trimmed them to size for their pretty vessel and soft bed of wet floral foam.

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A while back I found this silver plated bowl at a thrift shop for a few bucks.  I polished it up a bit and thought it would make a perfect home for these delicate beauties.

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I used a plastic bowl inside the silver bowl in which to place the wet floral foam.

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These iceberg roses have several blooms coming off of one main stem.  Rather than cutting each little stem (which are pretty delicate) I just kept them intact on the main stem and bunched them together slightly and pressed them into the foam.  These roses have tiny little thorns that don’t hurt too bad, but I didn’t want to take my chances:

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After I pressed in all the stems to fill the arrangement I added a bit of greenery from the rose bush…

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A delicate and soft looking arrangement even though I used wet floral foam which can provide a lot of structure for an arrangement…

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Also, in doing research for the roses in this particular post I learned that wet floral foam contains toxic elements and is really bad for the environment.   GREAT.  So I’m going to have to give those other floral arranging supplies a try.

Until next Monday.

Jennifer

*video* :) Fun with grocery store flowers

It’s so easy to swing by the floral department on a trip to the grocery and pick up a couple of bouquets for under $20.  But then what do you do with them when you get home?  Here’s a little video to show you what I do with those simple grocery store flowers:

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The dozen orange roses were only 9.99 and the other bouquet with the fun cabbage flower was only 5.99.  I thought the orange would go nicely with the pop of green from the cabbage flower.  Believe it or not I used a CorningWare casserole dish as my vase.  I was in the mood for a low floral arrangement and this dish worked perfectly.  I used wet floral foam because I think it makes working with flowers so much less of a fussy affair.

What I used:

  • flower bouquets (1 for a smaller arrangement, 2 for a medium-sized like the one in the video)
  • wet floral foam (you can find it at craft stores or sometimes even hardware stores.  Very affordable, $1 to $2 each depending on where you go)
  • a container to accommodate your bouquet  (since the flowers are arranged tightly with floral foam, you usually need more flowers than you think for your container)

How I did it:

  • Soak the floral foam (fill a large pot or sink basin with water and just set the foam on the surface of the water.  Let it soak up the water on its own.)
  • Trim stems to fit height of the container
  • Group flowers by color
  • Start with the largest flower … or the “statement flower” and go from there.  I usually like to group similar colors together.

Note:  If you want a long-lasting arrangement (4-7 days) then you might want to avoid using roses in wet floral foam.  The petals tend to droop after 2 days.

Floral foam isn’t just for fancy wedding arrangements.  Give it a shot with grocery store flowers.  You might surprise yourself with the results.

P.S.  This arrangement took me 6 minutes in real-time.

Until next Monday!

Jennifer

Linking up with Lil’ Luna

Floral Remix ~ Getting the most out of your flowers

Sometimes with floral arrangements certain flowers last longer than others.  I’m sure there have been many times before when I’ve seen a wilted flower or two in the bunch and thought, “guess these are done” . . . Toss.  Well now a days I pick out the flowers from the arrangements that still look happy and make smaller arrangements with them.  You might remember the spring mix of flowers I tinkered with last week . . .

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Unfortunately these arrangements started to look kind of droopy by Friday mostly due to the hydrangeas.  So I decided to make a few smaller arrangements with the mums and snap dragons using my beloved wet floral foam.  I really do love that stuff.  It makes flower arranging so much easier simply because the flower stays right where you stick it.  The only catch is that you have to use a vase or container that isn’t clear.  Or you can use a clear vase or container and just conceal the foam in some clever way.  Just simply cut the flowers shorter and push them into the floral foam.

Since I already had plans to designate the dining room table for the Easter Bunny to nestle all of his surprises I thought that adding some small flower arrangements might be a nice touch . . . especially since I already had them on hand.  I decided to use a plain white bowl and a couple of ramekins.  These small ramekins are the kind you would bake a custard or creme brûlée.  (I have yet to make a successful creme brûlée.)

A petite little thing . . .

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I just nestled them into the Easter grass on the table and they really did add a cute pop of color and feeling of spring . . .

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Don’t let a few wilted flowers ruin the flower party.  Before you toss the whole bunch, take a quick look to see which ones still have life in them and find a fresh new, smaller home for them.  It’s like having a brand new little arrangement to admire.

Until next Monday!

Jennifer

Fun with spring flowers and wedding gifts

Since we are fresh into spring I thought I would have some fun with pretty pink flowers.  I picked up a few bunches from Trader Joe’s for less than $20.

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I also decided to dust off a pretty set of vases we got as a wedding gift years ago.  I split the flower bunches between the three vases (eyeballed it) and started arranging.

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The larger arrangement seemed a little loose at first.  So I bunched them together in the vase with my hand and took a look and realized I needed to just keep adding more flowers for a fuller and cozier arrangement.

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Then I added some greenery from a shrub in my yard.

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The finished trio . . .

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Hopefully these will stick around for the Easter Bunny this weekend.  Easter Bunnies like this stuff.  Have a great one!

Until Next Monday!

Jennifer

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