Bouquet
Treat your hostess to a fragrant nosegay. Tie ribbon around long-stemmed flowers, such as chocolate-scented cosmos. First strip the flowers of their leaves. Then starting from the top, wrap the ribbon around the stems for about five inches. Leave the remaining stems bare.
Treat your hostess to a fragrant nosegay. Tie ribbon around long-stemmed flowers, such as chocolate-scented cosmos. First strip the flowers of their leaves. Then starting from the top, wrap the ribbon around the stems for about five inches. Leave the remaining stems bare.
Placecards
Write each guest's name on a fresh lamb's ears leaf with a thin Sharpie marker. Put a leaf at each setting on top of a small terra-cotta pot filled with moss.
Candles
Fill an old garden pot with wet floral foam, and add a candle. Stick eucalyptus berries and viburnum in the foam around the edge of the pot. Don't use dried flowers as they could be a fire hazard.
Write each guest's name on a fresh lamb's ears leaf with a thin Sharpie marker. Put a leaf at each setting on top of a small terra-cotta pot filled with moss.
CandlesFill an old garden pot with wet floral foam, and add a candle. Stick eucalyptus berries and viburnum in the foam around the edge of the pot. Don't use dried flowers as they could be a fire hazard.
Creative Wrapping
Wrap a piece of wet cotton ball around the stem of a clematis, and cover with floral tape. Tie it with raffia. The blossom should stay fresh for a few hours.
Dahlia Domes
Trim the bottom off a floral foam sphere so that it can sit on a cake stand, and soak in water for at least 30 minutes. Clip dahlia stems short; insert into the foam until covered.
Pressed Blossoms
When flowers begin to fade, press them in old books to use in future projects. Since flowers can stain the page, avoid using a treasured first edition.
Party Favors
Don't toss broken flowers too small to fit in traditional-size vases. Gather a bunch of these tiny florets and place in small containers, such as egg cups. Let guests help themselves as they leave the party
Edidble Flowers
Paul decorates cupcakes with chamomile flowers. "Use edible flowers only," he advises, and "avoid any that have been sprayed with pesticides." Other edible blooms to try include violets, nasturtiums, and scented geraniums
A Profusion of Flowers
Come midsummer the farmers' market is brimming with fruits, vegetables, and garden-fresh flowers. Picking up a bucket of these seasonal blooms, stylist Paul Lowe devised 10 beautiful -- and easy -- floral treatments. For a summer party, he suggests pairing dahlias, clematis, viburnum, chocolate cosmos, chamomile, and eucalyptus berries with vintage containers for a look he calls "rustic elegance." "Flowers are versatile," he adds. "There are so many things you can do." Head out with a bucket and try some for yourself!
Tablescape
For a casual brunch outdoors, place simple groupings of flowers into coffee and soup cans painted from Benjamin Moore sample jars. IDEA: Try using moss instead of floral foam. Flowers stay in place, and the moss is reusable.
Less Is More
Place single blooms of dramatic flowers, such as dahlias, into individual vases similar in style. Vary the heights of your containers and group in uneven numbers.
Wrap a piece of wet cotton ball around the stem of a clematis, and cover with floral tape. Tie it with raffia. The blossom should stay fresh for a few hours.
Dahlia DomesTrim the bottom off a floral foam sphere so that it can sit on a cake stand, and soak in water for at least 30 minutes. Clip dahlia stems short; insert into the foam until covered.
Pressed BlossomsWhen flowers begin to fade, press them in old books to use in future projects. Since flowers can stain the page, avoid using a treasured first edition.
Party FavorsDon't toss broken flowers too small to fit in traditional-size vases. Gather a bunch of these tiny florets and place in small containers, such as egg cups. Let guests help themselves as they leave the party
Edidble FlowersPaul decorates cupcakes with chamomile flowers. "Use edible flowers only," he advises, and "avoid any that have been sprayed with pesticides." Other edible blooms to try include violets, nasturtiums, and scented geraniums
A Profusion of FlowersCome midsummer the farmers' market is brimming with fruits, vegetables, and garden-fresh flowers. Picking up a bucket of these seasonal blooms, stylist Paul Lowe devised 10 beautiful -- and easy -- floral treatments. For a summer party, he suggests pairing dahlias, clematis, viburnum, chocolate cosmos, chamomile, and eucalyptus berries with vintage containers for a look he calls "rustic elegance." "Flowers are versatile," he adds. "There are so many things you can do." Head out with a bucket and try some for yourself!
TablescapeFor a casual brunch outdoors, place simple groupings of flowers into coffee and soup cans painted from Benjamin Moore sample jars. IDEA: Try using moss instead of floral foam. Flowers stay in place, and the moss is reusable.
Less Is MorePlace single blooms of dramatic flowers, such as dahlias, into individual vases similar in style. Vary the heights of your containers and group in uneven numbers.
TIP: Make glass sparkle. Nothing works better to clean glass than a simple eco-friendly solution of vinegar and water. Use a bottle brush for stubborn stains
Courtesy of Country Living.
Courtesy of Country Living.
