I am really excited to chat with you a bit about flowers today! Do you often create arrangements for your home? Do you have a favorite flower you tend to lean toward? It has taken me a long time to find a good balance between beautiful flowers and simple displays.
This week I was blown away by a sampling of photos that Jacqueline sent in and knew instantly it would be a great way to share her gorgeous work and also chat with you about what makes a great everyday, simple to manage, flower arrangement.
Here are a few styling ideas for simple, pretty flowers…
1. You cannot go wrong with a grouping of single blooms on a windowsill. They will change appearance throughout the day as the sun shifts, and look brilliant (even with inexpensive flowers!).
2. Large buckets are a recent addition to my list of floral holding favorites. I love the look of these galvanized ones, brass is also nice this time of year and white enamel. The buckets are perfect for long stem flowers and if you end up with shorter stems just fill in the bottom with water and rocks for stability. They will allow your bouquet to stand out in a very substantial way.
3. If you end up buying two different color flowers, either because you couldn’t decide between the two or if you buy a pre-made bouquet it is easy to make them connect nicely. Gather each color separately in its own vase and then pull jut one or two stems out to pop against the opposite color, leaving you with beautiful texture and a well designed arrangement.
4. The next time you need to purchase a decent amount of flowers mix up your choices for an incredibly dramatic effect. We all love the look of floral shops and part of the reason is because their selection of multiple flowers layered together is breathtaking. When I need multiple bouquets I tend to decide between one or two stem selections. Next time, I want to grab five or ten and layer them all throughout my home. Maybe even on a stepped table would be amazing.
What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks for creating beautiful, everyday bouquets? Is flower arranging something you love to do or a necessary part of planning a party? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
PS. Has anyone ever tried to rearrange your flowers? The quote above made me laugh.
All photography by the crazy talented Jacqueline Jaszka.
blessings.
I LOVE playing with flowers Victoria! They are such a great way to make a celebration special. I like to use old bottles to create groupings, I like it better when the flowers don’t look so ordered. Having said that, I do also like using identical arrangements down a table when it’s a sit down meal.
That quote is great! Stephie x
PS I can’t believe that I was only just looking st the platter in your previous post – gosh we have good taste don’t we (He! He!) ?!
I’m crazy about this post! So much useful info that I need to bookmark it for future reference. =)
Great tips! I love having fresh flowers at home. It makes the place feel so much brighter and I love the smell when I walk in.
So honored to have my photos on your site! You’ve used them to illustrate such great points about flower arranging — love it.
This was incredibly useful, thanks Victoria! Actually, my mom and I were invited to a mother daughter luncheon a few years ago. My mom is amazing with flower arrangements, she made me hide her as she arranged the host’s flower arrangement haha.
Great tips! I’ve been trying to keep flowers in my home more often lately, and I feel like my arrangement skills are getting better slowly, but surely. I’ll definitely keep these tips in mind for next time! :)
Such great tips! I used to work with a florist, and I definitely recommend stripping the leaves below the water line for a cleaner look. Also, with square vases making a grid with tape along the top edge helps keep flowers organized and standing up. :)
beautiful images and inspiration. that quote cracked me up!
The advice is brilliant, and the quote is hysterical. I think I would snap someone’s fingers off if they tried it!
I once put flowers in glass laboratory test tubes. The test tubes are arranged in a test tube rack. I put one stem of flower in each tube. It looked interesting to say the least.
I also did this: http://ebonymoon.tumblr.com/post/1089529527
They make a nice display but don’t last long. It’s probably best to make that using “leftover” flowers.
excellent! i’m ridiculously incapable of matching flowers – isaiah, on the other hand, does a brilliant job at this.
stupid question, but those flowers, the yellow ball types? i see them everywhere but don’t know there name… anyone clue me in?