Easy DIY Flower Arrangement
Being able to throw together an easy DIY flower arrangement at the last minute will make your entertaining life a lot easier. For me, having fresh flowers in the house always makes me simile. Especially in my powder room. It’s a WINK here!
Give me a sparkling, clean house with fresh flowers and I am a happy camper. Before we get down to putting the flowers in the container, there are a few decision that needs to be made. So, let’s go ahead and jump in with a few tips.
TIP 1 Look around for the spot that you want to place the arrangement. That will indicate the size, style and color of the container. Containers can be as interesting as the arrangement. Try to think out of the box. Work on that WINK! If it can hold water, for me it’s a container! To hold the flowers in the container, you can use frogs, pin holders, or floral foam, also known as oasis. I am all about easy, so I usually go for the oasis.
Celebrity florist designer Eddie Zaratsian suggests that you chose one foundation color and two accent colors. That is an easy way to think about your collection of colors. You can see his theory working with the way the arrangements on this site are done.
TIP 3 I like to start with branches and greenery to create the shape. This gives you a form to work within. Greenery can be your best friend in order to make an arrangement with design and texture. I am always seeking to build an arrangement that looks like it has just been picked from the garden. This arrangement on my buffet has that picked-from-the-garden look:
Always keep a look out for friends that have gardens that you all can share with each other. I am lucky to have a large network of friends with bountiful gardens that I can pick from.
TIP 4 The area or room will set your color and texture. Sometimes you can add an interesting color that is not in the room, but make sure it is a compliment to the main color. You can purchase a small artist color wheel to help you determine the compliments of your main color.
My friend Kay Morgan Dunn is standing by an arrangement done for the First Lady of Kentucky, Jane Beshear. The room is very romantic and the colors are a reflection of Jane and the decor of the salon.
I was thinking about the color purple, it’s a color that stands on its own. Just about any arrangement can use the purple shades. I also watch whether the neutral color of white flowers may need to be a cream. If that non color is wrong, your whole arrangement will be off. You want to have a very calming, yet interesting look. I call it, a “second look arrangement syndrome”. It is the same way with whether you wear a blouse in the creams or whites!
Below is Rebecca Roberts Pruitt’s arrangement, she put together to compliment the Abrishami Hessam oil painting. I think the modern painting needed the simple uncomplicated arrangement she put together. Well done Rebecca!
This is where you can incorporate fruits, vegetables, and artificial materials in an arrangement to give it a WINK here! This arrangement carried out the look and feel of the dining tables, which used arrangements in handmade barn wood boxes with oil lanterns and flowers.
TIP 5 SPACE, SPACE is a must. Be mindful that some flowers open up after a while. Plan on the space as you place the flowers. This reminds me of people who plant trees and shrubs like they will never grow. Giving flowers like lilac or hyacinth space to open and position themselves will keep your arrangment in shade. Tulips are another flower that needs special attention so it can stretch and bend toward the light.
Keep thinking that the goal is to make an airy, lush, bit rambling arrangement.
TIP 6 One of the big no-no is not to use flowers that are out of season. It is like not wearing white before Easter, eek! So, I have put flowers into 2 categories: spring and summer, fall and winter.
Spring is when the flowers bulbs are on the market, but as summer pops in, you are still light and airy and the bulbs slowly disappear off the market.
As fall shows its head, you will notice colors get darker and heavier in texture.
Anytime you can see a lot of flowers at one time, it really is a big help in choosing the right shades. It also gives you an opportunity to come up with a WINK you did not expect.
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