To Share Our Passion and Commitment for the Education and Designing of Fresh Flowers.
 Cuttings to create a Christmas arrangement begin with a Christmas Tree Branch! Last week’s post was an arrangement from the trimmings of the Christmas tree. Let me share with you the secret of making the branches go further.  This is a trimming of a Christmas tree. This branch is from the bottom of the Christmas Tree. These are the branches that are cut from the bottom of the tree to fit the truck of the tree into the tree stand. There is a lot of greenery in a few branches. The trick is to cut the limbs into smaller pieces. Look at each branch. Look for the thickest stem of the branch. Look for small clusters of limbs. Cut close to the thick stem of the branch to create these clusters. Notice that all of these cuttings are not the same. There are single stems of greenery that are as valuable as clusters. The single stems are important for the outline of the centerpiece. The clusters are useful to fill in large spaces. As I cut each piece of greenery, I cut on an angle. Cutting a stem on an angle gives a finished look. Remember, make the cuts close to the thick stem or at the base of clusters. I use a rose stripper to remove the needles from the base of each cutting. The needles need to be removed to place the stem into wet floral foam. The needles remove too much of the wet floral foam to keep the greenery stable. Place the cleaned stems of the greenery into the wet floral foam. It is amazing to me the amount of greenery I can get from just a few Christmas Tree branches!
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 Design the Teacher’s a special Christmas gift for pennies! This is how I made memorable Christmas gifts for my children’s teachers. Years later, I found out it was the one gift the teachers looked forward to every year. I used the Christmas tree trimmings from Christmas Tree Lots. The trimmings were free! Your expense is found in decorations. Adjust to fit your budget. I look for small plastic cereal bowls that are 4 for $1.00. Try to find the best price for 12” dinner taper candles. Then, look for wet floral foam. Small decorative items like pine cones or Christmas tree ornaments add other decorative highlights. I use one variety of fresh cut flowers. In this arrangement, I found a 10” dinner taper for 72 cents. This bowl was 2 for $ 1.00. The miniature carnations were in a bundle of 3 stems for $ 4.00. The wet floral foam was $2.99 for a brick. I cut foam for three arrangements out of each brick. The pine cones were 50 cents each. I created thinner ribbon for the bows by cutting 2 yards of wider ribbon in half down the center. I basically have $ 4.55 in this arrangement, not counting the greenery
 Prepare for Christmas by counting down the weeks until Christmas Day! Bring attention to the Advent Wreath by decorating with fresh Christmas greenery and LED lights! Fresh Christmas greenery brings aroma into a room. LED lights emphasize the wreath without drying out the greenery. Bows made of sheer ribbon allows the lights to shine through! Encircle the wreath form with fresh Christmas greenery. Place pieces of greenery around the wreath form or place a wreath of fresh greenery over the advent wreath form. I wove a strand of battery-operated LED lights through the greenery. Place the lights into the greenery, not just sitting on top of the greenery. This adds dimension. Place the control box in the center of the ring. I added the candles, then made bows of sheer, wired ribbon. Place the bows on the wreath. Each wreath is different-some bows look better in between the candles, others at the base of a candle. Allow the light bulb to rest near the ribbon to shine through!
 New options with Christmas lights highlight brighter. This picture was taken without using a flash. Notice how bright the lights are in the decorations. These lights are LED. The wreath and the candles shed light on the items surrounding them. LED lights offer new alternatives for lighting Holiday decorations. LED lights are brighter, use less energy, last longer, and don’t get hot! This is great for decorations of fresh Christmas greenery. Fresh Christmas trees bring the aroma of evergreens into the decorated space. Christmas trees of fresh greenery tend to dry out after the are cut. It is important to place the fresh tree in a tree holder of water and Christmas tree preservative. LED lights are great in decorating fresh Christmas trees. The brightness of the light illuminates the ornaments hanging nearby. LED lights do not heat when they are lit. This helps prevent fire hazards. Led lights are also available in small battery-operated lengths. Using LED lights are more economical. The energy used to lite LED is 85% less than traditional lights. LED lights are brighter and last longer.
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