To Share Our Passion and Commitment for the Education and Designing of Fresh Flowers.
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Christmas and New Year seem to have proposals in the air. Many couples are getting engaged. Here are so tips to help begin your planning.
First, find a venue. Do you want a Church? Where will the reception be? Venues book quickly. Setting a date could depend on the availability of the venue. Second, set a budget. Setting a budget is essential. Looking at venues will give you a taste of the expense of a wedding. The budget will guide you in the size of your wedding. There are many options for every budget. Secure the photographer, florist, and bakery as soon as you set a date. These vendors fill their calendars quickly. Many weddings are on the book a year in advance. Start a folder to help get organized. Look at magazines and the internet to give you ideas, add these to your folder. Look at dress styles, bouquets, tuxedos, table settings, and decorating. These can set the theme. Invite your wedding party to help with the plans. Make a party of creating the table decorations for the reception. This helps the friends in your wedding to get to know one another before the wedding. Secure experts to help you. Look at wedding consultants. These professionals know the procedures. Remember, a Wedding is a time of change. There is going to be stress. Begin planning early. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Take a deep breath and relax!
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 Candles, Christmas greenery and fresh flowers greet the family as they gather around the table for Christmas Dinner. You Will Need:
Before creating your arrangement, prep work would include allowing the fresh flowers to absorb water, and soaking the wet form, for at least 24 hours. For best results add floral preservation to the water. Gather Christmas greenery from trimmings from Christmas tree lots if you are not using a fresh Christmas tree. Most lots do not charge for excess branches, some may charge a minimal fee. When choosing a container, use a non-descript container, such as a plastic cereal bowl. An arrangement in this container can be inserted in a more elegant vase. For instance, it would not be a good idea to fix an arrangement in Great-grandmother’s heirloom bowl. But, gently placing an arrangement fixed in a safe container will protect the heirloom. Also, the arrangement can be removed to add more water to increase the enjoyment of the arrangement without damaging the heirloom bowl.  Add floral foam to the container, by cutting the foam the size of the container. The foam should rise above the container about 1 ½”. Secure the foam to the container by using floral waterproof tape in a christcross pattern. Add more water to the container. Add candles to the arrangement. Add 4” wood picks to the base of a candle to secure the candle in the foam. Remove the wire from the wood pick. Using floral wrap tape, secure 2 wood picks to each candle. Insert candles in the foam.  Begin the centerpiece by adding Christmas greenery to the foam. Determine the shape of your arrangement. Will it be round or oblong? Determine this by the shape of the table. We had long tables. Set the shape of the centerpiece with the greenery. Place greenery along the rim of the container. Remove needles from the end of the branches before placing them in the foam. Fill in the center of the foam, placing greenery no higher than halfway of the height of the candles.  I added ribbon to arrangements by simulating a bow in the greenery. I do this in stages. Remember for a centerpiece, it will be viewed from both sides. Create a bow by cutting the bow in half. Make 2 small similar bows. Secure then to wood picks with floral wrap. Add 1 bow to the centerpiece and place the 2nd bow on the opposite side of the arrangement. Create loops of bows by making a double loop of ribbon. Make the back loop taller than the front loop. Pinch the bottom of the loops and wrap wire from the wood pick around the ribbon. Secure with floral wrap. Make single loops of ribbon in the same manner. Take a long piece of ribbon and fold it in half. Pinch the fold and wrap wire from a wood pick around the fold. Secure with floral wrap. Add the loops and streamers throughout the greenery creating the effect of enlarging the bows placed earlier. Add pine cones to the arrangement. Place the pine cones to balance the bow. Repeat on opposite side of the arrangement. Finish by adding fresh flowers. Create depth by placing blooms close to the foam. Add blooms of various heights making sure that no bloom is the same height as the one nearest. Remember to keep the arrangement out of direct heat. Add water to your arrangement often. Remove fresh flowers as they begin to fade. Your arrangement of Christmas greenery should last for weeks. Well, it’s been over 6 weeks since I started blogging. What do you think? These past few weeks have been intense because of the Christmas Holidays. Did you find them informative? Were the directions hard to follow? Let me hear from you. I would love to see any efforts that you attempted.  I’d like to share another Elf arrangement with you. Mother made these when they first opened the florist. Christmas decorations need to be in every room - Don’t forget the bathroom.
Next, create the base. The styrofoam should about 1” thick. Cut a piece of styrofoam to fit the back of the toilet. I cut a block 2” smaller than the edges of the toilet lid. Carefully add snow. Follow the instructions on package.  Next, add the toilet paper to the base. Fold the end of the toilet paper in half, bring the end of the paper through the center of the toilet paper roll and out the top of the roll. Place the roll of toilet paper to the left of the base. Place the end of the toilet paper from the top of the roll to the right edge of the base. Secure the toilet paper to the base using wire and the wood picks. Make hairpins out of the wire by bending them in half. Secure the toilet paper to the styrofoam with the hairpins. Now, create a playful scene. Add the elves to the toilet paper. Have one elf climbing up the back of the toilet paper. Another, could be sliding down the pulled out toilet paper. Another elf could be laying in the snow. Make your own scene.
Finally, make a forest scene by using Christmas greenery as bushes and white branches as trees. Place your arrangement on the back of the toilet. Christmas in the bathroom. Looking back, one of my favorite Christmas memories were Elves. When we were little, our mother made a lot of different arrangements using elves. I have revisited these ideas and would like to share them with you. Mom fixed the Elves Candy Jar for our teachers as gifts. The jars can be filled with different candies. Make sure the candy is individually wrapped. After completing the arrangement, the tape can be cut to lift the arrangement from the base to get the candy. After emptying the jar, more candy can be added.  Remember that children will be drawn to this arrangement. When making the video for this arrangement, I used candy from the jar as accents in the arrangement. My daughter tried to eat them. Look for artificial candy to decorate in the arrangement.
The PowerPoint video for this arrangement is on our Techniques4Flowers facebook page. Let me know if it is helpful and easy to follow. I have other Christmas ideas in the works. I hope to hear from you through my contact. |
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