Saturday 29 January 2011

Flower Arranging Friday

I had such a fun time at the flower arranging workshop I go to once a month.

Perfect pearls with pink

My tutor had said that it would suit me down to the ground, and it did!


 
Most of the lesson was 'crafting'

You cut up a bit of old cardboard 10"x10" or any size you like to fit over your vase - a tall one.

Cut a square in the centre - so it looks like an empty picture frame

Then start wrapping material scraps, plasterers netting strips, ribbon, wool, torn paper, skeleton leaves, and just keep adding layers until it looks padded and pretty.  Lay bits and pieces loosely on top, like skeleton leaves, bits of string - anything that takes your fancy. 
Then wind around it with wire to flatten it and keep it all intact.

I decided to thread some old beads from a broken necklace on the wire to add some interest.
Then you just do a hand-tied bouquet of whatever flowers you like-roses in this case from the supermarket.
And I thought I would add some pearls on pins to the centre of the roses.

Over the coming days the roses will open up and fill out and look gorgeous.

Imagine a frame with spring colours - and the bouquet full of tulips or daffodils!
Or hot firey reds and oranges for summer flowers from the garden.
Or those lovely rustic autumn colours - yummy! 
Think I will be making a few more frames - such a cheap way of having a bouquet in your home.
And it would only cost pennies - and the frame will last forever!

Edited
I took the above photos last night with the hope of taking better ones today. 
My bungalow is so tiny that I only have one table to put a vase of flowers on, but I can't get a decent photo without 'things' in the background - like the fire place or sofa - so I tried outside.

And this happened!  As soon as either of us go outside the bantams come rushing over to see if they can scrounge some food or scraps!   These are just some of my rare breed banties.

I threw them some chopped up apple and pear cores and managed to just get them out of sight for a quick photo.




14 comments:

Sally H said...

wow, Lottie! It is a fabulous arrangement. I was given some pink roses a couple of weeks ago and they never opened. They just drooped and then shed their petals. I cut a good piece of the stems before putting them in water too.

sam21ski said...

What a fabulous idea with the frame, might need to pinch that - lol.

One question, which might be daft, are the roses real? It's just that you said they will open out in the next couple of days.

themessycraftroom said...

Beautiful Lottie and a great idea. Love how your chickens are coming having a look. Hugs x ChrisB

Sandies' Patch said...

Your tutor wasn't wrong then!
I've done something similar in the past with baubles and holly, ivy and (fake)christmas roses for a low table so that you look down on it.
Also made some frames for photos like that.

It is a particularly gorgeous arrangement that you have here, I absolutely love it!
Thanks for sharing.

Hugs,
Sandie xx

Moira said...

Gorgeous arrangement and what a treat it would have made for the chooks!

Unknown said...

Thanks for your lovely comments. Yes they are real roses - and roses tend to open in a warm room.

When you buy them from a supermarket - try to get ones that are not in a draught (they tend to put flowers in front of the doors and they hate draughts, so if you can choose some from around the side you will find that they last longer.


Cut the stmes at an angle to ensure that they suck up as much water as possible, and if they come with a sachet of food - make sure you use it - that makes a big difference too.

And yes, the chooks did hurtle close to them with a view to have a peck - but I picked them up quickly, got some goodies for them and threw them away from the arrangement so that I could take a photo

Lorraine said...

what a lovely flower arrangement and I love looking at the bantams

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Incredible idea for displaying flowers (but I think the banties should have been in the photo too!!).

LazyKay said...

SO very effective. I love the cushion effect you've created with the card and crafty bits (combining two of your loves). This is an unusual but beautiful way of displaying your flowers and the addition of the pearls is perfect for this particular flower - roses and pearls.

TFS

xxxxxxxxxxx

lori vliegen said...

your flowers are gorgeous, lottie!! i've never seen an arrangement like this.....it's so creative!! and your banties make me smile something big!! xox

Neet said...

Absolutely gorgeous Lottie.
Check out my blog - there's an award waiting for you.

Linda said...

I just LOVE the base of your flower arrangement. thanks for posting.

ScrappyDandyDoo said...

How beautiful!!!
Julie xx

Sarn said...

Yeah . . . my two chooks come running as soon as the kitchen door is opened!

One of them (Margot) jumps up and down in excitement if she's inside the run!

Hugs, Sandra

PS: I've loved looking through your blog today.