Peonies and Carnations. A tutorial.

I have to admit something. I love pink carnations. I know that carnations are the store brand flower of the florist world, but I swear; if any boy ever bought me an armload of pink carnations, I would probably hand him my heart in a little box.

My mom works at a local florist and I love to visit her there. Surrounded by flowers, how could you ever be unhappy? When they get shipments of carnations, they keep them in five gallon buckets at room temperature to settle and open. It's like a color wheel of carnations. I just love it. These pretty pink (leaning on peach) carnations asked me if they could come home with me and I said yes. With a boy who has an utter disdain for carnations, I'm perfectly happy buying them for myself and bringing them home in my bike basket. ha!

However, even with a mother who makes arrangements for a living, I'm absolutely terrible at putting together an arrangement. But I have found a way to do it with ease that even the least capable can make. You'll look like a pro. 

The Supplies:

A vase or a tin can. This is a recycled tomato juice can. 

Tape. I try to use something that will match the container. You can purchase florist tape at the craft store, but for this, I used mylar tape. It matches the can and I had it in the craft closet.

Scissors

Flowers. I brought home pink carnations and cut white peonies out of my yard. 

Greenery. You can use anything! These are pieces of a bush in my front yard that is getting ready to bloom so it had nice buds on it. Greenery is a godsend. It will fill any holes that you miss and give you a nice base.

Step One:

Cut strips of tape to make a grid on top of your container. This is called a frog. You'll be poking the stems of your flowers through the square holes.

Step Two:

Begin placing your greenery around the base. I always start with greenery because it's easier to get around the bottom before you put your flowers in. 

Step Three: 

Begin placing your flowers. I started with the peonies because they are big and fluffy and take up a lot of space. It then allowed me to place my carnations so you could see them prominently. Here is a helpful tip! When cutting your flowers, place them next to your container and snip your stem level with the table. You will never cut a flower too long or short again! No more pulling a flower out a million times to snip just a little off!

Step Four:

After your flowers are in, you can take extra pieces of greenery and fill in any gaps you may see. 

And there you have it! A beautiful arrangement that is super quick. (and no one will ever be the wiser!) I sat mine next to my sewing machine as I was making some curtains for my bedroom redo. (Super easy curtain tutorial forthcoming!) I wanted to be outside but had inside work to do. I'm glad I got to bring some flowers indoors. 

I hope you are having a lovely weekend!