Category: Flowers

Elegant Favor Centerpiece

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favor centerpice 

Humble supplies can take on an elegant air: Monogrammed stickers and crepe paper decorate clear plastic tubes filled with champagne-bubble candies. They’re then piled into a glass compote around a smaller compote of crepe-paper flowers.

Tools and Materials
You will need candies; acrylic tubes, 3 3/4 by 2 inches in diameter, with lids; regular and double-sided tape; scissors; crepe paper cut into 6 1/2-by-3 3/4-inch pieces (two per tube); 3/8-inch-wide double-faced satin ribbon in 6 5/8-inch lengths (four per tube); sticker paper; and a craft punch.

Fancy Candy How-To
1. Fill tubes; tape lids closed. Wrap crepe paper around ends, lining up seams; secure with double-sided tape and fringe ends with scissors.

2. Tape a ribbon around each end where tube meets paper, lining up seams. Gather paper and tie.

3. Photocopy a monogram on sticker paper; punch out, and affix to tubes on side without seams.

Making Paper Flowers
You will need crepe paper, 18-gauge cloth-wrapped floral wire, floral tape, and our petal template. Trace template, and cut out petals (12 to 15 per flower), making sure grain of paper is vertical. For stamens, cut wire to 6 inches. Then cut a 3-inch square of paper, and fold it into a triangle. Bring tips in together; twist. Secure tips to end of wire with floral tape. Cup each petal by holding at center and tugging gently outward; curl top edge outward; and pleat base. Tape petals to stamens, wrapping inner petals low and raising subsequent rows slightly, overlapping them. Fluff out petals.
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Fashionable Tweeds

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tweed 

Fashionable tweeds and monochromatic flowers form a fresh, friendly centerpiece. Just wrap fabric around inexpensive glass or plastic cylinders (rectangular vases look nice, too). Mix different tweeds in coordinating colors. The flowers play off the texture of the material.

A pink-and-orange table setting is contemporary and cheery; it works equally well for a shower or summer wedding. Skinny tweed bands are wrapped around the napkins (cut fabric along the grain using a rotary cutter; pull away a few loose strands for fringed edges); computer-made place cards have a border that looks like stitching. The flowers are chosen for their texture and color: carnations, spiky gerbera daisies, tulips, and dahlias.

This idea also works nicely in other colors with the same off-white linens: Try green tweeds (below left) with green and white flowers for a lush feeling; pair taupe tweeds (below right) with white and ivory blooms for a sophisticated, minimalist table.
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DIY Candied Flowers

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flowers

Candied flowers are a wonderful way to dress-up desserts and drinks at your wedding. Often, brides felt that they needed a caterer to achieve this gorgeous look. Well, not anymore! Here is the recipe to make your own candied flowers, courtesy of the April and May addition of Taste of Home.

Prep: 30min + standing
2 teaspoons meringue powder
2 tablespoons water
40 to 50 edible blossoms or flower petals of your choice, such as pansies, edible orchids, or rose petals
1-1 ¼ cups super fine sugar

In a small bowl, dissolve meringue powder in water. Lightly brush over all sides of flower to coat completely. Sprinkle with sugar. Let dry on wax paper lined baking sheet for 1-2 days. Use as a garnish for dessert. Yields 40-50 candied flowers.

*Make sure the flowers you pick are edible and have no been treated with chemicals.

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Pressed-Flower Plates from Martha Stewart.com

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plates 

For a reception, brighten plain dinnerware with a sprinkling of cheerful blooms that coordinate beautifully with your centerpieces. All you need is a collection of pressed dried flowers (available at crafts-supply stores, floral shops, and online boutiques) to complete this temporary transformation — an ideal makeover for rental place settings. Arrange the flowers (we used cosmos, larkspur, marigolds, and verbena) on chargers, then cover them with clear glass plates. Place cards, featuring a pressed bloom attached with double-sided tape, tie it all together. For maximum impact, we set our colorful floral motif against a white backdrop. source

Green Weddings #4~Flowers

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potted plant

Flowers

Your wedding flowers can be a place where you can make conscientious decisions, which can greatly affect the environment. Cut flowers, as you may already know, are quite toxic, both to the environment and to the workers who grow them. Choose a florist who uses organically grown, in-season, local flowers. This will remove the need for long-distance transportation.  An interesting idea is to force your own bulbs in other words, grow your own flowers in your home. You’ll have to start a few months early, but you can grow anything from tulips and daffodils to begonias and pineapple lilies. There are also suppliers of organically farmed cut flowers that you can support. They have a fairly strict set of guidelines for growing practices to protect both the environment and the farm workers, and the flowers will be healthier for you and your guests to enjoy. You can also support your local farmers and buy your flowers at your local farmers market. Reuse your flowers that day by transforming ceremony flowers into table decorations at the reception. Similarly, ceremony decorations can be used to dress up the dance floor. After the party, donate them to a local hospital or senior citizen center or send them home with your guests. Another option is to have your centerpieces double as favors. Gather small perennials or baby bushes together and then have your guests take them home to plant.

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