Mother’s Day - Teachers’ Gifts - Graduations - Parties - What better time to talk about flowers than now!
I have been wanting to write this post since last summer when I was at a birthday party and someone brought the birthday girl a mini-bouquet of flowers. They were so cute, so simple, yet packed such a punch!
She had just grabbed some flowers from her yard, wrapped them with some raffia, and voila - an adorable mini-bouquet! - sure to bring any recipient a big smile!
Well, I don’t have a yard full of flowers, and I am not much of a floral artist, but I wanted to learn how to make one of these adorable mini-bouquets, and I wanted to learn this week so that I could share one with my mom for Mother’s day; and I thought you might have some fun with them as well.
To learn how, I set off to another good friend’s home, who does happen to be a Master Gardener, for a little advice. Surrounded by the most beautiful yard of so many different kinds of flowers, my sweet friend Harriet, showed me the simple basics of making a mini-bouquet.
First, gather your flowers. They can be from the garden or store bought. The beauty of the mini bouquet is that a little goes a long way. Just one or two main blooms can be surrounded by greenery making a big impact.
Harriet started with a single rose, then added greenery. The options are endless (if you are in her yard!), even using greenery like parsley or other herbs. She even uses kale and collards.
After the flowers were picked, Harriet simply used a water floral tube to hold the flowers togethers and keep them fresh longer. The floral tubes can be purchased at craft or floral stores or in bulk online. They cost only cents per tube and you can use one tube for the whole arrangement or several tubes placing one stem per tube.
From there you simply wrap to decorate further. You can use floral tape to hold more greenery, ribbon or even decorative paper wrapped to make cones. Tie with a ribbon and voila - a super cute mini-bouquet!
Inspired, and with a bit of knowledge, I came home to try my own mini-bouquet to give to my mother for Mother’s Day. I was amazed at the options I found in my own yard.
After assembling the flowers in the floral tube, I wrapped them with a paper cone and ribbon.
I was surprised at how pretty the mini-bouquet turned out. I was also surprised how simple, yet impactful these mini-bouquets can be!
I was thrilled to be able to give the most special mother something special I had made for her (isn’t that what they say mothers really want!). I love her big smile! It was also a bright spot on our table over lunch!
Here is one other bouquet I made just to try another one. I bought a bunch of carnations at the store and can say that carnations, though not my favorite flower, hold up wonderfully in the floral tubes and look really pretty. If you wanted to give a lot of gifts, say to teachers, but did not want to spend a lot of money, this would be a great route to take!
The paper cone gives it a lot of pizazz and makes it easy to carry. You can even add ribbon and hang it on a door knob for a sweet surprise!
I hope you try making a mini-bouquet yourself. Your efforts will be sure to bring a big smile and a warmed heart!