A Handmade Spring: Floral Arrangements

This is one of my favorite handmade gift ideas. Any excuse to roam the silk floral aisles of Michael's, AC Moore, or Old Time Pottery is fine by me. But don't let them intimidate you. I try to keep it simple and focus on three things.

1. Color - Choose a dominant color and one or two accent colors. Keep it simple.

2. Size - Think about the finished size of the arrangement and choose flowers accordingly. I also like to choose a variety of sizes using smaller flowers and different shapes as accents.

3. Texture - Choose silk grasses, wheat stalks, and "fuzzy" stems to add texture, depth, and interest.

Oh, and don't be afraid to walk up and down the aisles several times, pulling out stems and trying out different combinations right there in the store. It's okay to play : )

Here are a few arrangements I've made as gifts and for our own house. Without assuming my style is your style, hopefully they will give you some ideas for your own gifts. But of course, if you're still intimidated, check out Fostering Creativity and have Amy make one for you! I have two of hers in my house, too!

I made this one for my MIL's birthday last year. Sorry for the busy background. I chose cranberry with sage and yellow accents- a classic combination. The magnolias are the large focal point flower with smaller hydrangeas for variety and all those "fuzzy" stems for accent color and texture.

Here is a potted arrangement I made for our kitchen. I chose all foliage and greenery for this one, but varied the size and variety, brought in accent colors with the striations on the leaves, the purple stems, and the small green flowers.

Here it is on top of the fridge.


And here is one in our bathroom. I wanted a green tonal look for this room as an accent to the navy, white, and slate blue in the rest of the room. The tall green "cone shaped" flowers are the focal point with the cat tails adding texture and the round flowers added a contrasting shape and another shade of green.

One last tip to save on cost is to use the premade "floral bunches" they sell in the store. You will need to cut everything apart when you get home so it doesn't look so fake, but use the bunches to your advantage. They can save you money and give you a dominant flower with several accent stems. In the first arrangement for my MIL, the magnolias and some of the fuzzy stems and grasses were purchased separately, but the hydrangeas, leaves, the fern like stems, and the pale greenish yellow clusters all came on the same bunch. I just cut it apart and mixed it together with the other stems.