I thought it would be fun to share a few easy floral design projects with you guys now and then; designs that you can create at home with just a little bit of time and a few supplies available at your local craft store or garden center. Display them in your home or give them as a gift, and wow your friends with your green-thumb-DIY skillz. Whatcha’ think?
{Photo step-by-step after the jump!}
Let’s kick things off with an easy beachy summer project using a phalaenopsis orchid. This popular species of orchid comes in a gorgeous variety of colors and hybrids, and can be found most of the year at many garden centers (and your local florist, of course!).
We found the inspiration for this project in one of our favorite industry magazines, Florists Review. We had a few minutes to kill around the shop this morning, and all of the supplies to make our own version. Here’s how it went down…
Start with a clean, clear glass vase. You’ll need one that’s wide and medium height. Add a layer of white aquarium gravel to the base.
Carefully remove the orchid from its container, and gently place it in a thin clear plastic liner. Watch the roots!
Place the orchid and its new liner in the vase on top of the gravel base. Slowly pour more gravel into the vase, letting it fall around the sides of the liner until everything is covered. You may need to shake the vase a little to the gravel around all the sides.
Orchids have a fragile stem, so they’re usually stabilized against a stake or a piece of bamboo. Carefully remove the stake that came with the orchid, and replace it with a sturdy branch (we used birch). Cut the branch to size, then gently insert the base into the soil right up against the orchid to give it extra support. Loosely tie the orchid to the branch at the middle and top of the stem with a piece of raffia or twine.
Add assorted seashells around the base of the orchid. Starfish and sand dollars would be great, too. If you have shells you’ve collected from your own beach combing, that’s even better!
Voila!
If there are specific projects you’d like to learn about, let us know! Link them up in the comments, or send a photo to aprettypennyblog[at]yahoo[dot]com.
Have a great weekend!
What do you think?