Stephanie Entertains - Cherub Centerpiece How To

With Valentine's Day exactly one week away, it is time to put on those thinking caps and consider how to send thoughtful wishes to the ones you cherish most.  I personally love the idea of something less predictable and decided to seek the help of one of my favorite local vendor partners, Fleur de Lis Florist in Mt. Vernon. Together we came up with this lovely, little centerpiece that is sweet, creative and easy to do at home. Give it a try...

STEP 1:  Select a container and gather your supplies.  I chose a small white, crackled ceramic pot and matching ceramic cherub as the focal point.  You will also need: floral oasis, floral tape, corsage tape, two hyacinth sticks, a knife, sheet moss (moist), floral pins and a few blooms of choice.  Here I selected: seeded eucalyptus, garvelia fern, white hydrangea, heather, lavender hyacinth, (novelty) standard carnations, fushia anemone, and hot pink spray roses. 

STEP 2 & 3:  Soak oasis in water and cut to fit inside your container.  Secure with floral tape (above).  Break hyacinth stick in half, secure both pieces together with corsage tape, insert stick into small cherub and place in the middle of saturated oasis.  Trick to corsage tape:  It adheres to itself when tugged, so wrap and tug, wrap and tug and you'll be good to go.

STEP 4:  Begin filling out the base of your container with your filler flowers.  Here I used the seeded eucalyptus and small pieces of white hydrangea to start.

STEP 5:  Select two pieces of heather and tape another hyacinth stick (half a stick will be fine) to the top ends of each piece.  Remember to wrap and tug the corsage tape to secure. 

STEP 6 & 7:  Insert (on an angle) the bottom ends of the heather into the sides of your arrangement.  Pull the center of the heather (and stick) into the middle of the arrangement and insert the stick into the oasis behind the cherub.

STEP 8:  Continue filling in the arrangement with your remaining accent blooms.

STEP 9:  Once all the flowers have been arranged, fill in any remaining holes with moist sheet moss and secure with floral pins.

STEP 10:  It is that easy!  Now...who to deliver it to?

Happy Valentine's Day from us to you...

Need help with your Valentine's Day floral deliveries?  

Visit one of the best in the business with over 25 years experience 

Fleur de Lis Florist in Mt. Vernon, Baltimore

* Photography by Stephanie Bradshaw, all rights reserved

Stephanie Entertains - Holiday Wreath How To

Every year I get excited to decorate my apartment for the holidays (this year I have two white trees - one at home and one at the studio) and I am always in the mood for a good design project.  To welcome in the month of December, I thought I'd help give you a little head start on your holiday decorating with this easy DIY project.  Here's what you'll need to get started...

STEP 1:  Gather your supplies.  I suggest a wire wreath form (you can find these at your local craft supplier), floral wire, garden snips, greens and plenty of decorative "accessories" to add the finishing touches.  Here we used pine cones, berries, feathers, ornament balls, gold pods and festive ribbons.  I suggest you add anything that inspires you!

STEP 2:  Cut your greens into pieces, creating small piles to gather from.  Doing this prep work in advance will help save you time when working with the wire form.

STEP 3:  Cut a piece of wire (long enough to wrap around the wire form, plus a few inches extra on each side) and attach it to the form.  

STEP 4:  Gather greens from your piles (you can use all one type of greens or mix them together as I did here).  Lay the greens on top of the form and begin wiring the pieces to the frame.  Work your way around the entire form evenly adding extra pieces where necessary to create a dense form.  Be sure to pick up the form from time to time and test that all of your greens are well secured and are not falling out.

STEP 5:  Now it is time for the goodies.  If you are using pinecones, as we have here, wrap a piece of floral wire around the base of the cone and then insert into the wreath securing it in the back.  Continue this step until all your pine cones are in place.

STEP 6:  Relax.  You are almost there and your wreath should really be taking shape...

STEP 7:  Select some of your favorite decorative pieces and begin placing them throughout your wreath.  Here we used pods spray painted gold.  Attaching them to a wooden stick helps secure them into the frame.

STEP 8:  Insert more bling!  We added berries and loved these pheasant feathers spray painted with a little gold glitter to additional sparkle.

STEP 9:  It is now time to make your bow.  Make a loop and twist the ribbon in the center (holding it together with your index finger and thumb) alternating back and forth until your bow is nice and full.

STEP 10:  Don't forget to snip the ends of your bow and secure with wire on the wreath.  The tails of your bow will look pretty long or short.  There is no rule here.  Make one that looks good to you.  Don't forget to make a wire hook on the back of the wreath to easily hang it inside or out.  

Drum roll please...

Great job...Your wreath is complete and it looks gorgeous!

Tell me...What will you be using in your wreath this year? 

Happy Holidays!

Need a little extra help putting your wreath together?  

Visit our friends locally at Crimson & Clover Floral Design, Inc. in Roland Park

for one of their wreath making classes in December.  More info HERE!

* Photography by Stephanie Bradshaw, all rights reserved

Stephanie Entertains - Floral Centerpiece How To

With Thanksgiving now just days away, I am sure you are beginning to get out your grandmother's china, make a last minute shopping list and prep the table for the big meal.  Stuck on what to put in the center of your spread? Try this...

Step 1:  Select a decorative container and a color palette.  I chose this footed, turquoise piece because I thought it would contrast our color trio of oranges, golds and reds quite nicely...A perfect fit for our Thanksgiving scene. 

Step 2:  Gather your supplies and prep your container. You will need: a piece floral oasis (found at your local craft supplier), floral tape, garden snips and/or a knife, greens, filler flowers and some pretty accent blooms. I suggest placing an inexpensive, plastic container inside the decorative one to protect it from any water damage.  Soak the oasis in water, place the saturated oasis in the disposable container and secure with floral tape.

Step 3:  Fill around the outside of the container with foliage to create a base layer and cover the plastic container. Keep in mind, using a mix of seasonal greens is an inexpensive way to fill your base and you can even gather these goodies in your own back yard.  Here I used oak leaf hydrangea.  It has great color and big leaves.

Step 4:  Place less expensive "filler" flowers (sedum, football mums and abelia shown above) around your container to begin filling in some of the holes.  Don't forget to turn your container around when you are working so you can fill it in from all angles.

Step 5:  Gather pricier blooms (mini calla lilies, mokara orchids, roses and tulips shown here) and continue filling in the holes.  Keep in mind that these are your focal flowers so placing them in clusters throughout the arrangement gives you a great punch of color all over.

Step 6: Now it is time to add your final touches.  Here we added hypericum berries and these gorgeous guinea feathers.  I love their texture and the white polka dots are just so fun!

Step 7:  Step back and E.N.J.O.Y!  Don't forget to continue to hydrate your oasis every day or so to keep your blooms fresh and longer lasting.

On a personal note, a very Happy Thanksgiving to each of you.  Know I am thankful for all of my readers and so grateful to continue to do what I love every day of the year.

xo,

stephanie

Visit our friends locally at: Crimson and Clover Floral Design, Inc., 733 Deepdene Road, Baltimore

There is still time to sign up for their centerpiece class to be held TOMORROW at 6:30 PM.  

Or, REGISTER NOW for their "Holiday Wreath" making classes in early December. 

For more information, visit them online at: crimsonandcloverdesigns.com.