"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Flowers are some of my favorite things.
They make me really happy -- maybe because I like nature and the feeling of being near green things, maybe because I don't think of myself as being particularly creative unless I'm arranging flowers, or maybe 'cause I just think they're pretty. Anyway, I like 'em (doesn't really matter why). And for our fondue party, I was charged with putting together floral stuffs . But when I went to procure stems from our local grocery store, I was unimpressed. I love super market blossoms, but on this particular day the pickings at Safeway were pretty slim. I called Liberty (who was at Trader Joe's) to see if she could fill in the gaps, but the options there weren't much better. SO we decided to expand our search from the floral department to the produce section.
Some of my favorite unconventional additions in these arrangements include:
Asparagus
Dried figs (golden and purple)
Kumquats
Radishes
Rainbow Chard
Dinosaur Kale
and
Garlic
The first time I mixed garlic into a bouquet was at Charity's wedding. She had ordered a few hundred sunflowers to decorate, but not much else. And because it was late October and we were in the middle of nowhere New York, and it was raining, we got creative. While looking through shopping bags, I found some lovely heads of garlic, purchased by my mom at a local farmer's market. They were about all we had, so I shoved them into the arrangement. The resulting product was actually quite lovely (ignore the scowling child) and got me hooked on adding unorthodox foodstuffs to bouquets.
A few years ago I put together a simple guide for arranging flowers (you can see it here). It's basic, but it works for me. For anyone looking to get a little more adventurous, I'll add these suggestions:
-When adding things without stems to bouquets (think kumquats, figs, radishes or garlic), try sticking them on wooden skewers
-If you're making more than one arrangement, buy or pick more "fillers" (green things, berries, branches) than you think you'll need. It's almost always a good idea
-Floral tape is your friend! Use lots.
-Take your time! Be creative! It sounds corny, but make sure you have enough time to put together an arrangement you love. I usually find time makes a big difference.
OK. I think that's it. But if you arrange something, make sure to take a picture, instagram it and tag us (@5isterstd)! WE WANT TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS!
