DIY Designer Floral Arrangement.

This project was inspired mainly by all of the beautiful floral prints floating down the runway.  (Annnnd partly because every time I see those beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers at Pike's Place Market my heart breaks at the price!)

I wanted to see if I could create a floral arrangement that replicated the prints seen on the runway.  Some of the looks that inspired my project were from Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2012, here, and here, and Valentino Spring/Summer 2012, here, and here. 

I went to Metropolitan Market, one of my favorite local markets, to pick out some fresh flowers.

This is when I ran into my first problem:  too many choices!

I finally settled on pink peonies, light blue and white hydrangeas, and this adorable, sunny yellow, flower that I have no clue what its name is!  If anyone knows, feel free to fill me in.

Here are some steps that I took in creating a designer inspired floral arrangement. 

You will need:  

1.  Flowers (water)

2.  Scissors

3.  A glass jar or vase (I used an old sauce jar)

4.  Tissue paper

5.  A rubberband or ribbon

Step 1:  Make sure you cut your stems to appropriate lengths.  Depending on the position or the flower the stems may need to be different lengths.

Step 2:  Begin arranging your flowers.  I had no specific plan - I just began putting pieces where I felt they needed to be.  I noticed that crisscrossing the flowers and inserting them at a diagonal angle helped to keep them in place.

Step 3:  Once the flowers are set in the postion that looks good to you (I enjoy a not so perfected look) take four pieces of tissue paper and lay them down crisscross two by two.

Step 4:  Pull the tissue paper up to the top of the mason jar and tie with a rubber band.  I crinkled my tissue at the top to give some character and trimmed some corners as well.  This gives the flowers a "fresh picked" flower look and hides the stems and dingy water.

**The finished product!  I am very happy about the way it turned out and I feel that it emulates the looks I have seen on the runways very clearly.  The best part of the project?  It fills my entire apartment with a beautiful smell!!

*Adapted from this video.

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