A Flower Recipe Featuring West Elm

 

J.Crew Top, Gap Pants, J.Crew Necklaces (old), Target Sandals (in-store), Nail Polish: Essie “Sunday Funday,” Toes: Essie “Butler Please”

I love flowers. They are just so beautiful and they brighten any day! Random fact/confession: I buy myself flowers every week. I believe that they can perk up or liven any room. My favorites are peonies, hydrangeas, ranunculus and poppies. So when I found out that my local West Elm was hosting a flower arranging class this past May, I was thrilled! The class included and featured The Flower Recipe Book, shears, a vase and of course, FLOWERS! I learned so much and I am absolutely in love with the book! It is a great tool for learning about all things flowers, from simple to intricate arrangements to the actual definitions of the flowers themselves. It doesn’t hurt that the pictures in the book are BEAUTIFUL – a great addition to any coffee table. SO for this post, I am going to show you how to arrange a simple bouquet of flowers (inspired by The Flower Recipe book and my West Elm workshop).

What you will need: Shears or a scissor, vases (get mine here), The Flower Recipe Book, water and three different types of flowers.

Step 1: Take off all the leaves from the stem that are going to touch the water (this prevents the water from becoming murky).

 

Step 2: Fill the vases with water to a half way mark. Then measure the flowers up to the water mark.

Step 3: Place the vase flat on the edge of the table to measure the cut. Once the stems are clean from the leaves, then cut the stem at a slanted angle (“this creates more surface area on the stem for more water absorption” pg 14).

 

Step 4: You have three kinds of flowers in this arranngement. The first ones you will be using is the base flower: large or fluffy, sturdy blooms that can be used to create a foundation layer (I used hydrangeas). These should be the shortest.

Step 5: The second flower you will work with is the focal flower: the largest bloom in the arrangement that you add after the base layer (I used peonies). Make sure that you make these longer than your base flowers, and that they tend to stay in the middle of the vase. (Fun fact: my photographer Caro and I thought we had to “zhush”-to primp or fluff- the peonies to make them poofy-looking.)

Step 6: Finally, the last kinds of flowers- your “bits”- the finishing touch that fills in any gaps in the bouquet. These will usually be the tallest.

Ta-da! You have yourself a cheery bouquet of flowers! Share them with someone to spread love or show appreciation, or just keep them to treat yourself. If you think this is too complicated, try a short vase with a base and focal flower; or just plop some peonies in a decorative vase for a simple and fast arrangement. It looks more complicated than it really is; trust me, if I can do it, you can too!

I hope this inspired you to go out and grab some beautiful vases and flowers, and make some of your own arrangements! For some gorgeous vases visit West Elm Dadeland or this link here. Flowers aren’t really your thing? Well, West Elm is going to host a Color Creativity workshop on Saturday, July 20th for some DIY home decor at their Dadeland location. It’s going to be a fun time, so sign up in-store or call to reserve your spot. The class does not cost anything, so bring a friend for some creative interior design fun! Keep up with West Elm Dadeland on Instagram or Facebook for more information about store events or products (store location, hours and contact information is in the bio section of their social media pages.)

Have a great Wednesday!

Photography by Caro Padron.

Toodles!