When I started this blog I want to
teach you cheap, easy life tricks some make impossible or make it
seem like you need a life time of knowledge to perfect. Decor,
style, cooking, make up and other nitty gritty things people are
afraid of because there are professionals in the field. I'm not
saying you should learn how to rewire your house or bend and weld
your car a new exhaust. Some stuff needs a pro.
Flower arranging is one of those things
I feel that, if using your logical human brain, is easy. Here is my
way of arranging a bunch of flowers:
My supplies are
Flowers
A Vase
Scissors
Bleach
Sugar
You can use any flowers in this
arrangement I used roses. In the other picture I used a mixture of
flowers in a standard bouquet. Now I know a lot of things like doing
a minor service on my car and how to work my complicated tumble drier
(I physically had to read how to use it. And friends who also bought
one also told me how they battled) but I don't in general know flower
names. I know like roses and lilies and stuff but I go for colours I
like or what fits the room. Mostly the colour I like. You also don't
necessarily have to use flowers. Some stems with leaves or even herbs
can look fresh and chic.
Now vase sounds fancy. Like you should
spend R200 on a container to arrange your flowers. I don't have money
or time for that. Really? Like for real? I use a
simple washed mayonnaise bottle. Ina Garten doesn't have time for
that. She uses drinking glasses (See easy tips #50). Put that R200 or more back
into your pocket.
To stretch the life of the flowers you
can add one teaspoon bleach and 2 teaspoons of sugar to about 1 litre
(4 cups) water. I mix it in with a chop stick.
Measure your flowers to your container. Remove all leaves from the stem that would be under the water line
Cut the stem to an angle for more surface area to absorb water.
To arrange just use your natural mind
of symmetry. We all have that. It works on the concept of 'If it
looks right, it is right'. Use what looks right to your eye. With the
height and colour. If the colour and size of the bloom does not look
right, like if there is too much yellow or what, just move it until
it looks right. Use what your eye tells you because it's a thing your
mind does naturally everyday. Probably without you even noticing.
Place and Instagram that shit.
É tips:
- Check water regularly. The purple roses lasted a good week and a half so I had to refill the water a bit
- Buy yourself flowers. Fo' real. On a budget? There are some bunches for R35. You don't have to buy every week/ day or even month. But just do it.
- Don't stress too much about the arrangement or knowing the names. We use lipstick for blush. Blankets for throws. Linens for table cloths. Martini glasses for pudding bowls and bananas for eggs baking a cake.
- If you have extra leaves from a standard bouquet, layer it around the edge of the flowers.
- Remember to remove all leaves that would be under the water line. They could rot and become all weird and slimy in the water
Hope this let's you start having more
flowers in your living areas. What's your favorite flowers?
é
