|
Tips For Using Dried Flowers |
|
|
Last fall, I wanted to implement some new decorating ideas for both our
home and yard. I made a trip to the farmers market to purchase some
pumpkins and gourds as material for my fall decorations. As I was
picking out several pumpkins and gourds, I noticed that one of the
stands had a large variety of dried flowers for sale.
I immediately decided that this would be a great new addition to my fall decorations. I paid for several bunches of the dried flowers including several colors of straw flowers, and hydrangeas. One of the other vendors had Chinese lanterns and bittersweet, and I also bought some grapevines. I bought a twisted length of vine and another that was formed into a wreath.
I thought that it would be sensible to work with the dried flowers in my potting shed because they can get quite messy. I also purchased a length of twinkle lights that were on a brown cord. I wrapped the cord around the twisted piece of grape vine, and then I wrapped the bittersweet around the cord and vine. I wired clusters of the dried flowers together and placed them at intervals along the vine.
The result was a beautiful length of lit garland. I arranged this on our mantel along with cranberry, orange, and tan candles. The garland and candles looked wonderful during the day and in the evening with the twinkle lights on, the effect was very beautiful. It gave our living room a warm and cozy glow.
I decided to place the remainder of the dried flowers in a brown vase. I had to wound the straw flowers around some wire stems to make them sturdy enough to stand by themselves. I also sprayed the hydrangeas with super hold hair spray to keep them from dropping their flowers. I placed the vase on the sofa table so that it would not have to be moved as often as it would be on the dining table. Since dried flowers can easily shed their petals, it is best to avoid moving them as much as possible.
There were also enough hydrangeas left, and I placed them on the grapevine wreath. I wrapped the flower chain around the grapevine and wired the remainder of the other dried flowers in the bottom, along with a golden colored ribbon. I placed the wreath on the back door where an overhang can protect it from the elements.
|
