| I want to make table centerpiece arrangements for | | | | amount of attention. If the stems are too short, the |
| my birthday using white and pink tulips. The vases I | | | | flowers are going to lose any focus and appear |
| am using are mirrored mosaic (non see-thru) about | | | | rather unimpressive. Try to make sure that you keep |
| 20 inches tall. It's going to be easiest if you use a | | | | the idea of how you would like your flower |
| brick of dry foam in the vase. The brand I use is | | | | arrangement to look like and stay with it. But I think |
| Sahara by Oasis, but there are others. Just make | | | | that that you be a very nice center piece. |
| sure it's meant to be a dry foam used with silks, and | | | | I want to make an arrangement in a large 25 inch |
| not a foam to be soaked with water for use with | | | | floor vase but am not sure what type of flower and |
| fresh flowers. The brick should fit tightly in the | | | | what shape to give the arrangement. The vase is |
| container. Use two, if necessary. To conceal the | | | | made of metal, is oval at the top, a smaller neck and |
| foam, I use some spanish moss or some sheet moss | | | | flares rounded at the bottom. It has the colors of |
| stretched thin over the top of the foam. | | | | dark brown, gray, and shows grape leaves and |
| You insert the stems right through the moss. Try to | | | | bunches of grapes at the bottom. I would go with |
| insert the stems at least a good 2 inches to be sure | | | | flowers that you might find in a garden to give it a |
| the flowers hold in place. One of the best things | | | | wild, airy look. |
| about working with silks is that you can bend the | | | | Curly willow should certainly be used, in my opinion, |
| stems in any direction you like. Toward the middle, | | | | and perhaps some grape vine, too. You'll want to use |
| leave the stems relatively straight, but around the | | | | some tall flowers that grow on stocks. For flowers, |
| edges of the vase, give them a nice outward curve. | | | | I'd go with things like crab apple blossoms and |
| Also, don't be afraid to stagger the heights. If they're | | | | larkspur for height. I think hydrangeas would be a |
| all on the same plain, the arrangement is going to | | | | nice touch to fill around the bottom. Maybe use |
| seem flat and uninteresting. If you put a few flowers | | | | alstroemeria throughout the arrangement, as well. |
| slightly deeper than the surrounding ones, it will keep | | | | Don't forget the importance of greenery. I think |
| the viewer's eye interested. Additionally, I | | | | some ivy trailing from the mouth of the vase would |
| recommend to use a little bit of clustering - put a | | | | look nice. Colors of cream, and shades of purple |
| few white tulips together in some areas, a few pink | | | | would be appropriate. |
| in other areas, and alternate in between. Using small | | | | But just remember that if you go this way that you |
| groupings of like colors makes a bigger visual impact | | | | want to have people stop and look at the |
| than if you distribute them completely evenly. | | | | arrangement. Try not to get the greenery to long |
| Ideally, the vase should make up just 1/3 of the | | | | when you are doing your arrangement. But if you can |
| height of the overall arrangement. Since you're | | | | only get it long then use the greenery. You could try |
| working with such a tall vase, this might not be | | | | raping it around the vase from bottom to top and |
| possible. But I would recommend to leave the stems | | | | you can even make it look as though it is going up |
| as long as possible. You want the flowers and the | | | | the wall. Just make sure you have the idea of what |
| vase, because it's decorative, to gain the same | | | | you want it to look like before you put it together. |