Guest Post: Dariel of A Daily Dose of Vitamin D

Hi I’m Dariel and I blog over at A Daily Dose of Vitamin D! Today I’m sharing a fall floral arranging DIY with all you Mass Musings readers. Thanks to Kayte for having me!

Materials:

2 types of bigger statement flowers (5 stems of each) - I used Zinnia and Mums

2-3 types of secondary flowers (8 stems of each) - I used smaller Mums, Marigold, Rebecciah

Greens/Filler (a bunch) - I just clipped some leafy wildflower

Scissors, Paper Towel, Vase

Prep:

Measure how tall you want your bouquet, clip stems 1 inch longer than that at a 45 degree angle. Strip off leaves that will fall below the waterline in your vase (simply slide a damp paper towel down over the stem).

Arranging:

Hold one of your statement flowers by the stem in your non dominant hand, about ¾ of the way up. Always hold it securely in one spot and add stems at a slight angle - this will give it a nice full shape. Use your dominant hand to add to the arrangement. When adding blossoms, group types of flowers in odd numbers so that you can have balance that isn’t overly symmetrical. For example, I selected one Zinnia, then surrounded it with 3 smaller mums. You’ll end up with small groups of statement flowers supported by secondary blooms. This is how you build the bouquet, adding filler here and there to keep it full. Don’t worry if the “adding” step takes 15 tries...that’s totally normal. I usually start over at least twice. Tip: Every once in a while spin your bouquet around so that you know your arrangement looks good from all angles. Once finished you can trim your stems more, if necessary (but always at a 45 degree angle!).

This arrangement is full of fall wildflowers from my mother’s garden in NH, so I wanted to keep it loose and wild - looking. When putting together a more abstract arrangement, the bouquet should have a shape that resembles an ‘S’-again looking for balance that isn’t too perfect. And feel free to add blooms once the bouquet is already in your vase...let’s be honest there aren’t real rules when it comes to floral arranging.

All these flowers bloom into early November, so go get some and try it out before the cold weather sets in!

Note: If you’re making an arrangement that is more manicured, snip your stems after you’ve put together the arrangement. You’ll want wiggle room so that you can pull and push the blooms into the right shape (also go ahead and tie the arrangement when you’re done so that it holds its shape).

*How cute is this post? Dariel is fantastic and so is her blog! Make sure you check out her posts on things like recipes, fashion, and other fabulous DIY projects like this one. Thanks so much for posting Dariel!

xoxo