They can be a frugal, but fabulous way to brighten up an outdoor table.
You can totally do this!
Have you ever needed…or shall I say…WANTED to add centerpieces as a finishing touch to your party or event- BUT you didn’t want to spend a ton more money hiring someone, OR spend a ton more of your precious time making them yourself?! I hear ya! Ummm…that’s me every time LOL 😉
Well, lucky for you I’ve got an inexpensive, quick, and easy solution. Read on for the simple details. Trust me, you will want to do this for all your future events! You can totally do it yourself!
As far as the flowers go…first you have to decide on a color scheme that compliments the theme of your party or event. It can be absolutely anything from all white flowers to pastels to bright varieties to a combination thereof. In this case, my daughter and her friend chose a mixture of whites and brights for their light and airy garden-themed Sweet 16 party!
The girls were not picky with the exact type of flowers so I was able to choose bunches of some less expensive flowers that I found at my local Trader Joe’s.
I always have a variety of glass jars on hand. I have repurposed some from empty jam jars and others I purchased from Michael’s or Home Goods when I saw a good deal. I have all different shapes and sizes. I LOVE mixing the different styles together instead of using all the exact same ones. I think it gives the look a bit of whimsy and flair! These jars happened to all be around 4 or 5 inches in diameter and around 4 or 5 inches tall. I filled them half full of water and was ready to get started arranging!
First I cut the eucalyptus branches and created a “base” using about 3 or 4 stems per jar. This process is also known as “greening it up”. Even though I had 6 jars to fill, this step went really quickly. You can add as many stems as you want, really. I used all that I had which wasn’t a ton, but just enough to give the centerpieces an even base. These arrangements were supposed to be “light and airy” as per the request from my daughter, so I didn’t need an enormous amount of greens. I cut each stem to be about three inches above the height of the jar. Don’t worry if the stems don’t exactly stay where you place them originally! You can totally move them around as need be once you start placing in the rest of the flower stems.
The main flowers I used were yellow aster, baby’s breath, pink veronica, and bright orange tulips. I used some tiny daisies in the mix also. Basically, I cut the flower stems to be a little taller than the eucalyptus greens. There’s no right or wrong way of doing this, people! Just be sure to balance out the flowers so that you have variety in each jar. If a stem seems to stick out like a sore thumb, simply cut it a bit shorter. Wow, that was a profound sentence, was it not? If a stem is too tall…cut it! I told you, it’s not rocket science! Just eye-ball it! 😉 I know I make it sound easy…because it really is!
So to add a bit of a “WOW” factor, I REFLEXED the tulips. What the heck does reflexing the tulips mean? It’s easy too! You just carefully invert each petal until they open up revealing their amazing bright yellow centers. This is a great trick especially if you don’t have a ton of large head flowers in your arrangement. It makes the whole thing pop! Check it out!
I mean…FABULOUS!! You prob need to go out and buy some tulips right now and reflex them and enjoy their glorious centers!!! Now you know!!
I can’t remember the last time I purchased baby’s breath. It was a request for this party, so I obliged. I’m sure there are some amazing baby’s breath arrangements out there, and I would like to get my creative juices flowing one day soon and give them another go. I have to admit, they do look light and airy and lovely in these centerpieces…don’t ya think?
After a short amount of time…the 6 summertime party jars were complete! Like I mentioned above, use your judgment to make sure the centerpieces are mostly balanced with a little of each flower variety. You can plan to do these the morning of your late afternoon/evening event, or even the day before. Just make sure they are kept in a cool place overnight to prevent wilting.
I mean, it’s just a little “something” to make the event feel more finished and even more special. Look how the reflexed orange tulips pop! Without these little centerpieces, the tables would be pretty boring, not gonna lie. So, don’t be afraid to do it yourself! You can make these centerpieces as inexpensive as you want AND it won’t take you all day! Even better, ask your mom or your bestie to help you! It will go twice as fast!!
Have fun with it and I promise it will get easier and easier the more you do it yourself!
~Debora
More Tangents
-
A Most Inspiring Flowery Blog Post!
27 flower pics alongside inspiring words… Something we can all use right about now! I could spend all day every day designing flowery pieces of art. Lord knows I have actually spent many hours doing just that. I......
04 February, 2023 7 Comments -
16 Inspiring Pieces of Floral Artwork!
Think outside the vase! I found some fantastic visual motivators! It’s a new year and if you are like me, you find yourself daydreaming of some new artwork around the house. Sure you can buy a print from Pottery Barn......
21 January, 2023 2 Comments -
Holiday Cheer, Winterberry Joy!
Easy, Festive DIY Centerpieces Winterberries…two ways. Happy Holidays! Hopefully, you are getting your lists checked off, you are able to relax and enjoy your family and friends, AND you are not forgetting about the flowers! Don’t fret! I’ve......
09 December, 2022 1 Comment
