We all know Valentine’s Day can get expensive, but what’s V-Day without the flowers?! We love having fresh blooms in the house (see below for tips on keeping them fresh, longer), and we thought this holiday was the perfect opportunity to show how to throw together a trendy bouquet for a friend, loved one, or just yourself. Did you know, it’s a proven fact that flowers make people happier and reduce stress (Rutgers Study)?! Sounds about right. Now, we’ll admit, putting together a bouquet isn’t rocket science – ha – but we’re sharing our favorite flowers that we think work well together. We were inspired by the 2018 Pantone Color of the Year, Ultra Violet, for the color scheme. Isn’t it such fun twist on the normal reds!? It looks extra springy and totally trendy. <3
Supplies You’ll Need
- Fresh Flowers
- Floral Snips (or a sharp knife)
- Ribbon and/or a vase
- Scissors for the ribbon
The Flowers
We were super excited to partner with Kar-Fre Flowers, a local shop in Sycamore, Illinois for this special occasion. Personally, we know how beautiful their flowers are (not to mention, the people are super friendly – Lauren worked with them for her wedding flower crowns), so it was a no brainer for us. The pros at Kar-Fre helped us gather the perfect stems, and even educated us on what each flower was called, and how much they cost. Lauren’s favorite of the bunch were the delicate Limoniums (they’d be perfect in flower crowns) and Laura loved the Disbuds because their larger faces make it easier to fill a vase.
**Kar-Fre has a Friday Happy Hour from 4:00 pm -5:30 pm every Friday, when all of the loose flowers in our cooler are 2 for 1. They really want people to enjoy fresh flowers!
Carnation – $1.00/stem ($1.25 during V-Day week)
Limonium – $4.75/stem
Statice – $2.00/stem
Roses – $2.10/stem ($3.50 during V-Day week)
Disbuds – $1.75/stem
Total Bouquet Cost = $24.20
Creating the Bouquet
1. Lay out all your flowers in front of you, so you can visually see how the colors will work together. Get rid of any you don’t like and use them for single flower bud vases around the house.
2. Cut the stems depending on how long or short you want them. If you’re gifting your bouquet, leave the stems semi-long, so the recipient can cut them to fit their vase. Then, begin to bunch them together! We prefer to separate the flowers so that the bouquet looks full, and not intermixed.
3. Once you feel good about the bunch, grab your ribbon or vase. We used a striped, grosgrain ribbon (similar here), to compliment the purples, and tied a knot to keep the flowers together. A knot is a more trendy alternative to the classic bow!
4. Voila! Making your own bouquet as a gift for Valentine’s Day just makes the holiday that much more special, and could be budget friendly depending on the blooms you choose. Your loved ones will appreciate the time and energy you put into it, and it will look just as beautiful as the store bought ones. Now all we need is some chocolate….
Fresh Flower Tips from the Pros:
- Always use a clean vase or vessel. Decaying flowers leave bacteria behind and you don’t want to infect your new flowers.
- Never cut fresh flowers with a scissors. Scissors pinch the stems shut so they aren’t able to drink. Always use a sharp knife and cut the stem at a diagonal. A stem with a straight cut sits flush with the bottom of the vase or vessel and is unable to drink.
- Strip off any foliage that will be submerged in the water. If left on, the foliage will decay and the water will be filled with bacteria that will severely reduce the life of your flowers.
- Add water to the vase daily, sometimes twice a day as fresh flowers will drink deeply.
- For longer lasting flowers, remove the flowers from the vase every 3-4 days and clean the vase. Fill with fresh water, bleach and sugar, re-cut flowers, and add to vase.
- Keep arrangement out of direct sunlight and away from heat vents and drafty windows or doors. Your arrangement will last longest in a cooler home or office. For reference, we keep our homes set to the mid-60s while we’re at work, and in the high 60s when we’re at home.
xoxo,
Laura & Lauren
