DIY with the Fab Miss B: Fresh Floral Centerpieces

There is nothing like fresh flowers to lend a sense of occasion to a party, but buying them from a florist can be prohibitively expensive. I thought I'd take a moment to show you how simple it is to make your own. I bought fresh bouquets from the farmer's market for $15, supplemented them with a few cut leaves from my backyard, oasis from a craft store and used containers I had on hand to make my own for a total cost of $20 and about 45 minutes of my time. Here's how I did it!

You will need:

Floral Foam: Available at craft stores, make sure to get the kind for fresh flowers, not silk.

Waterproof Floral Tape: Also available at craft stores.

Sharp Scissors

Exacto or other sharp knife

Containers: the sky is the limit! Tea tins, terra cotta pots, even a pretty bowl can all look great. Just make sure it's waterproof.

Fresh Flowers

First, trim your floral foam

To fit your container.

Next, anchor the floral foam with waterproof floral tape.

You may find it helpful to create a grid to help with your arranging too.

Next, fill sink with water...

Leave your container submerged for 25 to 30 minutes to allow the foam to soak up water. This helps keep your flowers hydrated. Make sure your bouquets are in water while you wait too!

Now the fun part! Start adding flowers. I like to start with the largest blooms, giving each one a fresh cut just before I plunge it into the floral foam. It helps to add one kind of flower at a time. Here, I began with pincushion protea first...

Then added sunflowers...

Then gladiolas, ginger, and finally I filled in the remaining gaps with greenery.

Here are the completed centerpieces.

If you water these every day like a houseplant, they will last about a week.

Add some white tablecloths, candle light, great food and lovely company and you've cooked up a beautiful party! Enjoy!