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Tricks of the Trade

Floral Arrangements

People often marvel at floral arrangements and centerpieces, with the belief that they don’t have the talent to create such things. I hear things like, “I just don’t have an eye for design,” or “I have no idea what “goes together.”

Well, to be honest, I remember when I was in the same boat; the only difference was that I was a little more optimistic about acquiring skills in this area, and I was persistent about doing so.

I am the eternal “copy cat.” My good friend and I used to go shopping all the time, and I always carried a small spiral notepad in my purse. It was on this notepad that I would make sketches and take notes so that I could do it myself – of course at a greatly reduced cost. We must have thought that we were stealing secrets, because my friend was always kind of “on the lookout” while I found the things that were unique and that appealed to me and then scratched out notes in my trusty notebook. She would ask me, “Did you get it?” I would nod, and we would nonchalantly walk away, our secrets in hand.

What did I write down? Well, first of all, I did my best to dissect the arrangement without destroying it, then I would write down what kind of material was used to hold the stems in the container, and what kind of adhesives were used to make the arrangement substantial. I would then make a sketch of the arrangement and the container, indicating how many stems were used, the approximate height of the different stems, and details about color. The sketch and notes were my memory, because I knew I would forget important details if I didn’t write them down.

You notice that I said that I “used to” sketch things in my spiral notebook? Well, those were the days before cell phone cameras! These little inventions are right up my alley, and offer me a picture-perfect image in living color which is an accurate reference for future projects. I still make notes in my little spiral notebook, but the sketches are no longer necessary.

Attention to detail is a must when learning on your own like I did. I never attended a class or seminar, and I never had an expert give me tips or advice. I did study magazine pictures and articles, buy books, and watch my beloved HGTV to learn the tricks of the trade. All of this, of course, was in addition to the floral shop “espionage” of my friend and me. The following topics will provide useful “tricks of the trade” when it comes to making the perfect floral arrangement.

Years ago, at a Decorator Show Home in Indianapolis, I saw the idea of making an arrangement such as this with rows of floral stems that are graduated in heighth.

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