Host Joan Kohn gets tips for adding romance to the home and a demonstration for making a fruit and flower topiary centerpiece from designer Carol Schalla from
Romantic Homes magazine. Romance in the home doesn't mean lace and ruffles. The idea is to create a haven from our high-tech world.
The three elements to enhance when creating a romantic haven are comfort, nature and the past.
- Comfort: Satisfy the senses with soothing colors for the eyes; fresh scents of herbs and flowers for the nose; delightful, mellow tactile experiences for touch .
- Nature: Let the natural light in and keep window treatments to a minimum. Bring nature in through natural elements like flowers, veggies, fruits, dried grasses and flowers, shells, bird nests, etc.
- The Past: Find charming antique objects like old kettles and vintage china to use every day. An old mixer makes a delightful container for a fruit and flower arrangement .
Fruit and Flower Topiary
Materials:
an interesting container, like an antique teapot
gerbera daisies (or sunflowers, or any flower with a long, sturdy stem)
fruits, like strawberries, pears, peaches, grapes
lacy flowers, like Queen Anne's lace
daisies
floral foam, tape and wire
wooden picks
Steps:
- Fill container with floral foam cut into chunks to fit; add water to fill.
- Take three or four stems of the gerberas and wire together to make the top of the topiary. Wrap wire around stems, starting at the top and spiraling down. Snip the bottom edges so they are even and insert in foam (figure A).
- Add fruit around the base. Pierce fruit with wooden pick and carefully insert into the foam. More may be added later to fill in empty spots.
- Add lacy stems around the gerbera stems to hide the wire. Wrap base of the lacy stems with wire.
- Add the white daisies, clipping stems fairly short (figure B).
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