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Gifts From the Garden

Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-659 -- More Projects »
Master gardener Kate Karam tells how to make beautiful gifts out of flowers, leaves and branches found in the garden.
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Figure A
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Figure B
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Figure C
Figure A--Freshly picked tomatoes and basil herb make for a stunning gift basket. Add a recipe card incorporating the two ingredients for an extra-special touch.

Figure B--No container? No problem. Bundle zucchini and a zucchini-bread recipe card with raffia ribbon. Add lemon thyme to accent the package.

Figure C--Here's a wonderful way to give flowers: Line the inside of a rectangular-shaped container (a small, wooden crate purchased from a craft store or a shoebox covered with self-adhesive paper) with sphagnum moss. Cover the moss with a flat piece that you have cut from a plastic bag. Position a block of water-soaked floral foam in the center of the lined container so that it's level with the top of the container. Insert three-inch-long cut flowers into the floral foam, starting at the corners, then filling in the container with flowers. Work from the outside to the inside.

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Figure D
Figure D--Cover a papier-mache craft box or plastic potting container, decoupage-style, with ivy, oak or magnolia leaves. (Any type of large, broad leaf will do). Attach with spray adhesive. Clip off the stems from a leaf, spray the back of the leaf with glue and layer it onto the container, working to smooth the leaf from the inside toward the outside. Repeat until the container is completely covered. Once the leaves turn brown, extend the life of the container by dusting it with a touch of gold spray paint for fall decor colors.
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Figure E
Figure E--Make this adorable cone bouquet with large leaves such as ivy or hollyhock as a holder. Center a mound of moistened floral foam on the backside and middle of the leaf, then roll the sides of the leaf around the mound to form a cone. Temporarily secure with a straight pin. Make a handle with a length of jasmine vine. Wrap flowers around the vine, bend it, then insert each end into the floral foam that is hidden inside the leaf. Finish by inserting small, two-inch cut flowers into the foam and tying the bundle with raffia. Remove the pin.
Also in this Episode
Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-659
•Versatile Shift Dress
•Moisturizing Cuticles
•Gifts From the Garden
•Smart Solution of the Day
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