Natural Beauty Serves Holiday Tablescape
Materials and Tools:
Vase/container (long, shallow vase or waterproof tray, large enough to hold two bricks of oasis lengthwise and a 6" x 6" pillar candle)
One 6-by-6 inch red, green or white scented pillar candle
4 blocks of floral foam (presoaked and cut to fit your container)
12 fresh cedar branches
12 birch branches
12 fresh flatleaf seeded eucalyptus branches
12 red roses*
6 fresh pepperberry branches (remove leaves)
12 white dendrobium orchids
14 Casablanca lilies
Extras: pine cones, ornaments and votive candleholders with holly berries
*Tip: When working with fresh flowers, always recut stems before arranging. A fresh cut allows flowers to take in more water so they'll hydrate and last longer. Add a floral preservative to the water in the container; this will also increase the life of flowers.
Steps:
1. Fill a shallow vase or tray with water.
2. Place a 6-by-6-inch pillar candle in the middle.
3. Cut to fit four presoaked floral foam bricks - one on each end of the candle lengthwise, one in front and one behind the candle. These four bricks form the mechanics of the arrangement and will be referred to as its front, back and ends.
4. Insert three long pieces of cedar in each end of the floral foam.
5. Fill the front and back floral-foam bricks with smaller pieces and continue to fill with cedar until all the floral foam is covered.
6. Add a layer of seeded eucalyptus, again longer at the ends and shorter in front and back.
7. Add three red roses at each end, leaving a long stem and smaller lengths front and back.
8. Add pepperberries to each brick, removing the leaves and draping the berries over the side of the arrangement.
9. Add three dendrobium orchids to each end, again leaving them long and cutting shorter pieces for the front and back.
10. Add six Casablanca lilies to each end and two to both the front and the back.
11. To extend the arrangement, add cedar, orchids, pine cones, ornaments and votive candleholders with holly berries around them.
Tips:
- It's easier to work if you have a turntable so you can turn the arrangement as you work on it.
- Hydration is the key to keeping flowers alive and looking great for a long time. You need to keep the oasis saturated on a daily basis. Also, you need to mist the arrangement at least once a day.
