Hand-Tied Bouquet

Once upon a time, my mom and I owned a floral business.  And even before that, my very first job was at a florist.  I was head grunt and didn't get to make bouquets, but I was still around flowers all day.  I can still bust out the bows like nobody's business.  I made so. many. bows. at that place.

Anywho, in my travels, I learned how to make hand-tied bouquets. Sort of.  I kinda cheat a little.  And I'll tell you how you can cheat even more.

So anytime we go to someone's house, I take a bouquet for the host or hostess.  It's in my blood, I can't help it.  

I like to keep dollar store or thrift store vases on hand, but sometimes no matter how deep you dig, you just can't find something that'll work.  It's the perfect opportunity for the hand-tied bouquet.

So first off, you gather your flowers.  I like to start with the sturdiest stems for the base.  In this case, I started with three 'Autumn Joy' Sedum.  You cross the stems in your left hand and arrange with your right (swap if you're left-handed).  Just keep adding flowers and crossing stems as you go, ending with your filler or lightest weight flowers.  Don't let go of the bouquet, but rotate your wrist while you're adding so you can get it even all the way around.  I couldn't take pictures with my hands full, but there are videos online if you're a visual person.

Once you have all your flowers arranged, the stems should be so intertwined, that the bouquet will stand up on its own.  I wrap a rubberband around mine, just to make sure.  

If you're trying to make it extra special, you could wrap twine or ribbon tightly around the stems, and then cut your rubberband out.  

Or leave it if it's hidden.

If you give it a go and your hands aren't working as a team, or you just can't get your stems intertwined enough, you can do the big cheat.

Arrange your flowers in a vase, or a glass, or whatever you've got that's the right size.

Then pull the bouquet out just below the flowers and hold it tight.  

Wrap your rubberband around the stems below your fist, and you're good to go.

No one will ever know you cheated.

Deliver your hand-tied bouquet with a bottle of wine and you're likely to be asked back.  :)

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