Making Your Own Flower Arrangements
By Sintilia Miecevole, Mon Dec 26th

Flowers have long been used to symbolize life's important eventsand emotions. Roses are symbols of love, lilies, the flowers ofdeath and renewal, and carnations a sign of appreciation. We useflowers as wedding decorations, Valentine's Day presents andChristmas ornaments. No matter what the occasion is, a beautifulflower arrangement is a wonderful way to celebrate life throughvibrant colors and rich floral scents.

Florists provide customers with a variety of arrangements madespecifically for certain occasions and events. However, if youare on a budget, flower arrangements can be fairly pricey.Professional florists charge exorbitant amounts for theirexpertise, and the flowers themselves can be extremelyexpensive. Making your own arrangements can be a fun andcreative alternative to ordering pieces from a florist. Bypurchasing flowers individually, you can choose the exact colorsand scents you need to say exactly what you want to communicate.

When making your own flower arrangement, you should firstconsider its purpose. If you are making arrangements for awedding, white is typically the presiding color. You shouldstart with basic white flowers and add a few accents that matchthe bridesmaids' dresses. Large leafy green pieces add a nicecontrast to delicate buds for table centerpieces, and sometimessimplicity is the best aesthetic tactic. If you are makingcenterpieces for several tables, you can purchase your flowersin bulk and use one design over and over again, or you can makeeach piece an individual work of art.

For vase arrangements, choose your container first, and pickflowers that are the correct height for the vase. When you cutyour flowers, be sure to cut the stems at an angle so they canabsorb water correctly and stay fresh for a long time. Vasearrangements require a focal point, and this

can be one largeflower or a grouping of several. It is important to choose acolor scheme and to stick with it. For instance, you would notwant to mix red and pink roses, or to combine yellow daisieswith died green carnations. Make sure you choose flowers thatlook and smell good in combination with each other, and fill inthe gaps with baby's breath and leafy greenery.

When you are making larger potted flower arrangements, anaesthetically pleasing plant is a great base for your design.However, you might not want to combine a spiky cactus with softblooming roses. If you are using only flowers, you will need apiece of arranging foam to provide a structure for the piece.Green foam can be purchased at most craft stores, and it can becut to fit any shape you need. Before you start sticking in yourstems, you might sketch out an idea of the final product. If thearrangement is to be large, pick a few large flowers to act asfocal points rather than picking a multitude of tiny blooms. Toomany small flowers distract the eye and make the arrangementseem busy rather than soothing.

Once you have chosen all of your flowers and greenery, beginarranging them in the container. It will take several tries andlot of adjusting before your create a finished product, but beconfident and do what looks best. Arranging flowers is anintuitive art, and if you have chosen a good color scheme and avariety of shapes and sizes, the correct eye-pleasing concoctionwill often fall into place with little effort. When you arefinished, you will have a beautiful, natural decoration to perkup even the gloomiest of environments, and you will have thesatisfaction of having created a wonderful work of art.

About the author:Flowers lift our spirits and give delight to our souls. SintiliaMiecevole, host of http://www.yaflower.com has a ton of flowerinformation from florists and special occasions to gardens andmore. Be sure to visit http://www.yaflower.com and enjoy!