Turning letterbox flowers into a neat, pretty bouquet can be a daunting experience for the untrained. Fortunately, hand-tying a bouquet really isn’t that difficult. Simply follow these 5 simple steps to turn your letterbox florals into a beautiful bouquet in less than 20 minutes.
What you’ll need
Start by prepping your stems. First, lay your flowers out in a group and snip any extra large stems down to size. You can also strip some of the foliage from the lower parts of the stems. Carefully prepping your stems will allow you to make a cleaner tie when handling the stems later.
2. Choose the Showstopper
So, start by choosing the showstopper of your bouquet. The showstopper is the stem that really brings your bouquet together and makes it sing. Place this stem in the palm of your left (right hand if you’re left-handed) hand. Now add another type of stem and lay it on top of your showstopper at a diagonal, once that stem is in place, add another stem (again at a diagonal).
3. Spiral with different textures and styles
For every third stem that you lay, give the bouquet a small turn with your other hand. Then lay another three stems at diagonals. This spiraling technique is used by florists and will help you form a neat bouquet ready for adjusting. Continue to lay and turn for every third stem until complete.
4. Adjust the Stems
Once your bouquet is complete, hold your stems a little looser and give your stems a wiggle. The aim is to adjust all the stems to the same level. Then, once your stems are level, play around with the orientation of the foliage, is it in the right place? Is the bouquet a tad lop-sided? If it doesn’t look quite right, consider starting again and adjusting your layering technique.
5. Tie Off Your Bouquet
If you’re happy with your work, simply take a 30cm piece of string and wrap it around your stems about 5cm from the base of the bouquet. Tie it off and snip the ends of your string. If you're opting to use ribbon, always hand-tie with string first and then use the ribbon as a decorative touch afterwards.
And that’s it! Arranging flowers can be a tad tricky at first, but after a little practice, you should be able to make a beautiful bouquet you can’t wait to share with friends. Don’t forget to share your hand-made creations with us on Instagram.
What you’ll need
- A pair of scissors
- String
- Ribbon (optional)
- Flowers (Delightfully preserved by Mysa)
Start by prepping your stems. First, lay your flowers out in a group and snip any extra large stems down to size. You can also strip some of the foliage from the lower parts of the stems. Carefully prepping your stems will allow you to make a cleaner tie when handling the stems later.
2. Choose the Showstopper
So, start by choosing the showstopper of your bouquet. The showstopper is the stem that really brings your bouquet together and makes it sing. Place this stem in the palm of your left (right hand if you’re left-handed) hand. Now add another type of stem and lay it on top of your showstopper at a diagonal, once that stem is in place, add another stem (again at a diagonal).
3. Spiral with different textures and styles
For every third stem that you lay, give the bouquet a small turn with your other hand. Then lay another three stems at diagonals. This spiraling technique is used by florists and will help you form a neat bouquet ready for adjusting. Continue to lay and turn for every third stem until complete.
4. Adjust the Stems
Once your bouquet is complete, hold your stems a little looser and give your stems a wiggle. The aim is to adjust all the stems to the same level. Then, once your stems are level, play around with the orientation of the foliage, is it in the right place? Is the bouquet a tad lop-sided? If it doesn’t look quite right, consider starting again and adjusting your layering technique.
5. Tie Off Your Bouquet
If you’re happy with your work, simply take a 30cm piece of string and wrap it around your stems about 5cm from the base of the bouquet. Tie it off and snip the ends of your string. If you're opting to use ribbon, always hand-tie with string first and then use the ribbon as a decorative touch afterwards.
And that’s it! Arranging flowers can be a tad tricky at first, but after a little practice, you should be able to make a beautiful bouquet you can’t wait to share with friends. Don’t forget to share your hand-made creations with us on Instagram.