Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Cash for Some Flash: How to make Beautiful Flower Arrangements

By Art Barron

It's the time every girl yearns for, and the time that every guy dreads: February 14th - Valentine's Day! Every girl dreams of getting that huge, beautiful bouquet of flowers, and every guy dreads taking out his wallet to pay for it! That's why there's always a need to make extra money.

Learn tips on flower arrangement. Be a pro and use these skills to earn that extra income, or just show your loved one the special effort you put on her gift. Either way, you'll get appreciation or get paid - or both! Check out these basic points to remember, and soon, you'll be setting up beautiful arrangements:

Pick the right petals. What's Valentine's Day without that ever-present bouquet of red roses? It's the universal symbol for passion and love, and it's every girl's dream to wake up on Valentine's Day with a huge floral arrangement of red roses on their doorstep.

However, you can always go with variety, and there are two things you should always keep in mind should you choose to go with different kinds of flowers: connection and difference.

Continuity is having your chosen blooms go well with each other. It's either they have more or less the same hue, or are of the same type. Red roses will go well with white and yellow roses, for example.

Contrast, on the other hand, is about opposites complementing one another. You can combine buds with blooms, large flowers with small ones, flowers and ferns. You can even pick blooms based on complimentary colors like oranges with blues or violets with yellows.

Have a focal point for your arrangement. Always remember to pick a centerpiece, or a point of attraction from your bunch, and start designing your concept around it. An example would be your biggest bloom, or the one with the longest stem, or even just the brightest one. From there, you can start adding other flowers or ferns to compliment the star of your arrangement. Trim with garden shears when needed.

When arranging flowers for your background, you can try alternating pieces that complement other flowers. Equal distribution of colors should always be checked on an arrangement, and consider the angle, whether the arrangement should be leaning on one side, or spread out evenly.

Do it with a flourish! Another thing to keep in mind is the embellishment of your bouquet. Thick, fancy ribbons are great add-ons to bouquets with thin wires. It catches the eye some more, while holding the arrangement together. Should you pick a vase, choose one that fits your flowers in just right, or use foam to help them stay in place.

Always keep in mind that where the flowers are arranged is just as important as how they are arranged. Long-stemmed flowers need long vases, while shorter and bulkier arrangements can do with short, wide bowls. Remember, proportion is a very important concept. - 16083

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