Five Tips For DIY Floral Design

I was assigned flower duty for my friend's bridal tea over the weekend and this was the final result. It's probably one of my favorite color palettes: peaches and creams and pinks and greens.

Thank you to my local Trader Joe's for stocking a particularly vibrant selection of florals on Friday, and to Michael's Craft Store for selling oversized glass mason jars for only $3 each.

Even though I'm certainly no floral design expert, here are a few DIY tips I've gleaned in my dabbling over the years:

*Create arrangements that mimic nature: think loose & layered rather than stiff and uniform.

*Pick 2-3 complementary colors and an assortment of blooms in those shades. Look for a variety of textures, forms and shapes.

*Incorporate greenery as a focal point instead of filler.

*Always trim the stems and remove any leaves or limbs falling below the water line.

*When finished, rotate your container or vase 360 degrees and adjust as necessary to ensure it looks pleasing from every angle.

[Flowers used in these arrangements were store-bought from the grocery store. I used snapdragon, two varieties of roses, silver dollar Eucalyptus and a mini Eucalyptus...I wish I knew what specifically. Also, those yellow roses opened up beautifully. Their heads have nearly tripled in size since these images were taken!]