Because it's one of the most fun things you can do with friends.
A couple of months ago, I had some dear girl friends over for a little belated birthday celebration. I have always dreamed of having a flower arranging party and finally decided to swing it, and I am so happy I did.
The Lord has blessed me immeasurably with wonderful friends since we moved to Sewickley almost four years ago. These women have inspired me in my journey of faith and motherhood. They have encouraged me to grow in strength physically, spiritually, intellectually ( how I love our book clubs!) you name it. Although, it was a "birthday" celebration, I really wanted was to gift them the joy of playing with flowers... something I enjoy so very much.
All it took was a little planning ahead and gathering of supplies. I asked my friends to pitch in a small amount for the flowers, and then I grabbed handfuls of blooms from Trader Joe's, a flower market in downtown Pittsburgh, and a local florist in town here in Sewickley. My favorite places to grab flowers are;
Local Farmers Markets + Flower Markets
CSA's ( Community Supported Agriculture - you can look up what's in your area online).
Trader Joe's
CostCo
Walmart (you can grab plain roses for fillers here!)
Your own backyard ( I had a sweet friend bring a handful of roses from her garden!)
Supplies you'll want;
Large mason jars, thrift store vases, or dollar store vases
sheers or heavy duty scissors
twine or string
LOTS of fun flowers
I would grab plenty of greens - silver dollar, seeded eucalyptus or plain ol' eucalyptus, dusty miller, salal, ruscus, or any pretty greens you spy! And, you'll want one type of "all-star" flower, such as a peony, dahlia, garden rose, hydrangea, etc, to anchor the arrangement and be the focus. Lastly, you'll want smaller flowers to fill in and fill out the arrangement, such as spray roses, heather, wax flowers, lisianthus,stock, etc.
I happened to purchase vases from the Dollar Store and separated all the greenery and flowers I purchased in old mason jars we had around the house. We had a few pairs for floral cutting sheers, but any heavy-duty scissors will do, too! Add a few candles and sparkling water/wine. And, it's pretty much a dream.
I love them so.
I've included a few great YouTube videos that talk about the basic theory of focal and accent flowers in a bouquet;