#018 - Cherry-O's & Bunny Tails

How to arrange flowers like a florist with Bloom-Shaka-Laka, red & pink hex codes, and funky one of a kind home decor ideas.

⁕ Pink & red color pairing inspiration - with hex codes - so you can deck your google calendar out for February!

⁕ This incredible artist creates one-of-a-kind retro pool trinket dishes

⁕ I found handmade oat milk carton pillows that will make your space a little more whimsical and definitely dairy free

⁕ These new IKEA bowls from their spring collection look like something from a luxury design brand (or a cheerio - but still really cool)

⁕ Retro cake shaped table lamps that absolutely blow my mind

⁕ A puffy checkered dog bed that makes your home cute and your dog cozy from a small woman-owned business

⁕ My tea brand’s (Color Theory Tea!) new box of tea sachets in Rainy Bookstore for an earl grey lavender cup on the go!

Fresh flowers speak feelings that words cannot. For our most joyous days - birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations - flowers are present and blooming. And on our hardest days, flowers appear on the doorstep from dear friends. Flowers show up in our most intimate settings - on the family table in a bright vase, on the nightstand quietly glowing, tucked quietly under a stadium seat at graduation, or in the backseat on the way to surprise someone deserving.

The art of floral arranging communicates flower feelings even more so. Being able to arrange beautifully requires a high amount of skill and experience, yet it produces a result that looks effortless. I crave flowers on my table, but when I make a bouquet myself, it usually flops around and looks a little wonky no matter how hard I try.

So I reached out to Bloom-Shaka-Laka, my local florist that specializes in colorful, whimsical arranging to learn the art of arranging like a real florist.

They lead me through creating a brilliantly pink and red bouquet just in time for Valentine’s Day with practical tips and steps to make beautiful arrangements on my own too.

Flowers used in this bouquet:

• Pink Mondial

• Cherry-O’s

• Pink Spray Roses

• Dyed Italian Ruscus (bright pink and raspberry)

• Darcy Garden Roses

• Hypericums

• Chrysanthemums

• Veronicas

• Carnations

• Hearts

• Bunny Tails (red)

✿ 1. Start with the Greenery Base

In this bouquet - our greenery is the pink dyed Italian ruscus. In not-so-Valentine arrangements, you mould use your wide and spriggy greens to create the backdrop of your bouquet.

Jennifer, the shop manager at Bloom, made the bouquet and walked me through each step carefully. One of the first lessons she stressed was how important it is to be wrap-to-vase ready. Meaning, spread out timid branches, massage flowers open, and make it look fully blossomed. Fluff your ruscus, folks.

We laid down a paper wrap, and then criss crossed our greenery to give a wider base to the bouquet. This creates an important depth of field of flowers.

✿ 2. Dainty flowers with many buds.

This is where arranging begins to feel like painting. Before you start layering - reach for florals with multiple buds. Don’t go for the big blooms yet. You will begin to layer these stems in a criss cross pattern. Here is what is most important:

• Combine various alternating colors to avoid eye fatigue and create dimension.

• Don’t forget to strip any leaves or petals that may touch the water. Petals harbor bacteria and will make your bouquet die quickly. Trim any fallen ends. Make each stem look its best!

• As you layer, you want people to see different styles of florals. Expose the eye to variety and texture. You want a beautiful mixture, not all the same types next to one another. P.S. If you’re using similar flowers - differentiate with height.

Most importantly - this is YOUR creative interpretation. I learned that every florist could be handed the same flowers, yet each one would create a different style bouquet. It’s okay to feel it out and trust your creative intuition.

✿ 3. Linear flowers

Begin to add anything that gives he bouquet a longer line. Tall, thin florals can shine here! Chrysanthemum, carnations, and roses came into play here.

✿ Tip: Make sure to reflex the roses - massage those petals slightly to create the feeling of a freshly-bloomed bouquet. Here’s a video tutorial with reflexing methods.

✿ 4. Do not be afraid of the flowers!

You learn to trust yourself - it’s okay to rough up the flowers a bit as you layer.

Layer, layer, layer. You are a full-on flower artist at this point.

Continue to layer florals based on:

• Height

• Color

• Texture

• Bloom size

• Bud number

In this bouquet, we saved the big blooms - the hearts - for last.

✿ Tip: Incorporating dried florals gives you something that will last longer AND provides unique texture and color to the bouquet.

✿ 6. Zip tie

When your bouquet is layered and beautiful, go ahead and carefully zip tie the base together at the criss cross intersection. You can utilize the zip tie to keep the bouquet in tact while traveling, or use it in your vase so the bouquet maintains perfect shape.

✿ 7. Wrap or Vase?

Your beautiful bouquet is complete and ready to shine. Finish with a paper wrap for gifting, or place in your vase right away.

✿↓ Here are some final tips from the florist crew at Bloom Shaka Laka: ↓✿

1. Remember everyone has a different style. You will arrange differently than someone else - and that’s a good thing!

2. If you’d like to REALLY expand your floral arranging knowledge, or perhaps want to become a florist yourself, the Bloom crew recommends Team Flower, Flowering Minds, and consistent, dedicated practice!

Happy arranging!

P.S. Coming up next week: The story behind From Beverly Bakery’s adorable cakes, a look inside my newest packaging design project, how to make a strawberry matcha latte, and a list of foreign films to expand your movie-watching palette.