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Lesson Info

Building the Centerpiece

So I have this beautiful one thing that I'm saving for last because I want to make sure that my pure mock orange doesn't get understated and hidden by this beautiful peony that I'm going to use later so I'm going to save this um inside my bucket for my last touches where I think I might need them and then do you ladies have your let's ok, let me get some roses for everyone they're so lucky to have roses from your garden how cool is that e I look at this this is like amazing thing david austin rose sales are going to be off off the chart that obviously if they're not already and you're handling them in a certain way can you talk through that? Well, I just want to make sure that they don't I don't bruise them or you know the pack them too tight next each other so that they hurt each other one way or another I try to keep him on different fingers if I can while holding them uh let's see? So I'll just come over to you guys and give you some we'll start with thes three for you this you don'...

t want to cut this one it's a little on this way out let's lose these for you oh wow at least smell amazing tio take time to smell the rose is right amazing very another one too I want to cut some of the ones around e I dio yes, a a little bit more subtle and more like a warmer like toast your scent, if you will in this is a much more sweet I'm curious to a different types, are they? What you have is a tea rose right there and the other one is the garden rose yeah, so the rose garden rose and but they both smell good. I was different cells, so make sure you're cutting in an angle and had some, so I'm gonna I can't see what this is looking like, so I'm going to go look at it again to make sure it's looking pretty and I like the way it looks because I know that whoever is sitting over there well really enjoy looking at these, so I'm going to keep it there, then I'll add one right here for this person was sitting from here, then maybe I'm going to save this spot for one of my peonies flowers play a role in this or is it more of a what I decided? I guess whether I like it or not, the penny will be kind of a focal flower because of its color and how big it is, but I I'm treating this just like a another garden arrangement with all sorts of beautiful things in it. And we did have a fox wanted to understand how you determine the vase for the center pieces that based on color glad question right? Yes uh color for sure depending on what their color is my thought for this was I want to make a beautiful spring arrangement with happy colors in it and I knew that I was going to use this or I yes, I was I had bought it and initially so I thought it would look really pretty with this color would look really pretty with the beautiful color of the penny you ever have to take into consideration the type of table that the centerpiece is going to be on like have you ever gotten to the wedding venue and then seeing the tables and had to re arrange anything? Not really, because I make sure that I know what table's they're always important to know whether they're using farm tables if it's a round table if it's a you know square table of six or what not so not six but for so it's important to know I rarely have a table of a square table but there's definitely rectangular tables versus roundtables and my personal preference is always those lovely farm tables or just the longer uh, rectangular tables ice and there's just so much more beautiful not a big fan a round table and you do select the vase shaped based on the table do you want to be a different or similar? I don't think that I mean I don't think that this wouldn't look pretty on a rectangular long table I think it looks look perfectly fine and I'm usually using pedestal vases so it doesn't matter epistle vases come they're circular anyhow so it I don't think of that shape really either way the look good whether it's on a rectangular table or a round table which is the common thing actually the roundtable zahra common um table to use that weddings they're cheaper to have so I'm looking at this and I'm thinking my goodness this different colors um I really like this one it's big and nice so I think I'm going to use this one but before I do that maybe I'll use some of my tulips these lovely parrot tulips that we have here and I like to use the ones that are as open as possible because they look their best when they're opened so it was two lips you know, if you want to make sure that you don't have, um the greens and leaves over here you want to clean him up a little bit so this has been done for me already maybe I'll take this leave off and cut them in an angle also so they can get water easily then I want to adam here I want to use the fact that they drape to complement the rest of my draping greens waiting along to bloom like the poppy or is you just have to wait for a little just with anything else when they're in warmer environment they bloom faster they open open up a lot faster so it's pretty it's nice and warm in here right now so they are opening from when I first saw them this morning more so and as always bundles of three are better than bundles of two so I'm using three over here on this side now when you say the bundles of three are better than the bundles of two is that just from sort of a design perspective I've always heard that you know even odd numbers are better than even when you're in placement of objects so I'm just when I look at them too I like them I feel like every time I look at something that's a impairs I want to add something more to what I want to add a third element to it so or even pairs of you know or fours I want to add the fifth so in this case I'm about a three over there and I might add just one here or three again depends on how I feel about it I guess that goes back to sort of being a symmetrical yeah draws the eye yes on I'm loving that this is opening so you better believe that I'm going to use it I like the way the center of it is a compliment so well with with the color of the plunk, so I'm going to use it and that was really neat how you actually took the falling pedal and you put it back on with the process behind that I don't know it just happened, you know? But I thought it would get a bit out of no why why take it off when it looks just fine and it's just a little bit out of place, the more pedal is the better on the flowers, so I don't have very many opened up run oculus but that's okay, because bill open and they're just beautiful beautiful when they're in buds, so but I'm still going to use them and they will give me some texture in my arrangement so now that I know it won't fall apart, I'm going to do this so I can easily look at my arrangement were you planning on using roughly the same number of flowers as you did for the bouquets? I know you said you were using ten twelve cities is that the same thing? Definitely not as you can see here, we don't have the asthma as much variety here just because I didn't think we needed it so much we only have the sea to base flower base ah flowers um too three four, five, six and seven so we only have seven here and I think that's plenty for a centerpiece tend to twelve for the bouquet yeah and that you know, maybe five to seven right just give I feel that the bouquet can you know the more you add to a bouquet the more unique it becomes and the more you can do with it while you're designing it so I I always there's a lot more is better than less for sure with bouquets now you can see on my block that I've got two or three element ah centerpieces that look just beautiful you know you have chosen one you know a type of green on dh you know, two types of flowers or one type of green one fruit branch on one flower and it looks amazing you don't have to do anything else to it but with a bouquet I feel like you can do there should be some more than just three or four or five elements so so far I like what I see I'm just going to continue with that style and just add more until I feel that it's ah looking nice and full but not overly packed here I'm cutting a little bit more because I didn't feel that it was too tall for my arrangement so now I'm ready to add one penny at least in the front and I'm going to choose one that is complimenting my run on kill us right here and I want to cut it pretty short because I wanted to kind of sit pretty close inside the vase and it's tricky to put it inside with all those branches that I created in there I put in there I see that this thing is a little getting a little well ted I'm going to cut it why take a risk when you don't have to and now I'm looking to see if I can not a lit bit more of this beautiful white flour to my vase how's everybody doing I forgot to ask again it's one of those to get sole individual expression each of our students is making is really coming together nicely makes you want to come and play with flowers every day with us huh? I have this one couple of buds that I'm really thrilled about because I'm going to use them for sure because they're different and they add a different texture to the rest of the arrangement I'm gonna just check it out and see where would look its best and I'm thinking it might look its best right over here that this's a penny that has not yet opened and as you can see I mean these are all the same type of peonies and look the difference pennies change color as they open so initially they are like this then they kind of turn into this then you have this over here and once it's fully open, then you've got this beautiful pale color. I'm going to add this right here, and I'll even use this one on the other side kind of the same concept as we had with the poppies yesterday. We used some of the buds on opened ones inside arrangements parable case now is, since alexandra says, since the centerpiece is full of blooms is their tips to make sure that every stem has access to the water in the face that level how how did that go? Yeah, so I'm making sure as, um placing everyone in here, I'm making sure that I am feeling the bottom of my vase to ensure that every single bloom is getting all the flour water it needs very good question, because what's an arrangement if all of your flowers are wilted and at what point would you need to refill the water? So what I do is I make them all the day before, and I store them somewhere cool, and before I go to bed, I come back down and put more water in all of them, and then my husband hates me because the next morning, there's water all over as we're transporting. But for me it's so much easier I'm more comfortable to have more water and have a spill all over the place then know that I don't have enough water in my arrangements that I left over too much water there or should you always be feeling it pretty much to the top of the base I always feel it pretty much all the way up top on top but I mean that that ensures that no flower is going to be left without water so we had a little bit more rose over here the other side it looks like you're finished rachel yours I would put that on my table any I was so excited to use it so flirty that was kind of right there in the center where you see it from all angles what do you think about the students how are they doing diana so beautiful I love it all I just like how everybody has made I love how yours goes all the way up that way you know it's it's got a mind of its own on that side and then it's draping down on the other that's that's the idea right just the freedom to work with well it's the you know the mock orange you know for this branch everything's really drapey and for this one everything's up right and so it was such a used a great we're pretty well and exactly exactly andi over here cheryl is doing great too. Yes, michelle cheryl's looks like a flower box in a way and rebecca like it's lovely. So maybe it's because of the little thing that's sitting underneath it I see what you're saying yeah very pretty get it first and then I'm going to turn this around and um just so I can see what it needs in the other area and I might just use this one that's not quite opened yet and I like the color we take it out of here and I'm going to set it right on the opposite side of the other penny and I just spotted a drone oculus that's almost opening I'm going to use it and now when he was a little bit more mock orange and you're checking in khan yes, I I stepped back to make sure that it all looks good and I like what I see and then I also brought these futures which I think we should use those futures are kind of like flowers that you would want sort of hanging near one of those swinging benches they're these this particular variety is so beautiful and fluffy and start with one and if I have more like give you more thank you well here I'll give you one more thank you very much me going to see if I have enough here and all so I want I want to do two things with this. I want to see if I can place a tall enough one up top without it getting lost among all the others, and I see that it looks beautiful, but its cover it's hiding my run oculus here, so I'm going take it out, take withdrawn oculus out and replace it somewhere else, but it could get its own and that's something that you discussed yesterday, which is it's ok to back up absolutely things out? Yeah, you have to feel it out and see what looks best. I wanted to stand up a little bit taller, so I'm going to keep putting until I find a area where it's going to be more firm, which I did, and then I'll replace your own oculus over here, which made it a kind of a triplet over here, and then I'll use another one on the other side and add one more future here. At this point, you've got to be careful what you're poking and what you're doing as to not ruin your arrangement takes a little bit of maneuvering to do it, and I want this to be right underneath my rose bunch over here, so I'm going to put it right there so that he could hang from there, but it's tricky. Everyone likes so focused that's really home where they're gonna play steve rachel I'm curious now what is your thought process you've just been given that flower you're looking for a place to put it now where do you think well I'm so great well she brought this over right when I was thinking I need a little something to create a little more air over here it feels a little tight because these roses were pretty short and I left them as the bunch of three so that they could stabilize themselves um and so I think this is going to give just a little like kind of lift this area that might feel a little too compressed just look at here you were actually thinking strategically about the structure and how it's gonna look yeah I've just been looking in my bucket like there's something that I can and magically fuchsia about his great she's thinking l a mentally to she wants to give her arrangement are her centerpiece rather air so I'm almost done with this I'm looking at my origin and I'm thinking well I need a little bit more of this plum color and so I'm going to add a little more here in the center and cut any of the leaves that have holes in them or look a little limp and I'm done beautiful how does everybody else feel you feel that you have that done feeling completely a few holes but for the most part I'm I'm loving how it's just it's so it's such a pleasure to have such beautiful flowers tio work with loss um maybe can it can come and help you with that heart? Does she have holes there yet right here just a little bit so I begin with you some plum you don't need too many more flowers because you have playing in there and you don't want to pack them too much it's also an art to know when to stop when you're done there's plumbing there look at that I was wrong about me being a m nonfood ful tree I guess it's fruit got friends so I would put I would cut it a little bit shorter and put it over here. Okay the mock orange on this is just really going while for the so lovely way I think I cut it that's a good place to put it right there and just make sure you go all the way and gets the good amount of water there you go and to me that's done you don't need to do much more to it at all and it looks beautiful thank you very much but they want it looks so pretty very nice but what this one did so funny yeah appreciating the development of so pretty well some of these air wilting so I would cut this because right here you want to come look with me it's not gonna look good so let's cut it you have the few show right there it's really pretty that's another thing with mock orange it's such and it looks better because you don't have that maybe you could put back in water and we'll come back again you really does and this one is so just hello I'm here I like it being heavy that's a pretty I love it it's too bad the's air wilting would have looked a lot more but I like that way it's really cool felt like it was going ahead the over here in the purple and no I think it's perfect I like how you've placed this in the back of your arrangement beautiful this pani looks lovely here um very cool you may do you have any more to lips? No way you could put one to live or to help with the draping over there yes yeah right you hear anything? Because here's one that's really good for and here's another I'll give you one more to make that bundle of three thank you and let's check out rachel's very cool I love it so this is a little bit more ikebana I would say it's definitely it's not as like free flowing it's because of what you had to work with which I think it's still beautiful and I love the color of this penny yeah I wanted to be able tio a lot of the person to focus on each of the peonies because they're they're so views different colors it's so tempting to try to use a lot I just love them huh? But like you I wanted tio I have the opportunity to look at the stages of development you know, legs this verily open one gets all of its attention unless there's definitely more when it comes to penny I feel like it's perfect um I want to put something here because we cut that other one up I want to give it some I have so much to get some more let's get some questions that come in because we have folks who are their floral designers they are creating these and duplicate would you consider what are students have made a duplicate of what you're doing it in a way or would you how would you go? No I mean while they have followed the same and the instruction as I the same guidelines as I feel that each person really has shown their their own themselves through these arrangements so they're all different works of art definitely not a duplicate and that's not what we had in mind anyway we don't want to duplicate anything we want to be when you're creating for let's say an event where their moral tables they're never the same they're all there are the same flowers but they're never they don't look the same ever and that's what you can that's the beauty of working with flowers that are organic you know they have their more they draped more that you can't quite create maybe if you're using you know a dozen of roses then they all look the same but because of these foliage in the different elements that go within these arrangements definitely not duplicates well I think that when you look at our arrangements you can imagine them being placed in different locations throughout an event like your piece would be wonderful for like the head table or the sense you know buffet piece where his mind would work on a smaller table and I think that you know at an event you have flowers and more than just just the centerpiece exactly right so I'm going to place some of this here because I feel that it needs a little bit of green's just come a fullness here is a little bit more more than that yes and so and also maybe used this one instead of the other one that you have this one just looks like some kind of him bird or stay it looks funny funny and I like the way this is going to sit in the vase because of the bend that it has over here it's just going to come right down and look really good taking all the the ugly leans off one more here, that's all thank you tried. You sort of want to place it. What, it's, not going to cover the few shop, but just kind of sit right next to it and be inside the water at the same time, and I think we did that. It looks very natural, like it's growing. Yeah, so are you all happy with your arrangement spent?