Lessons

Lesson Info

Making Smaller Centerpieces

So I love using pedestal days is I think that they're with my style they just do they do wonders and they they allow you to enable you to show off your flowers better especially if you've got um the organic garden stiles uh flowers so I'm gonna make another one here put some water in this I purchased this vase from an antique store I'm always on the lookout for um older vintage looking bases on dh here's one that I found last week from camarillo we're going to use whatever I have left here to make something beautiful we're going to cut these ones a little bit shorter because I know that they would fall off if they were too long from that vase cut couple of thes here and maybe keep this one like this take any of the ugly lee's leaves off so I'm going to start with this with this plum branches and then create a base just as I did with the other one and it looks like it's cooperating with me sometimes they don't like to cooperate and then I would have to get the frog out you used some fol...

iage I like the way this is bending so I'm going to use it right here phil this off right here playing an angle and just adding thank you sure perfect he's leaving right thank one of some geranium for some variety one of the favorite it is I love geranium it smells good and they have so many different varieties and, um they look lovely in arrangements there that unexpected element that we talked about inside arrangements I have some here that have flowers on them so I really want to use some in here. Um these were just got this morning from the yard. Ana look for ones that have some of the buds on them I like the texture of the buds get some of the dead leaves off so we're using two types of geraniums here. Yeah, because you bought that base in an antique store. If you did an arrangement for an event in it, would you rent it out for you? So so I for my events, I have my own inventory inventory that I use out of and then sometimes I mean, I don't have enough uh for example they want like these big brass phases and things like that then I rented there's a place at the flower mark that I rent from and then I'll go on pick up if I'm using my own, I'll go and pick up my own my bases the couple of days after or they'll bring them to me depending on how I coordinated with them I'm doing a wedding ah next week that I'm using all crystal vases on and it's all my own so they'll bring it for me the next day and that way, it's easy. You don't have to pay for rentals or even worry about somebody else's stuff it's your own because the flowers there so many there, they're abundant at an event a wedding. Many people will take them home, but they don't take your bases, too. They don't, because they're too big on then sometimes people say if if their bases that we've used that we don't, I don't want back or the client has paid for them specifically to be taken home. Then of course, they'll bill so you can take that raises home with you, but for the most part they don't, they just they'll take the flowers out of them. I'm really glad that cheryl ask that question because we had one just like it. Yeah, fantastic when you guys are on the same page, people watching online, good point, so I want to use this a little. I'm going to turn into roger's so I can see what I'm doing when you returning that, it reminded me. Do you ever use a lazy susan? I don't know what I should have won breathe, just remind I don't think I should get one that should be on my list for christmas well, if your husband's watching me, teo teo, made them yes. So I know that this is beautiful but it won't get seen and it's just going to create some crowd inside the vase I'm going to cut it sadly, I have a hard time cutting anything that's alive um but I have to those geranium flowers are just so so we and so delicate and this whole entire design it has a different feeling to it yes, I think it started with the vase yeah where did the inspirations for the the type that we're going for? Um I don't know I'm just doing that I go I am I again I love these vases these are my favorite ones I've got them and milk glass as well and there's so pretty on dh there just I don't know bases like this make me want to do all kinds of beautiful things in them that sounds like some of the inspiration comes from the vessel. Yes, I've got a little bit of the rose left so I'm definitely going to use it might be too old it looks good actually and then I'm going to go for what I've got left here, which is someone oculus can find some better on the way to open this is a good one I'll use it right here I'm going to use I like this I think this is cool that it's bending this way so I'm definitely gonna use it when you're determining where to make the cut huh? Is it the just I'm keeping my vase in mind and how you know how how will it be is it going to be too tall or too short for the vase and then I'll cut um knowing how much room I have left in here I have left in the days to work with I want to put this little butt down here and kiss anybody's looking absolutely love watching the process yeah rare that he gets it just not just doing yeah really nice good I think that's why we're doing this overhead view as well e going I mean I'm curious from you guys do you learn more by doing it or you learning more just by sitting back and kind of watching chiana in action I would say it's a collaboration of both yeah you learn so many different things just by making mistakes as well doing it yourself um and also watching I wish I could just sit and watch some of the designers I work with more often because yeah you always learn from from different creative perspectives so great I wish I could do this every day thought process yeah if she wasn't telling us we wouldn't have as much information about what she's thinking about running a lot from hearing that too yeah and it's not always easy we know chiana when you're a creative person when you're in the flow you kind of get in your moment you gather meditation way appreciate you localize it sure anything for you guys it's very hot in here right now yeah well that's how it usually is when I'm designing sometimes though I if I'm not what I'm not designing and I'm out on this you know on a walk with my husband and I think look how good that looks really like that and he'll say you know he'll listen to me and then after the tenth time I've mentioned something about some flower that I want to use her steel late at night from my neighbor you know what I don't hear about bars and more like something else way do we take photos of flowers we do block posts for flowers we wear our businesses flowers let's talk about something else but if I didn't do that I wouldn't be me if I didn't live it like I d'oh I could see the very classic wedding yeah like downtown abbey or something you don't tonight and always watching and I'm paying attention to those flowers and those vases don't you want that job don't ever that's a lovely job you would have to move to a different country though and you wouldn't have palin with that on you if you move to europe then you have the netherlands that's right different garden if you're not yes yes can I add a little bit more of my geranium here but for right and geraniums that know the name actually it doesn't flower, though I know that for a fact gorgeous and I know that torch you always has it they're the only ones who have it actually, and I'm always getting them when they're available and that's the local nursery here? Yes, it's the one of our whole sellers at the flower mart and I actually wondered, do you have to have a whole sale license to shop in a flower mart? Or can you just be in general public to buy from them? Um to buy from torture you and brandon street at the flaw in what you have to have a badge, otherwise they won't sell to you? And what does that mean to have a bad you? So you either just pay for one or you are a business owner and you still pay for one and you don't pay tax you'll pay tax later, but just not when you're buying your flowers, I see so you so someone who has a business or who doesn't you just need a bad yes, I see to be able to buy from them. So for me I'm a student literally, and so I'm able to get a student bad, but there are a number of public access vendors at our san francisco coal cellar, so I imagine there's a similar arrangement for people but like I mentioned yesterday I'm sure people could go to their floors to mask their floors to get from the wholesaler I think that you know keep in mind that you two can get amazing a it's a tight knit community I think people will help each other out and they know the secrets where to find the flowers if you just at absolutely you can buy flowers from vicki of florists at large um and she's just so knowledgeable and this is also at the flower mart so here's a look what do you tell? Yeah what's the story on local so I mean they it blooms right around this time and I just love the way looks it gives texture I've never eaten one but I believe you can eat it um and I just think it's cool so if I can get my hands on some I will use them in arrangements and you use other elements as well like fruits and yes, I didn't particularly get fruits for this workshop but yes I I'm normally used I use whatever I can find I'm in desperate desperately waiting for apple's tio start coming in their blossoms were really beautiful but also the fruit branches are so pretty as well I always use come quads if I can find them I use lemons um I have a lemon tree so I definitely used eleven tree at home I have used there was a mexican fiesta party and I used some uh oh my tio it looks really cute so whenever I can find it wherever I can find it I will use it and so I'm going to now finish up my arrangement for the lemons do you use the whole do you slice them? I was I've wondered about the citrus and the acid hurting the flowers um I just used them on branches okay, I do not open them up for any I don't like cut them I've seen it done actually people cut him and then they put a cut orange or uh orange or lemon inside the arrangement I've never done that because I don't I don't like the way it looks but I also the fact that the asset won't be so good for the flowers so again this is going to be a and the arrangement that you have to look at from each direction and make sure it looks pretty it's not going to go against the wall so you wanted to be pretty and I'm looking at this and I'm thinking I might lead a little bit more here it would be a lot more help if these were open would have much more fullness and would need to use left flowers this is another tip for those ofyou floral designers out there doing weddings and things you know using fully bloomed flowers are always easier and they take less and I'm going to add a little bit of this how are you reflecting on this? What what do you think of this beautiful new creation? I think it's absolutely beautiful very picturesque there's something that I can imagine there being in oil painting of that's what I that's what I look for when I c an arrangement I do follow a number of designers on instagram and it looks like you can paint it or it should be a painting done a good job it's beautiful it's now compared to the last one that we were making what do you think of the low quads and sort of the texture that they give you like seeing that sort of fruit and texture and these oh yeah it's beautiful I think anything that you different unique is always an added wonderful element to an arrangement I see so many different ideas it's constantly changing so especially love through I love succulents I think um he mentioned that before and air plants are really cool to clancy is we have those here are fun yeah they're so resilient they're wonderful. Yeah really cool so this is it it's done that's the front and here's the back wow, they're in area and while it looks pretty doesn't look identical and something this yeah, this is something I would do on a four block post