Silk Flower Arranging for Greenies.
Silk Flower Arrangements are like Beautiful Music.

Much like a quality musical arrangement, a silk flower arrangement is harmonious in its delivery, is natural to the senses, and is complementary to its venue. And, like music, flower arrangements are specific to the taste of the arranger. Maybe your tastes lilt toward the softer side, and you prefer muted colors and rounded shapes. Or maybe your inclinations lean more toward boisterous and bold statements of significant size and color.

That’s the beauty of arranging (silk flowers and silk plants , and otherwise). The process and the finished product are completely up to you and your creative genius. So, let’s cover some basics so that you can open an avenue for your own inspiration.

Silk Flower Arranging Basics

v Consider your room’s décor. Is it French country, Asian, modern? Choose silk flowers and plants, a container, and an arrangement shape that complements the room’s other furnishings.
v Choose a size and style of silk flower arrangement that fits well within the design of the room. A small room might welcome a small oval, mounded, or oblong arrangement…while a larger, high-ceilinged room might beg for a tall triangular, crescent, or Hogarth style. Look through magazines, flower shops, and on the internet for design ideas. Feel free to copy, mimic, or go out on your own.

v When choosing silk flowers for your arrangement, choose a moderate variety, including large blooms, medium blooms, stems with tiny blossoms, and greenery.

v When you receive your stems , they might be wrinkled and bent at odd angles. Hold them over a pot of boiling water and smooth creases, or soften them with an iron on the lowest steam setting.

v Add floral foam to your container. If you need weight or heightening of the foam, add sand, stones, or kitty litter to the bottom of the container. A low, wide container will hold a solid block of foam, while a tall, thin vase will need to be filled with chunks of foam. Baskets should be lined with newspaper or cellophane to keep contents from sprinkling out. Secure the foam to the base of the container or base with floral clay or hot glue. If you’re using a clear vase or bowl, allow enough room to add stones, potpourri, or other filler to hide the foam. If you wish to drape silk flowers or greenery over the edge of the container, allow the foam to protrude from the top edge about one inch.

v Cover the foam with Spanish moss by either wetting and molding the moss around the foam, or by securing the moss with floral pins.

v Your silk flower arrangement should be no taller than one to two times the height of the container.

v The focal point (largest silk flowers) should be in the center of the arrangement, and fall within the diameter of the opening of the container.

v Dip stems into a bit of glue before placing into the foam. Insert stems two inches into the foam and half an inch from one another. If larger diameter and heavier stems do not seem secure, use a wire snip to make a cut up the bottom of the stem and fork it, making two insertion points for the one stem. Or, use floral wire and tape to create a second supportive stem at the base.

v When shortening a stem, use wire snips to cut the stem at a sharp angle.

v To lengthen stems, use floral tape to add a floral pick or a stem cutting from another stem (overlay the pieces one inch when joining).

v Do not crowd silk flowers in your arrangement. Maintain air space between each.

v Arrange your silk flowers in the daylight. Colors are truer in natural light.

v Swivel the arrangement as you work, to ensure that it looks great from all angles. Do not face all of the blooms in one direction.

v Place buds and newly-opened flowers at the highest point in the arrangement, on straight stems. Allow heavier, more mature blooms to droop at a lower level. Study the real flowers and plants that you are working with so that you can easily mimic their natural growth and light-seeking patterns. This makes for a more natural-looking silk flower arrangement.

v Use silk plants and greenery to fill in open spaces or to weave in among the stems of leggy arrangements.

v And most importantly, let your creation be an extension of your own unique taste.


Your own Distinctive Flower Arrangement

The tips offered here are only glances at the expertise required to make a professional-looking silk flower arrangement. But start here. You’ll learn as you progress. And don’t worry…when it’s right, you’ll know it.

by Jacinda Little - April, 2009

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Source: http://www.freshsilkflowers.com