Not a day goes by where I’m not seriously impressed by something my friend Ashley does! Whether it’s a baked good she’s whipped up in the kitchen or something she’s painted (like the invitations she hand-illustrated for my baby shower), Ashley never ceases to amaze me. She’s also one of the kindest humans I know! Another one of her special skills is floral arranging! I’m so excited that she agreed to share some of her tips on perfecting arrangements!
Floral Wire // Clippers // Vase (similar here)
Hi there! I’m Ashley Brooke, and so excited to be guest posting today while Carly is soaking up all those magical newborn snuggles. Carly and I became fast friends over tea at The Plaza in Manhattan many years ago, and not a day has gone by since then that we haven’t been in touch! I consider Carly not only a best friend, but also a work colleague! Since we don’t have typical office environments, we have become each other’s sounding board on so many things. I’m so grateful for her friendship and support throughout the years, so today is a real treat for me!
When Carly reached out about sharing on her blog, she mentioned that, if I was up for it, she’d love for me to share a little floral DIY–and I jumped at the chance. I jokingly say all the time that I’m going to quit my job and become a florist, because I love flowers, and arranging them, just that much. I have *zero* formal training, but I grew up watching my Grandma Betty put together the most beautiful arrangements, so I like to say that I get my artistry from her! 😉 She took floral arranging classes, and would come back and teach me everything she learned. I loved spending hours out in her garage workshop putting together arrangements. It was my happy place; fast forward to today, and I still get that happy-place-feeling when I work with flowers!
For today’s tutorial, I thought it would be fun to do something that was super feminine, with a little nod to fall with these gorgeous, deep purple dahlias. I typically don’t have a “plan” when I begin a flower arrangement, and just kind of let the flowers tell me what to do, since they all have their own little personalities (especially these strawflowers). I just go with the flow! The great thing about flowers is that they are already pretty, so it’s really hard to mess them up!
My hope is that this tutorial will give you a little inspiration to try something new, because I promise, once you start diving into floral arrangements, you won’t be able to stop.
FLOWERS USED:
Strawflowers // Garden Roses // Dahlias // Brompton Stock
A FEW TIPS:
- 1. Buy the flowers that you like! This project is for you, so no need to stress on finding the perfect flower!
- 2. I’m obsessed with floral (chicken) wire for projects like these! So easy.
- 3. If you aren’t sure what flowers you like, the app PictureThis is AMAZING. You just upload photos of flowers, and it will instantly tell you what it is. This is great if you are scrolling Pinterest and finding floral inspiration.
- 4. Check your local grocery stores and flower markets for supplies. I’ve found some of my favorite flowers at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods; you don’t *need* a fancy wholesale florist!
- 5. Enjoy the process.
