March Class: You be the designer

The March class touches at the very heart of why I became a floral designer. As a junior in college, I studied abroad in Grenoble, France. I was deeply inspired by the lifestyle that I observed in that French community: daily trips to the market for fresh food, bread and pastries, fabulous meal preparation and the ever-present fresh flowers. These gorgeous stems were hand-selected from a market, wrapped, and skillfully arranged at home to add beauty to a meal. I was hooked — food, flowers and wine. And with the flowers, I had discovered my passion and my life’s work.

Our 2017 classes are structured so that you can step in at any time and begin to learn about the methods and techniques we use to create impact arrangements. In each class, we introduce unique varieties of flowers that help you learn how to make important decisions about your design. And while you make these decisions, you learn how to secure and showcase your blooms while extending the life of your arrangement.

Choose your flowers

My team and I have chosen flowers for this class within five color groupings: pink, purple, peach, white and green. We will ask you to choose a palette and then select your stems. You’ll work with Roses, Tulips, Hydrangea, Lisianthus, Stock and Amaranthus as well as a few new greeneries in the Eucalyptus family that we have not worked with yet.

Choose your Vase

You’ll make your armature (the structure we use to secure our flowers) based on the vase style you choose. The ceramic boat is a great choice if you want to work with an “S” shaped design, showcasing your blooms in groupings. The classic glass vase has an elegant silhouette, lending itself to a more traditional arrangement. With the stems we have selected, you’ll be able to create an arrangement that is full, “spriggy” and “drapey” — if that’s what you like. We’ll ask you to choose your vase when you sign up for the class.

Myemphasis will be on imagining the shape of your design, analyzing stems and creating a focal point. I’ll encourage you to ask questions and discuss your design as you go. By evening’s end, you’ll have created a one-of-a-kind arrangement for your home.

La Vie Quotidienne (The Daily Life)

It’s important that we talk about how you will purchase flowers for your now habitual floral arranging. You can buy the flower wraps that are sold at local grocery stores. However, keep this in mind, the flowers may have been selected because they are available in bulk at a good price. You will have to determine whether or not the stems complement each other and you will need extra greens. Alternatively, you could buy a bundle of Tulips in one color, Roses in another, and with some loose greenery, create your own wrap. Either way, you will need an ample supply of greens to create your armature.

You can order fresh flowers from your local florist in a wrap. This is something we already do for some of our customers and we are happy to provide the same service to you. This will allow you to work with some of the more elegant stems that you won’t find in a grocery floral department.

Tips for caring for grocery store flowers

Always use the package of floral preservative that comes with cut flowers. It’s an important combination of sugar (for the stems), bleach (for the water) and citric acid (also for the water). Avoid using scissors when you make your fresh cut (you don’t want to squash the stems), and cut at an angle so that more of the stem surface is exposed.

Want to learn more, join our class

Ready to get started? Remember, your new floral design skills will allow you to decorate your life with natural beauty and create gifts for loved ones that delight, inspire, console and praise.  Click the link below to sign up or call 703-779-3530.