DIY Flowers
November 6th, 2007 @ 9:30 am by Mrs. Penguin
The incredibly adorable and talented florist, Karen Chang of Huckleberry Karen Designs held a DIY flower workshop this weekend. I learned some valuable information for my own flowers, and even had a beautiful bouquet that I made to take home. We learned how to hand-wire and arrange our own boutonnieres, corsages and bouquets. Karen will be doing the majority of the flowers for my wedding day, and I will be taking care of the bride’s bouquet and a few other details the night before the wedding.A rose Boutonniere being made:
Stem is wired, floral tape applied, and greenery also applied with floral tape.
Stem is trimmed, ribbon added, and I went from zero to florist in 1 hour flat.
Here are some more pics from the workshop…
Karen working her floral Mojo:
Prerequisite Bridal-Bouquet Shot with bride-to-be Jackie and the fruits of our labor:
Taping my bouquet:
My bouquet, finished, using Roses and Cymbidium orchids. And nothing says Klassy like a Bud Light pint glass/vase:
Callas and orchids, SO pretty! I’m so amazed these bouquets were made by first timers:
Beautiful Bouquets:
The Ladies:
Here are some tips that Karen provided about buying loose or boxed flowers:
-When selecting flowers, look for flowers with upright, firm petals and buds beginning to open. Yellow, spotted or drooping leaves are signs of age.
-Keep your flowers in a cool place until you can get them in a flower food solution. Don’t forget how important it is to follow the mixing directions on the flower food packet.
-Fill a clean (washed with a detergent or antibacterial cleaning solution), deep vase with water and add a flower food from your florist
-Remove leaves that will be below the waterline. Leaves in water will promote bacterial microbial growth that may limit water uptake by the flower. Re-cut stems by removing 1 to 2 inches with a sharp knife. Place the flowers in the vase solution you’ve prepared.
Source: www.aboutflowers.com
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23 Responses to “DIY Flowers”
Those are absoultely gorgeous.. awesome job! I love the pink ribbon wrap!
I did my own flowers too, but I used silk. 
Really lovely! Looks like you had fun, too!
Wow. you are so talented. If i didnt book my florist already, i will totally book you!
wow, they turned out beautifully. i love the bouquet you made especially.
wow, they look like the bouquets i’m ordering!!
wow those look beautiful! i am planning to make my own bouquet too, but i had a question…did karen say it is ok to do it the night before? i was planning to do it the morning of, but that would be a little stressful! how do we make sure it will last through the next day??
If you don’t mind sharing, how much was this workshop? Were materials provided? With what florists charge for bouquets, it would be interesting to see what a class would cost.
oooh, they all look so pretty!
Those are some gorgeous bouquets Miss Penguin! It looked like such a fun class, thanks for the tips!
Those rock the house! I LOVE EM! Can you make mine? hahaha - Man I loVE IT! I may use those DIY flowers for bouquet inspirations - shanks!
Miss Daffodil - It definitely depends on the flower, and temperature. The orchids that I did looked great the next day, and I didnt even put them in the refridgerator, although I live in the bay area where the air is moist and the temperature is cold anyway (60 degrees)…if youre using hardier orchids like cymbidiums or dendrobiums orchids, you can do them the night before, cover them with a plastic bag, and put them in the fridge.
Roses, peonies, spider mums should be kept in cool temperatures in water, and they should look fine overnight. Try not to touch the petals, they may bruise. Darker flowers (like red) will last longer than lighter flowers because they wont show bruising as easily.
What flowers are you using?
Alex in wonderland - the workshop was $45, held in San Francisco. ALL materials were provided (flowers, ribbons, pins, wires, rose strippers, floral tape etc)…we brought our own clippers (if we had them) and gloves (which i didnt use)
The course was 2 hours. I would say I would have paid 2x as much for the class and still got my moneys worth.
visit her website and drop her an e mail if youre interested in attending a class
huckleberrykaren.blogspot.com
she holds them in San Francisco a couple times a year.
AMAZING! I love the callas and orchids
wow that is soooooo super affordable. i know theres a class in ny but it’s super expensive. your bouquet turned out beautiful - i would love to do a class like that!
Wow, I’m impressed!!! Your bouquet is gorgeous. I think I would be all thumbs when it came to something like this. And that’s a great price for that class.
Gorgeous. The more I see things like this, the more I just want to DIY my flowers! I’ve ‘worked with’ dendrobium stems before and I can say they are EXTRA hardy. They lasted beautifully for me in an arrangement for more than two weeks!
gorgeous wedding flowers!
Ohhh those are soooo lovely!! I would love to take a class like this too!! Hrmm, time to find one in Chicago…
Miss Penguin- Those are SOOOO beautiful!!! If you don’t mind my asking, where did you end up buying the flowers from for your wedding? I’m planning to do, at least, the centerpieces with a friend but I’m not sure how to pick a place to buy!
Hi Becca! Not sure if are near a big city or not, but look into buying from a wholesale flower mart that is open to the public. We got our flowers from the San Francisco Flower Mart, which is open to the public at 10 AM daily. You can also visit your local farmers market, and see if any of the flower vendors there carry flowers that you like. If you do, you can ask them if they they can sell you a specific type and ammt of flowers on a certain date (like the day or 2 before your wedding)…that is def. a cheaper route than going into an established florist’s shop. here is the link to the SF flower mart
to find one near you, google “Wholesale flower market” and your city, and see what comes up for you. Check if it is open to the public or to members only. Try to visit the mart in the season of your wedding to see whats available, and ARRIVE AS SOON AS IT OPENS for best choices! Good luck and dont hesitate to ask me any more q’s!
[...] new respect for flowers after I went to a workshop offered by Huckleberry Karen back in November (Miss Penguin was there, too!). Before I went, I was under the delusion that I might be able to DIY my flowers. HA! I [...]
hi Miss Penguin,
I’m in SF and planning a wedding for next april or may. I have not been to the flower mart (maybe sometimes in the next months) but just to get an idea, how much do these flowers usually range? i’m pretty much looking at white roses and possible other colors or flowers depending on what’s reasonably priced.
thanks!
Mrs. Penguin, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 26, Video & TV Producer/Director/Editor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Engagement Date: January 29, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 14, 2007
Venue: Winery in the Gold Country
About Me: I'm a silly mess of a girl who, above all else in this world, LOVES the Spice Girls. I eat sushi at least 3 times a week, and feel guilty about how much it costs the other 4 days a week. I love designer jeans and cheap accessories. I don't like sweets, but I love the UCLA Bruins!
Wow the florals turned out great! Sounds like a fun experience you had!