Yes, I’m 4 months late on posting this. Lunar New Year 2017 has come and gone! Better late than never!
Tet as my family would call this awesome holiday comes by once a year marking the start of a new year. 2017 is year of the Rooster/Chicken. How do know if you are a Rooster? If you were just born or turning 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72…keep adding 12… then 2017 is your lucky year. Your Zodiac animal repeats every 12 years.
SOME FACTS ABOUT LUNAR NEW YEAR
The most important social and economic holiday through out all Asian countries. This holiday is even more important than Christmas.
Lunar New Year (Chinese New Years or Spring Festival) is marked by visits to family and friends, special meals, fireworks, and gift giving.
This holiday is a time to honor household and heavenly deities as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting.
Elders will give out money to children in little red envelopes called lai see for good fortune. In fact, many of the rites carried out during this period were meant to bring good luck to the household and long life to the family, particularly to the parents.
The entire house should be cleaned before New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away.
My flower design inspiration for this post was inspired by this wonderful event called Tet (Lunar/Chinese’s New Year).
Traditionally during the 3 days of Tet/Lunar New Year, I am suppose to bring a large serving platter consisting of various food/treats to my relative’s house for the gathering, but this year I am bring flowers. Who doesn’t love a beautiful fresh flower arrangement! Enjoy and Happy Lunar New Year!
Lunar Flower Trios
Lunar Wrapped Bouquet
Lunar Main Center Piece
FLOWERS NEEDED
Lunar Flower colors are red & yellow
Lunar Flower colors are red & yellow
FLOWER TRIOS
Lunar New Year Flowers
Flowers in vase wrapped
Close up: Flowers in vase wrapped
Lunar New Year Flowers in a low small square vase
Close up: Lunar New Year Flowers in a low small square vase
I must admit that making flower arrangements for baby boys are much harder than baby girls! This is probably because finding flowers in shades of blue can be a major challenge. Fear no more, here are 3 baby boy themed flower arrangements that will definitely be a hit. All flowers were purchased from my local Krogers in Wylie and Plano, Texas.
WRAPPED FLOWER BOUQUET, FLOWERS IN A BOX & WHITE FLOWERS IN A ROUND VASE
Optional: cellophane paper or use the mylar wrapping cover that was used to hold the flowers when purchased from the store.
rubberbands
2-3 paper towels soaked in water
1 sandwich size ziplock bag
clear tape
white ribbon
water spray bottle
Pruner
kraft paper
plastic table covers to line the bottom
floral wire
cellophane_paper
rubberbands
spray_water_bottle
ASSEMBLING THE FLOWERS
Clean and remove all outer petals from roses and remove 50-75% of all leaves and foliage from all flower stems.
Set up your flower work space by sorting each flowers by same kind: roses with roses and carnations with carnations….etc
Start the bouquet by building a bottom foundation using the white alstroemerias and mini white carnations. I always use filler flowers for this step because I want the prettier flowers such as the roses to be the focal/center point.
Then select about 3-4 roses and stack them on top of the bottom layer ensuring to place the roses 1-2″ down from the very top of the previous layer. The goal is to build the bouquet by stacking and placing the flowers 1-2″ from the previous layer. (REFER TO EXAMPLES BELOW)
Keep repeating layers until you have used up all the flowers. The amount of flowers per layer will decrease as more and more layers get added.
The amount of layers will varies depending on the size of your bouquet and the amount of flowers you want to use within the bouquet.
Paper_Wrapping_Diagram layers
Stacking_Flowers_Instruction for wrapped flower bouquet
When flowers are completely assembled, use either twine or rubber bands to hold the bouquet in place.
Now cut the flower stems evenly to your desire length. I like cutting mine 4″ to 6″ from the flower base of the final layer.
Soak about 2-4 paper towels in water. Wrapped the wet paper towels around all stems of the bouquet.
Use a sandwich size bag or larger and place stem of flowers wrapped in the wet towels inside the bag in order to keep the flowers hydrated.
Optional: You can add some wet floral foam to the flower stems 1st then wrap the wet paper towels around the floral foam covering the stems. The floral foam method will keep the flowers hydrated for longer periods of time.
Use several layers of clear tape to wrap and seal the top of the ziplog bag around the bouquet.
Optional: You can use clear cellophane paper or the same mylar bag from your flower purchase to make an initial flower wrap of the bouquet. This process reinforces the bouquet and catches any water that may leak out from the wet paper towels/floral foam.
mylar/cellophane flower paper
Cut part of edge away for opening of bouquet
cellophane_paper
Cut 2 pieces of the table vinyl cover into a square about 1.5 times the size of the bouquet. You can cut smaller layers if wrapping around the bouquet with multiple layers.
Cut 1 long narrow piece of kraft paper ranging about 12″ in width. Then cut an additional 3 smaller pieces about 6″ in width.
REFER TO EXAMPLES BELOW for paper cutting and placement order.
Paper_Wrapping_Diagram_paper cutting
Paper_Wrapping_Diagram steps
Wrap bouquet following the order sequin of the 2nd diagram above then use a ribbon to tie bouquet together.
Your wrapped flower bouquet is now complete.
For a final touch, spray flowers with fresh water from a bottle. This process help hydrates the flowers faster since the bouquet is not placed into a water filled vase.
IMAGE GALLERY
Baby Boy Chic Wrapped Flower Bouquet
Baby Boy Chic Wrapped Flower Bouquet
Baby Boy Chic Wrapped Flower Bouquet
Baby Boy Chic Wrapped Flower Bouquet
#1.5 – LEFT OVER FLOWER CREATION
I created this arrangement from the left over white carnations.
Cut down stems from the alstroemeria to fill in the gaps and add texture
bamboo sticks to create the square grid or use the stems from the alstroemeria
Baby Blue/White flowers
SUPPLIES
pruner
black 12×12 photo storage box
1.5 blocks of wet floral foams (ensure to use the wet and not dry versions for faux flower arrangements)
knife (to cut floral foam)
bamboo stakes cut into 4 qty 12″ sticks (can be found at home depot where the plant stakes are sold)
black plastic table covers to line photo box
floral wires
Spanish moss for filling in the gaps and holes where the floral foam is exposed
Pruner
Wet Floral Foam
Spanish Moss
12×12 photo box
floral wire
Bamboo sticks
Table Vinyl Cover
STEPS
Soak 1 block & a half block of wet floral foam for about an hour or more prior to arranging the flowers.
Line photo box with 2-3 sheets of plastic table cover. Don’t worry if the table cover extend pass the photo box because it will be trimmed at the very end.
Add the floral foam by cutting block in half (1″ height) completely lining bottom of box.
Place 2 bamboo sticks to each sides forming a 9 square grid.
Add each flowers by sticking into floral foam but ensure to keep the same kind flowers within each grid.
Roll up some large hydrangea leaves and wrap with floral wires. Add these rolled leaves to 2 of the squares within the grid.
Add Spanish moss fill in any gap or holes within arrangement.
Trim off excess plastic table covers.
Use 1.5 blocks of floral foam
Add flowers to each 9 grids.
IMAGE GALLERY
Overview
Baby Blue flowers in a box
Top view
Front view
Baby Blue/White flowers
Close up
#2.5 – LEFT OVER FLOWER CREATION
I created this arrangement from the left over blue hydrangea.
2 blue hydrangeas
empty soda bottle
asipdistra tea leaf ribbon to wrap bottle (I bought this on Amazon)
I always pick the biggest flowers (white hydrangeas) to arrange first in order to set the stage.
Next add the flowers with the most height which were the white lilies.
Fill in the rest of the flower base with the green tick balls.
Now add the white roses in groups of 3’s and place near the green tick balls.
At this point you can call it quite but I felt it needed more WOW so I added the cypress branch (I think it’s call this!) and the aspidistra tea leaves to fill in the gaps around the top.