Foolproof Flower Arranging

I really would never describe myself as a "domestic" type of gal.  I am very in touch with my masculine side.  The tools in the shed belong more to me than to my husband.  (I joke with him that the only thing he knows how to make is money.  And that's just fine with me.)  I like to snake the bathroom drain, change the compressor in the HVAC unit, and install window treatments.  I am good at that stuff and it does something for me.  Maybe it's in keeping with that that I am also interested in all other matters of the home, correction, the handmade home.  I love to cook, decorate, obviously, set a table, host a party, and I LOVE to arrange me some flowers.  Everything above takes practice and flower arranging is something I have paid careful attention to because I wanted desperately to be good at it.  A couple years ago, I discovered a little trick to help this and it hasn't failed me yet.

What you'll need:

Flowers or Greenery... obvi.  I used a combination of stems from the florist and yard clippings.  (And the neighbor's yard clippings)

Vase (or vaase)  - the type and height of your flowers should be taken into account when choosing the type and height of your vaase.  I was always afraid of "wide mouth" vases because it was more difficult to arrange the flowers, but they are the best type of vase for this "technique."  That was a very Bennett Brauer sentence with all them quotations.

Scissors

Double sided tape  ( I used washi tape in the photos so that it would photograph better but I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT.  I repeat.  Do not use washi tape.  It was a horrible mistake and collapsed after a couple stems.  I have used one sided tape also and it was okay, but really the double sided is the bomb.com)

First

Fill your vase 1/3 to 1/2 with water.

Second

Create a lattice with the double sided tape.  IGNORE THE WASHI TAPE SHOWN. Horrible decision.

Third

Trim off any extra tape around the edges.

Fourth

Fill in the stems using the squares as a guide.  I generally put shorter stems around the outside or any filler/greens and then try to space out my colors and use the tallest stems toward the center.  There really is no right way.  You can move them around and play with them until you get it how you like.  My best suggestions is to not give up.  About halfway through I always think to myself, Well this looks like some shit.  But then I power through and am almost always happy with the end result.  Sorry I forgot to take photos of me filling in the flowers.