DIY Centerpieces

In the golden afternoon

Like most of us, I hate the thought of "paying through the nose' for centerpieces. I even hate recieving roses on Valentine's Day because the price for roses on this day are triple. It's outrageous!

I love bi-colored roses like yellow/red, pink/white, etc. I'm going to buy bulk flowers. I need approximately 500 roses. Does anyone know of a good place? I've seen a ton of places online but I don't know anyone who has used them. I could get them from costco (online only) but again I don't know anyone who has used them. It's too bad you can't order them directly at the store..Or can you???

Anyway, back to the DIY centerpiece. As of right now I'm going to use all roses. I might add carnations. If I do this then I'm going to use all red roses with all red carnations instead of using bi-colored roses. I'm ordered a vintage style vase from wal-mart. They're only $2.97 each. I need 20 (again, I might get 26 just to keep the whole number thing going). Also, I need some green floral tape.

- Starting off with 3 roses (lower leaves and thorns removed), position them and wrap the green floral tape a few inches below the bloom.

- Add 2 more and again, wrap with floral tape.

- Continue on until you have created the size you want.

- When you have finished adding the roses, cut the stems evenly.

- Place in the vase and cut accordingly for height.

That's it, your're done. It takes approximately 10 minutes to make each one and just think...you're saving a ton of green backs!!!

You can use any type of flower. It doesn't have to be roses. Carnations are far less expensive and look amazing done the same way. Their stems are not as sturdy as roses so you have to be a bit more gentle when putting them together.

You can find videos online showing how to make centerpieces this way. I've made these before for my mother and FH's mother on Easter. They looked beautiful. You can even make your own bouquet using this method. I am!