Tips on making great flower arrangements…

Living in the modern society, with shopping malls filled with all kinds of gift for all kinds of occasion… it is rather hard to be on the receiving end, to feel that the gifts that we received, are unique. Many times, the gifts we received conjures up thoughts of where we have seen it before, either at this shopping mall or that retail store and so forth…

We always say that it is the thoughts that count and true enough, it is the thoughts that count. But many times, we did not realize that thoughts itself is not enough, but rather the hearts behind the gift. Of course I am not advocating every gift needs to be handcrafted but on special occasions, having that extra mile of hearts make a whole world of difference. Below are some tips on making great floral arrangements, DIY style. 

To start your flower arrangements, you will first need something to put your flowers in. Get a vase or some other container that is decorative with style and can hold water. Something to consider before starting the floral arrangements and that is to further decorating the vase or container by spraying it with gold or bronze spray paint. Let it dry for 24 hours and then spray on a coat of clear enamel spray. This will give your arrangement a more decorative and unique feel.

Next, you need a base for your floral arrangements. The base is used for the flowers to have something to anchor to. You can use floral foam that you can buy at a local craft store. The floral foam is called Oasis. If you use Oasis, be sure to soak it in water and poke holes in it with a pen before you put flowers it so that it doesn’t break the stems.

When cutting flowers for floral arrangements, try to do so early in the day or morning. The reason is that the stems have more water in them at this point of the day and the flowers are not drooping. Be sure to only to use cold water in the flower arrangement because warm water tends to make the flowers open up too soon and not last as long as it should.

If you want your flowers to last longer, you can places apple and lemon wedges in the water at the bottom of the flower arrangements. The apples have nutrients that will help feed the flowers, while the lemons prevent premature rotting and browning. It also adds a more decorative touch to your flower arrangements.

One great tips that can go well when designing your flower arrangements is to try to pick colors that go with the environment the arrangement will be placed in. First use taller flowers to create the vertical part of the arrangement. Then use full blooming flowers with bright and bold colors for the center and sides of the floral arrangements. Then fill in the small gaps with tiny flowers.

Those were some great tips on making beautiful floral arrangements. If you use all of these tips in conjunction with each other, you are sure to have a long lasting floral arrangement. And with a little practice, and a lot of hearts, you can be well on your way to having beautiful floral arrangements that rival those found in floral shops!

In fact, that was how many of the local flower shops started… out of a passion for do-it-yourself gifts comes opportunity for a gift business. In Singapore alone, the gift industry is huge and growing. Part of the reason is the rise in affluent citizens and more busy schedule / long working hours. People still want to share the joy with their love ones but time is lacking and thus gift industry in Singapore is sprouting. Every corners of the shopping malls found in Singapore are filled with gift shops / flower shops.

Having the thoughts is great… Having the hearts and actions to make your special gift for that someone is… even greater than the sum of all the thoughts and hearts put together.

Korean flower arrangements… an indoor art

Korean flower arrangement is being revived as an indoor art, and most often uses simple Joseon dynasty whiteware to highlight various kinds of Korean flowers and tree branches in elegant but unforced natural arrangements. Im Wha-Kong of Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, who also produces her own ceramic wares, is the greatest living exponent of this art, and hosts quarterly displays of flower arrangements keeping this tradition alive. There are at least a dozen schools of traditional flower arrangements.

Introduction

Formal flower arrangements were closely allied to the development of the Korean tea ceremony, and suggestions have been made that these were often corner-of-the-room arrangements on small tables using a central vessel with most often a small branch and a small group of local flowers. Sprigs of pear blossoms were particularly well known, and during the winters ever-green sprigs that would have enhanced celadonware, or given a cool elegance to whiteware. Leaves, blossoms, ferns, and grasses were also used.

Arrangements were primarily done by women in tea-houses, and in the greater houses, Confucian male masters may have done this as well.

History

There is no exact date for the origination of this floral art, and it was not documented before the 14th century as a distinct art. Votive altar arrangements of flowers for Buddhist temples were and are always profuse, they were precursors. But it was under Confucian hands, in Joseon Yi dynasty times, that arrangements can be said definitely to have begun and were known, and included in numerous illustrations by artists of that time.

For more information, please refer to Wikipedia 

Copyright (c) 2007 Mike Cherng. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Flower arrangements…

Floristry, flower arranging, floral arrangement, floral design or floral arts is the art of creating flower arrangements in vases, bowls and baskets, or making bouquets and compositions from cut flowers, foliage, herbs, ornamental grasses and other botanical materials. Often the terms “floral design” and “floristry” are considered synonymous. Florists are people who work with flowers and plants, generally at the retail level. The term is not to be confused with floristics. Floristry is also not to be confused with horticulture.

Floristry is sometimes used as an umbrella term referring to the cultivation of flowers as well as their arrangement, rather than solely to the business of selling them. However, the floral industry is the basic drive behind floristry. Florist shops, along with online stores are the main flower-only outlets, but supermarkets, garden supply stores and many filling stations also sell flowers.

The Craft and Business

The craft of floristry involves various skills. These include selecting flowers that will look good together (based on principles of design or general instinct), knowing how to cut, treat, and arrange flowers and other stock plants so they will remain fresh as long as possible, and (as explained above) selling them, which involves knowledge of customer requirements and expectations. Knowing how to form wreaths, bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres/’buttonholes’, artificial arrangements and other more complicated arrangements is also important. Wreaths can be made out of many different types of flowers and plants, and often include ribbon and artificial product.

The flowers sold in florist shops typically represent the varieties abundantly available in the season but also include blossoms flown in from around the world. Basic varieties include roses, tulips, irises, orchids and lilies. Fashion sometimes plays a role in floristry; what is considered the flower that everyone needs to have today can change very quickly.

Some shops also stock Gift Baskets, fruit, and chocolates as well as flowers, where as some shops will purchase these things only when needed for an order. Floral business is seasonal and is heavily influenced by the following holidays and events: Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Administrative Professionals’ Day, Mothers’ Day, All Souls Day, Advent, Easter, weddings and funerals.[1] These occasions make up the largest part of the business, with the sale of house plants and home decor being a smaller, but more constant, part. Flowers for personal enjoyment as well as those selected to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, thank-you’s and get well wishes are also a significant portion of a florist’s business.

The floral business has been impacted significantly by the corporate and social event world in as much as flowers play a large part in the decor of special events and meetings. Centerpieces, entryways, reception tables, bridal bouquets, wedding chuppahs and stage sets and only a few examples of how flowers are used in the business and social event arenas.

Styles of Flower Arrangements

Many nations have their own style of floral arranging.

Ikebana is a Japanese style of floral design / arrangement, noted for its simplicity and purity of lines and colors. Often Ikebana designs feature sticks and branches such as willow.

Korean flower arrangement is being revived as an indoor art, and most often uses simple Joseon dynasty whiteware to highlight various kinds of Korean flowers and tree branches in elegant but unforced natural arrangements. Im Wha-Kong of Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, who also produces her own ceramic wares, is the greatest living exponent of this art, and hosts quarterly displays of flower arrangements keeping this tradition alive. There are at least a dozen schools of traditional flower arrangements.

English Country Garden is traditionally an English form of designing, but also includes many popular European influences, such as France and Holland. These designs are often done as low mounds, or taller vase arrangements that are all-sided (360°). Many florists that follow this design style do not use Baby’s Breath, Carnations and Leatherleaf.

High Style is a form of design originating from the United States. These designs often include a ‘less is more’ motto. Flowers that are popular among High Style Florists include many tropical flowers such as Birds of Paradise and Anthuriums, and also more popular flowers such as Carnations.

The Flower Market/Auction. A basic requirement of florist shops is the purchasing of flowers to replenish their stock. The flower market, like other agriculture markets, is subject to many fluctuations due to natural factors, supply and demand, and fashion. Learning how to buy in such a way as to continue to make a profit is not a simple skill. In North America, the largest and most prominent[2] flower auction is the UFG (United Flower Growers), located in Burnaby, BC, Canada. There are many flower auctions and markets located in Holland, for example, VBA (Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer).

Shop Layout. Generally, a florist’s shop will contain a large array of flowers, sometimes displayed on the street, or will have a large plate glass window to display the flowers. To keep them fresh, the flowers will be inside of a fridge and kept in water, generally in glass, plastic or metal vases, sleeves, or other containers. Most shops have a fridge near the front of the store with large glass doors so that customers can easily view the contents. Some shops also have another fridge out of the customers view where they keep extra stock, and arrangements for customers orders. Most stores will have a back section in which the designers can work on orders with more privacy.

Significance of Particular Flowers

Typically, a florist will organize flowers by season and holiday.

Flowers have various different meanings in different cultures. The holidays and events for which flowers are used vary. Poppies are used to remember fallen soldiers only in England and the Commonwealth countries. The cultural meaning of colors also strongly affects the choice and use of flowers. People often prefer flowers that are associated with their ethnic group or country, and various colors may have special meanings of luck or death or love or other basic human traits. A flower such as a red rose might to some mean love, but to others it might be considered indecent or simply puzzling. The vastly divergent views on the color white can lead to major flower issues. White is viewed as standing for death in many Asian cultures but is considered a symbol of purity and innocence in many European and American cultures. Such differences can lead to difficult issues when a bouquet of white lilies, for example, is delivered.

For more information on arrangements, please find out from Wikipedia

Copyright (c) 2007 Mike Cherng. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.

Japanese art of flower arrangements… Ikebana

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō.

In contrast to the massing of blooms typical of flower arrangement in western countries, Japanese flower arrangement is based on the line of twigs and/or leaves, filled in with a small number of blooms. The container is also a key element of the composition. The structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on a scalene triangle delineated by three main points, usually twigs, considered in some schools to symbolize heaven, earth, and man.

History

Ikebana began as a kind of ritual flower offering made in Buddhist temples in Japan during the sixth century. The first written account dates back to the tenth century in the Kokin Waka Shu, a poetry book:…” in a receptacle, place a flowering branch of plumtree…” In these arrangements, both the flowers and the branches were made to point toward heaven as an indication of faith. Tatebana ("vertical flower") in the Muromachi era (14-16th century) was regarded the first style that could be called Ikebana. It was arranged in a high narrow vase. A more sophisticated style of flower arrangement, called rikka (standing flowers), appeared in the fifteenth century. The rikka style reflects the magnificence of nature and its display. For example, pine branches symbolize rocks and stones, and white chrysanthemums symbolize a river or small stream. The rikka style became popular in the seventeenth century, used as a decorative technique for ceremonial and festive occasions, though today it is regarded as an antiquated form of flower arrangement and is rarely practiced.

The most significant changes in the history of Ikebana took place during the fifteenth century, when the Muromachi shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436–1490) ruled Japan. The large buildings and small houses that Yoshimasa had built expressed his love for simplicity. These small houses contained tokonoma, where people could place objects of art and flower arrangements. It was during this period that the rules of Ikebana were simplified so that people of all classes could enjoy the art.

Another major development took place in the late sixteenth century. A more simple style of flower arrangement called nageire (meaning to throw in or fling in) appeared as part of the tea ceremony. According to this style, flowers are arranged in a vase as naturally as possible, no matter what materials are used. Because of its association with the tea ceremony, this style is also called cha bana

In the 1890s, shortly after the Meiji Restoration (a period of modernization and westernization in Japan), there developed a new style of Ikebana called moribana, or "piled-up flowers". This style appeared partly due to the introduction of western flowers and partly due to the westernization of Japanese living. The moribana style, which created a new freedom in flower arranging, is used for a landscape or a garden scene. It is a style that can be enjoyed wherever it is displayed and can be adapted to both formal and informal situations.

Modern Ikebana dates from 1930 and goes by the transliteration zen’ei ikebana or zen’eibana. This form of Ikebana is more expressive than the classic style. Along with tea ceremony and calligraphy, Ikebana was one of the arts in which women were traditionally schooled in preparation for marriage. Today, flower arrangement is venerated as one of the traditional arts in Japan. It is practiced on many occasions like ceremonies and parties, and modern people are still choosing to study the art.

For more information, please find out here

Copyright (c) 2007 Mike Cherng. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

On flower arrangements… and gift ideas…

Gift sending in this Web 2.0 era has taken a whole new meaning… A new startup by former Microsoft Designer Team members, Jenny Lam and a few others have created a whole new way to appreciate that someone in your heart.

Check out the site.

The flowers you see on the site are handcrafted which are very unique and beautiful. Just sent one to my wife the other day and she just loved it. 🙂

More and more gift ideas can come from everyone and it is sometimes, simply a matter of thinking outside the box, and enjoying the love of sharing unique gifts with others.

The world we live in needs more of love and expressing it regularly.

7Degree C is in the business of sharing love and expressing it through unique gifts… More flower arrangements coming your way in Nov 07