If you aren’t lucky enough to have a florist in your family like my sweet sister-in-law Adele, you might like to do your own pretty bouquets.  I can’t always get over to Corinthia Flowers but find market flowers and a couple of simple tools go a long way. I keep  a selection of glass pebbles (available at craft stores) and spare vases ready to go.

Plus, you can often just look around the house for bits of things to make it extra pretty. I always find something in my Bric-A-Brac bowels. Maybe a giant button or your favorite sea shell from a lovely vacation.

There’s a couple of easy tricks I’ve picked up at Corinthia Flowers. When you unwrap your flowers at home, clean stems, recut and place in fresh water. Mix the pack of floral food as directed and partially fill your vase. This waterproof tape (available at craft stores) is a must.  Make a simple grid to hold your stems exactly where you’d like them.

Starting with your greens, work in triangles and continue to fill your vase in this manner.

I added a grass rainbow in the back of the arrangement.  Simply take a couple of long grasses and gently tie a wired pic at one end, place your grass in one side of your container and tuck the pic end into the other side of your arrangement.

It helps to know where you want to display the flowers when choosing your vase.  You won’t have to buy as many flowers if your arrangement is one-sided like this one, they’ll all face front. Fill your vase with water once placed to enjoy.

That’s a pretty penny pincher.