Tiny Bouquets

Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. Today, I'm going to have a little touch of whimsy. Maybe you've seen it, the tiny bouquet challenge? Look very closely right here, an itty-bitty tiny bouquet. To be done well, it needs to be able to stand on its own, it needs all the elements and principles, and it needs to be done in the classic spiral technique. Today, I'll show you how. 

As you choose your materials, think about colors and textures, then think about scale. You may love a ranuncula, too big, but a ranuncula bud, absolutely perfect. A bachelor button bud, even one that's not open, gives you great texture and beauty. Then astrancia, bupleurum, feverfew, grasses that I just foraged outside. Then for the foliages, thinking very, very, very petite. Plumosa, stripped down so it's just the leaflet with a natural stem. You can also use leather fern, the leaflet, natural stem, and as you prepare your materials, every single leaf needs to be removed and cleaned up. So, like this, removing, removing, removing, and then lay it out to work. 

You begin your bouquet just as you would a classic spiral. Choose something to be in a center, maybe the foraged grasses, maybe a bachelor button bloom. Then, as you continue, everything you put in your hand, you put in at an angle, always the head going one direction, the stem the other. If I wanted the bud, just placing it in, then giving it a slight turn, coming in with bupleurum, slight turn. Little feverfew tucking it in, slight turn, the bud from the ranuncula, and maybe an astrancia bud as well, and a slight turn. Back to the feverfew, then since every stem is already clean, it's very easy to make sure that below my fingers is bare, above is the beauty, then you just keep angling and turning until you have it all in your fingers. 

As you continue, think about your balance, where you might want to add something, tucking in, then adding a little more foliage, maybe some leather fern, turning another leather fern, maybe another bupleurum. Then turning, giving it some soft texture, with the plumosa. Always the head one direction, stem the other, turning and radiating, grouping a few things. Then as you get close to finishing, think about where you might want to balance, with a little more green or another bloom for perfection. 

As you finish, double check for any flat spots, maybe something that needs a little more feverfew to brighten that area. Turn it. Maybe another bupleurum, just to fill in. Another leaf, turning, thinking about grouping another astrancia. Then your last bit of foliage, then turning to make sure that it's balanced all the way around. 

To tie it off, just a small bit of bind wire, pulling it through the center, then wrapping above your fingers, making it nice and snug, making sure that flowers are above and totally bare stems on the bottom. Now, you always ask for a recipe. With this, it's really just bits, bits and pieces. I used ranunculus, foraged foliages, bachelor button, feverfew, astrancia, bupleurum, leather fern, and plumosa, but just bits of each item, not full stems or bunches of anything. 

The tiny bouquet challenge is such fun, and I have to say a special thank you to Leah and a shout out to Lindy, because Flower Shop Barbie, she needs a tiny bouquet. How cool is that? Too much fun. Now, as you create yours, remember, needs to be able to stand, needs to be itty-bitty. Look at it compared to my hand. Look at it with Barbie. But it is so much fun. For more creative inspiration, check out our website. If you have questions, you can reach us through there, Flower School .com, or by telephone, at 503-223-8089. Now, I'd love to see what you create. Make a tiny bouquet, hashtag TinyBouquet, and then tag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do, as you do something you love in a very, very tiny scale.