Have you ever been afraid of something that you knew you shouldn’t be? Has the idea of something ever been more difficult than the act itself? Maybe the thing that is turning up your stomach is knowing that you need to apologize. I think one of the best ways to say “I’m sorry” is through flowers. Yellow Roses are the best flower to say I’m sorry.

In my case, I messed up.

The absolute best thing to do when you mess up is just to admit that you are wrong and face your shame. It will be oh-so-painful at first but it won’t last nearly as long. And truthfully, the pain you will endure trying to fight off the emotion of shame or guilt is far worse.

Also, a love language of mine is receiving gifts so one of my favorite ways to convey emotion is through a gift. I treasure thoughtful, meaningful, and unexpected gifts and I believe that others may as well. That’s just me though, everyone is different and that’s totally okay!

I chose to use yellow roses, whose color has traditionally symbolized friendship and apologies. Orange roses and coral spray roses were also used for contrast while red mini-carnations added texture. I think this DIY arrangement is a fun and modern take on a traditional apology bouquet.

Today I’m going to show you how to make a professional-looking floral arrangement for a fraction of the cost!

Seriously, DO NOT be intimidated by this. Yes, flowers are delicate but they are also naturally beautiful. This makes it nearly impossible for you to make them look bad! 💐

All you need are a few quick tips to get you started then you will be well on your way to creating gorgeous floral displays!

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT A FLORIST OR A FLORAL PROFESSIONAL. I am a regular person who just loves flowers! I have crafted many arrangements for myself and for others over the years. Including ALL flowers for my own wedding of 150 guests and a wedding bouquet and boutonniere for some dear friends.

 

You will need some supplies.

• A vessel – You could choose to use a vase but I would try to choose something a little more unconventional to really add that professional ‘wow’ factor. Think candle holders, metal pails, or opaque jars!
• Floral Foam – You want to get OASIS Floral Foam. I like to get Oasis Floral Foam with Maxlife but you could get standard bricks and have great results as well.
• Serrated Knife – to cut the floral foam to size.
• Pruning Shears or Quality Scissors
• Yellow Roses– I like to get mine from Trader Joe’s when it is just a bouquet or a couple of arrangements but when we did our wedding flowers we ordered them a couple of months in advance from Sam’s Club and had them delivered a few days before the wedding.
• Crowning Glory – Now this is totally not necessary for beautiful arrangements but it DOES make the blooms appear to stay fresh longer. Like a lot longer! It is essentially a preservative that you spray directly onto the flowers and it makes them look more vibrant and keeps flowers for a surprisingly long time. I bought a giant jug of it and just refill a little spray bottle.

Getting Started.

1. Trim your floral foam to fit your vessel

• Using a serrated knife cut your foam slightly larger than you need it to be. You can always take more away later but adding more foam later doesn’t have quite the same effect of keeping flowers fresh.

2. Soak your floral foam.

• You could use your sink, a bucket, or even your bathtub! (Definitely, use your bathtub if you are creating a lot of arrangements like I did for the wedding!) Today, I am using a Lowes bucket. These are always handy to have around and they are pretty inexpensive. I use them to hold the flowers before arranging and for soaking floral foam.
• Be sure NOT to push the floral foam down or hold the brick under the water.
• Just place the floral foam on the water and walk away. Trust that it will soak up all the water it needs all by itself. When it is ready it will be underwater.

3. Place floral foam into the container and secure.

• Use waterproof floral tape to secure the soaked floral foam into the container (not pictured)
• Alternatively, you can just smoosh it down really well – making it sure it’s a nice snug fit like I did here.

4. Decide the order in which you will be arranging your flowers.

• You want to place the largest blooms into the foam FIRST as they take up the most space, leaving the smaller blooms until the end.

5. Trim your flowers as you begin arranging.

• You want them to be about 2-3 inches taller than the floral foam itself.
• Be sure to cut the stems at a diagonal to allow the most surface area for water absorption.

 

6. Take your largest yellow roses and stick them in the foam firmly.

• Once a flower goes into the floral foam DO NOT pull it out. Do not wiggle it around, Do Not pull it out even a smidge. You want to make sure that the stem has full contact with the floral foam around it so that it can drink up as much water as possible. Pulling the flower out, even a tiny bit will create a pocket of air and the flower will not be able to drink, causing it to die. 😖 💀

 

7. Arrange one flower type at a time.

• To avoid a potentially uneven arrangement, place all of one type of flower evenly around the vessel before moving to the next flower type. This will help ensure a uniform look from all angles.
• Continue until you can no longer see any floral foam.

 

 

8. Fill in any holes and add greenery to the base.

• Turn your arrangement around and look for any gaps that need to be filled. Use your own judgment on what that missing spot really needs, you totally got this!
• Stick extra foliage or greenery around the base of the arrangement, underneath. A lot of people like to do it first but I prefer to do it last. Doing it last allows me to only add what I need, and not take up valuable floral foam real estate with the leafy stuff.

Admire your work!

Feel confident that you are a humble human and that your mistakes are not who you are. They are going to love this gesture (and that sincere apology!) This yellow roses DIY floral arrangement is the perfect ice breaker to opening hearts and minds to an apology.

I hope you found this helpful. If you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment below!

So now it’s your turn! If you try this, tag me at @goldengluegun