Peonies and Limes Centerpiece DIY

The stylish Mandy Kellogg Rye of Waiting on Martha created the most gorgeous centerpiece of peonies, key limes, and greenery for the summer issue of Delighted. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to make your own statement piece for your next event.

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Photos by Rustic White Photography









SUPPLIES
Peonies
Euca Willow
Greeny Dianthus Barb
Viumum Opulus
Key Limes
Tape
Floral Scissors
Foam Oasis Bricks or Individual Vases
Skewers or Plant Stakes (kabob skewers from the grocery store work!)
Large Vase (Pottery Barn's Whittier Mercury Glass Vase is used here)

STEPS
1. Fill the vase with warm water. Warm water helps to speed along the blooming process which helps if your peonies are not yet open.
2. Apply tape to the top of your vase in a large criss-cross pattern. If you are using a smaller vase, this step isn't necessary.
3. Trim the leaves off of the peonies, only leaving a few at the top of the flower. Then trim the height of the peonies to fit your vase size. You want them to fill the vase as evenly as possible. When cutting flowers, always cut on a 45-degree angle and above the nodes or joints.
4. Place peonies evenly into the criss-cross tape pattern on your vase.
5. Trim the dianthus and viumum opulus and begin placing into the holes between the peonies. The stems of the viumum opulus may not touch the water, so you can either fill individual vessels full of water for these or soak your foam oasis brick in water and position it high enough in the vase to allow the stems to reach it.
6. Skewer the limes onto the skewers or plant stakes and place into the vase through the arrangement.
7. Cut 1-2 stems of euca willow, then carefully lift the peonies and insert them into the front of the vase.

Note: Depending on how open your peonies are, this arrangement should last 4-8 days.

Colorful Summer Centerpiece DIY

Create these cheerful, striped centerpieces with just a few supplies. The finished product will make a darling addition to your next outdoor party table setting. Thank you to Stacey of The Sunday Sparkle for the tutorial and photos! See the full feature in the summer issue of Delighted.

Follow The Sunday Sparkle on Facebook and Pinterest

SUPPLIES
Mod Podge
Paint Brush
Glass Bottles (try these from Shop Sweet Lulu)
Embroidery Twine (from you local craft store)

DIRECTIONS
1. With your paintbrush, add a thin coat of mod podge to the glass surface.
 2. Cut a long strand of twine in your desired color. The length depends on how wide and how think you want your stripe. You can always add or cut your strand.
3. Place strand end in your glue, press down with your finger. Begin wrapping around the bottle, making sure your strands lay right next to each other to create a smooth look.
4. Finish your strand by adding a bit more glue to the end and press down firmly for a few seconds. 
5. Continue the process till you are finished and allow the glue to set before adding flowers.
6. Add as many colors as you desire, starting and ending the wrapping process in the same way.

Note: The twine can be reused for another project by carefully removing it from the glass bottle. Then soak the glass bottles and scrub off the mod podge glue. 

Gardenia and succulent box

Tomorrow is May 1 (can you believe it?) and that means May Day! The old tradition of leaving flowers on a friend or neighbor's doorstep on May Day is a sweet one. Have you ever surprised someone with flowers? Here is a beautiful way to do so. Thank you to Kiana Underwood of Tulipina for the tutorial.

SUPPLIES
- A 9x9 (or smaller) wooden box layered with plastic insert to avoid leakage
- 5-6 floral water tubes
- Mini vases/vessels
- A pair of scissors
- Gardenias on the stem
- Succulents
- Geranium leaves and other greens of your choosing

 STEP 1
Begin by placing the mini vases inside the box and filling them with water, then fill them with the geranium leaves and your other greens.


STEPS 2 & 3
Place the succulents within the vases so that they are randomly and naturally distributed. Fill the floral water tubes with water and place the gardenias inside. Then add them to the box amongst the vases as space permits.



STEP 4
Ensure that the box is filled with flowers and greens in each corner as well as the center and that there are no remaining empty areas.




This box will be a beautiful piece to leave on a friend’s doorstep and should last about 7-10 days. The gardenias will smell lovely and the succulents can later be planted in soil and will continue to grow.




Kiana Underwood is the owner of Tulipina, a boutique floral design studio in San Francisco, California specializing in chic events. Kiana’s unique approach to design blends a natural and organic garden style with creative and eclectic design. She is also the editor of floral blog Naked Bouquet, which focuses on design and creative DIYs. When not designing, Kiana enjoys reading, playing the piano, and being a busy mother of three.
Follow Kiana: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Photos by Heather Zweig

Floral Jewelry DIY

Here's a creative idea from the talented Madeline Trait of

By Madeline Trait

. A great option for giving a friend flowers on May Day (which is next Wednesday!). See the feature in the spring issue of

Delighted

.

SUPPLIES

Flowers  Choose one to two larger blooms and 2-3 smaller flowers or foliage. Be creative and add dried seed pods, feathers, etc.

Glue  Oasis floral adhesive and hot glue

Ribbon  Approximately 1 yard

Heavy Fabric  Canvas or felt should work. You want something that's going to be stiff and hold its shape.

DIRECTIONS

On your fabric, draw a semi-circle shape that is 6-7" wide and not taller than 4". This will be the backing. Try it around your own neck or wrist to be sure it fits well. It should sit just under your collarbone. 

Cut your ribbon into two and tie it to the skinny ends of your fabric. A square not should do. To make sure it holds, add a drop of hot glue to the underside of the ribbon where it touches your fabric backing. This will be your "chain" for your necklace. You can also make the ribbon longer and make a belt out of it or a dog collar for a K-9 friend.

Once you have your backing done, start laying out your flowers and other items on your backing. When you are happy with how it looks, start gluing. Note: floral adhesive can get a bit messy. Try using a toothpick or a small applicator to add glue to your flowers instead of the tube. As you glue the flowers and pods on the fabric, try it on every-once-in-a-while so to ensure it falls correctly on your chest.

Give the flowers a quick spray with water, wrap and deliver! Depending on the flowers you use, your necklace should last a day. If you use flowers that dry nicely, the recipient can dry the piece and wear it all the time! 

Concept and Styling by

Madeline Trait

Photos by

Caroline Winata

Spring Flower Box DIY

Shaleah Soliven of the blog, The Gold Jellybean, created a fun (and cheerful!) DIY to do with your kids! Visit

The Gold Jellybean

for more project ideas...you won't be disappointed.

SUPPLIES

Bright Colored Felt

Yarn

Glue

Small Craft Dowels

Balsa wood

Paint

Block of foam

STEP 1

The first thing to do is create your flowers. The older kids can help with this part, and the younger ones can have fun watching the bright blooms come to life. There are various methods to making felt flowers, and here are just a couple I made. You can get creative with it, using fringed felt strips rolled around your craft dowels or cutting out individual petals and glueing each to a dowel. Heart shaped petals are easy to cutout and make pretty flowers.

STEP 2

I also added a spring bunting to our garden, anchored with yarn pompoms. To make this, I wrapped yarn around a fork about 60+ times, then secured it in the center with string. Tie the looped yarn tightly at it's center. Next, use scissors to cut all the loops, then fluff the yarn to create a ball. Trim any long strands, and finish off by glueing the pompoms to wooden dowels. Add a fun bunting of your choice.

STEP 3

Now it's time to make the box. Starting with the wood, cut pieces to size using your foam block as a guide. Then paint both sides of each piece. Set aside to dry.

STEP 4

While the wood dries, paint the top of your foam green. The idea is to cover the foam with felt flowers and greens, but this paint with camouflage any foam that may peek through. Set this aside to dry as well.

STEP 5

When all the paint is dry, assemble the box. Use glue to adhere each wood side to the foam. Be careful with this step, especially if you’re using hot glue. It’s best the kiddos watch this step.

STEP 6

Once your glue has set, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get planting! Keep going until you fill your entire planter box with your colorful blooms. The little ones can have lots of fun with this. They can plant, pick, and then re-plant their beautiful flowers!

This feature is in the Spring issue of

Delighted

Photos and concept by Shaleah Soliven of

The Gold Jellybean

How To: Cocktail Napkins

The countdown for Christmas is going strong but there is still some time to make a few gifts! If you like to sew, why not try making these pretty linen cocktail napkins? Jan Gutierrez of Rufflewood gives easy instructions for making a set to give away...and you can always make a few extras to keep for yourself! See page 50 of Delighted's winter issue for the full feature.















MATERIALS
Fabric (a natural fiber such as cotton or linen is most absorbant)Sharp Fabric Scissors
Ruler or Tape Measure
Seam Ripper or Straight Pin



DIRECTIONS
First, cut the selvages off the edge of your fabric. Measure 11 inches from that edge and mark it. Then, to be sure your fabric is on the straight of grain, make a snip at that mark and separate one thread from the edge of that snip and gently pull till it is completely out of the fabric, creating a perfect cut line. Cut right on that line. If your fabric is not on the straight of grain, your fringe will be crooked and you’ll struggle later when you’re pulling away the threads.

Do the same on all four edges. Then sew a short-stitched narrow zigzag or decorative stitch all the way around, about 1/2-inch from the edge.

Gently pull one thread away at a time using a seam ripper or pin, until the zigzag prevents you from pulling any more. Repeat this process on all four sides. Iron it flat and smooth, and fold in half and in half again.

Roll napkins together, wrap with a ribbon and give!

Tutorial and Photos courtesy of Rufflewood.

How-To: Faux Bois Napkin Rings

I am so pleased to share a DIY Christmas gift idea from the talented Erin Souder of the blog House of Earnest. In the winter issue of Delighted (see page 49) she gives step-by-step instructions for creating faux bois napkin rings which are not only useful but oh-so pretty!

MATERIALS
Oven Bake Clay
Rubber Wood Grain Stamp

DIRECTIONS
Each block of clay makes four napkin rings. Start by cutting the block into four pieces and rolling each piece out on a non-stick silicone baking mat. Roll each piece into a strip approximately 5 inches by 2 inches.  Transfer the strips to a self healing mat or cutting board to cut each one to a 4 inch by 1.5 inch rectangle.  

Transfer back to the non-stick mat to apply the faux bois effect. Stamp each rectangle with your wood grain stamp. Carefully peel the clay from the mat and loop the strip into a ring.  Press the ends together and carefully place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 275-degrees, ensuring that the rings go into the oven just as you'd like them to come out. 

As soon as they come out of the oven, they'll still be a little playable, so be careful not to squish them. After the rings have cooled, they'll be fully hardened and ready to give. Pair the napkin rings with a set of cloth napkins and you're all set for giving!


Tutorial and Photos courtesy of Erin Souder, House of Earnest