004: Wild Flower Boat

This week's WFT, I went back to my favorite neighborhood flower shop, Fleur de Lis again.  I had some idea for an arrangement w/ roses prior to going in since I loved the roses they had last time I was there, but I came home with a whole bunch of different flowers.  It is just like cooking.  I usually have some ideas of what to cook for dinner before going to the grocery store.  But often times, I see what's fresh and appetizing at the store and change the entire menu.  So this time, that's what happened.  They had wonderful Daffodils for only 50 cents a stem!  I got three to use as a backdrop, then I got a stem of chic purple Lenten Rose and lighter purple Anemone.   So the whole scheme all the sudden became more wild-looking arrangement than I originally planned.  I also got a stem of green that is apparently a family of Orchid, which has tiny cute flowers on the tips.

I wasn't sure which vase I should have used at that time when I was picking these flowers but I was sure I could find something.  It turned out it was pretty hard to find one.  I spent a good 30 minutes searching for the best vase and I ended up using a sauce boat by Eva Zeisel that we had potpourri in.  I love the shape of this bowl.  However, because it has a "handle" in the middle, it was quite challenging how to balance the front and the back.  I eventually managed to put everything in after a couple of attempts.  After the struggle, the Lenten Roses started to bend over.  Apparently, they are not very good with absorbing water...  I looked it up online and found a very easy fix.  Just wrap the flowers with newspaper and cut the stems in warm water (about 120F) and let it sit until the water gets cool off.  And it worked!!  I love the color of the Lenten Roses that I got.  It's very "mature" color.  They come in different colors like green and white as well.  My mother grow them in her garden and told me it's very easy to handle.  I would like to try planting in my terrace for the next season.

The finish piece really looks like a boat of freshly cut garden flowers.  I enjoy a small "garden" in my living room a lot:)