Okay, gang, remember those floral arrangements from last week? Well they were DIY, of COURSE! How else can a woman make two bouquets on a very tight budget?! Wanna see how you can make one too?

My amazing co-class mama suggested flowers for one of the days of Teacher Appreciation Week, but arrangements are SO PRICEY, right? Easily $50 each for a modest arrangement. But we ended up making two arrangements for $25 total!

Start with two bunches of flowers from the grocery store. Choose colors that work nicely together or go for a monochromatic palette. The dozen roses were $10 (thank you, Mother’s Day approaching!), and the mixed bouquet was $15.

I used two rounded square glass vases (cost: free because I had them on hand), but any tall or short vase you choose will work, just trim the flower stems accordingly. Use tape to create a simple “frog” across the tops of the vases. These help give a secure framework for your flowers when arranging.

The way to tackle floral arranging is to start with the big flowers, then work your way down, adding your pops of color near the end (pink roses, in this case), and constantly turning the vase as you work to fill in gaps and get a pleasingly balanced composition.

Since my vase was short, I cut my stems short. Remember to remove the leaves–they end up getting gunky and gross in the water. A quick and simple method is to run your hand down around the stem, starting near the bloom, stripping the stem of its leaves in one fell swoop. Cut roses at an angle and immediately run the ends under water so they can take a nice drink at the cut point.

And before you know it, you’ll have all kinds of gorgeousness!

I adore these as a get-well, anniversary, or birthday gift. And they are so fun and easy to create!

…Not to mention the savings over a retail arrangement!

DIY wedding, anyone?

Now that’s bit of all right! Wheeeeeee!