Today we are pleased to welcome Sandra de Ovando as a guest blogger. When Sandra opened her boutique on Bleecker Street here in New York in 2003, it immediately attracted a great deal of attention for its sleek, dark interior, vibrant and innovative floral arrangements, and beautiful vases. I was so excited to hear that Sandra opened another gorgeous shop on East 65th Street and I thought this would be a great time to ask her to contribute to our blog.

Have you started writing up your holiday gift lists? As a floral designer, it comes as no surprise that I’m partial to gifts involving flowers and gardening. But what might be even more inspiring is not just a gorgeous arrangement in and of itself, but offering your friends and loved ones the knowledge on how to make that arrangement! So for those of you who can’t make it to Ovando’s December 15 floral arranging class, here are a few tips and tricks on how to create a beautiful seasonal arrangement. You might consider printing these instructions on a pretty holiday card and then giving it alongside a DIY floral kit including these ingredients:

Ingredients:

1. 1-by-1-foot Styrofoam block
2. 2 kiri wood containers (6 by 12 inches)
3. 9 red roses
4. 9 red carnations
5. sixty-six 2-inch shiny red Christmas ornament balls
6. sixty-seven 2-inch frosted red Christmas ornament balls
7. floral knife
8. floral clippers

Directions:

Using a floral knife, carefully cut lengthwise down the center of your Styrofoam block. Place each 6-by-12-inch styrofoam block into each kiri wood container. Measure your flower stems against the side of the vase. Cut the flower stems at the appropriate length so that the stems end at the top rim of the vase. Carefully pinch your flower stems into the Styrofoam in three rows of three. Then begin to arrange your Christmas ornament balls on the opposite side of the container. We settled the shiny ornaments on the bottom layer of the rose arrangement (in rows of six by six) but then decided to switch it up and use the shiny ornaments on the top layer of the carnation arrangement (in rows of five by six). This offers an interesting inverse relationship aesthetic, and it also creates a fun parallel between the use of the two types of red flowers.

There you have it! The recipient of your special gift gets to have fun making a beautiful arrangement and then admire it as well for days to come!

Check out a few other holiday arrangement ideas for more inspiration!

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1 Snow White

2 Holiday Cheer

3 All That Glitters