HOW TO CREATE A ROMANTIC FRENCH ROSE ARRANGEMENT

Beautifully arranged, lush floral arrangements bring romance and life to every decor, don't you think so too? Flowers, especially roses, have been associated with beauty and perfection for centuries. Their velvety soft petals unfurling just make me happy. When I look at them, I can't help but think what beauty God created for us to enjoy. And be grateful. I've been going to our local flower market each week to gather armfuls of flowers. Mostly for FrenchGardenHouse photo shoots. At least that's what I'm telling myself. Because if I'm honest, the more our outside world gets chaotic, the more I want to be sure to surround my little family with as much beauty and softness as I can. For this arrangement, I chose these elegant French apricot roses, some richly toned marsala spray roses, and purple hued Queen Anne's Lace. And cut great branches of seeded eucalyptus from the huge tree that grows in front of our house. Cutting branches, and flowers from your own garden to add to a flower arrangement is really a wonderful way to save some money. But also to make the flowers personal, and more your own. When I lived in Europe, flowers were not just a luxury. Every single household, every single one, had at least one fresh flower arrangement in the living room. It seemed that every woman in France, and all of Europe, knew how to achieve beauty with a simple bouquet of flowers. I learned how to create a beautiful flower arrangement using a few handy tricks. {and yes! I'm sharing them with you today. of course!} It's not difficult, at all, trust me. First chose flowers that compliment each other. French floral bouquets get their elegant savoir-faire from how colors compliment each other, and an overall simplicity. Choose flowers in two, or three colors, at most, and one filler or greenery. *To make sure you are buying the freshest roses, feel the buds by squeezing gently, they should feel firm. Use the right tools. Oh, this makes all the difference! For years I worked Valentine's Day for a good friend who owned a floral shop to help her out because her business was a crazy-thing for a few days per year. We must have created over 400 rose arrangements each time. Phew! Luckily, I met this little gem. Meant to easily strip rose stems of thorns and leaves, it's a life {and hand} saver. You can buy it at a floral supply store. Or on Amazon. So easy to use, if you didn't know about this little gem before, you will be excited! There are plenty of new models, I just use an old-fashioned inexpensive one, this one has worked for me for over 20 years. Prepare your roses to fully open in your arrangement. This is something I learned from my slave labor Valentine helping days. Roses have several outer protection or cover leaves, they are generally less pretty and shorter, simply pull those off when you are working with the flowers. Begin with greens. Arrange a "collar" of greens in an "x" formation, making sure that the stems criss cross and going towards an imaginary central point. Start adding in the flowers one by one, still making those "x"'s. Now you are ready to add your other colored flowers, this is really where you can have fun with your creativity. Just keep adding flowers, pop in a few more greens, and you end up with a gorgeous flower arrangement any French woman would be thrilled to display in her home! Isn't this so pretty? It's the perfect color for this time of year, when the calendar still says "summer" but my heart says A U T U M N! If you have never created your own arrangement of flowers, these small tips help get you on your way. I hope to get you arranging beautiful floral arrangements in no time! Looking for the perfect antique or vintage vase? I love flowers so much that at FrenchGardenHouse we always have different, unusual antique vases for you to create your beautiful flower designs with. {Put "vase" in the search box at FrenchGardenHouse.com} . ARE YOU READY TO CREATE YOUR OWN LUXURIOUS ROSE ARRANGEMENT? LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES! Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com.