Easter Prep | Part 2 - DIY Floral Centerpieces With Kelli Walker Of Country Bouquets Floral
We are jumping head first into the second part of our Easter Prep Series, tabletop floral decor! After selecting your table settings, these are the pretty final details to really bring your tablescape to life. I’m not a florist, but as a wedding planner, I have seen a ton of beautiful floral at the events I have designed and have such an appreciation for the talents of those who shine in the floral industry. I wanted to create a step by step tutorial for you to be able to create some pieces you are proud of in the comfort of your own home and with flowers that you can source at your local shopping center. So, my dear friend Kelli Walker, of Country Bouquets Floral teamed up with me to make this happen. So, get your vases ready, your clippers sharpened and get ready to create!
Kelli is another Female Illuminator I am delighted to highlight and I am so thankful to her for sharing her time and expertise with us! If you missed my mentions about Female Illuminators, feel free to head here to my Instagram to the announcement of this exciting new addition to the blog. Female Illuminators are extraordinary women who are exceptional entrepreneurs, excel at their craft and run their business with a heart that inspires. They are professionals that I admire, who enrich lives and make this world a better place. By sharing their talents with us, you get to learn something valuable and I get to highlight hardworking, magnificent women who are so worthy of being on your radar. It is a win-win for everyone! Kelli is the perfect example of this.
I met Kelli years ago in the wonderful world of weddings and immediately was drawn to her heart and incredibly beautiful work. As a flower farmer, she understands botany from the root up (pun totally and cheesily intended) and as a florist, she understands what makes an exquisite arrangement. Her eye for detail and her heart for her clients makes working with her fun and the end result breathtakingly beautiful. Kelli has come through as a visionary for me time and time again, never failing to impress me with her creations or her willingness to try something new. She loves life at home with two teenage daughters who bring her such joy and her hubby who keeps laughter central in their relationship. The reside in the beautiful Skagit Valley, right smack dab in the midst of the tulip fields. You can find Kelli in the garden daily, in the kitchen cooking and baking pies and finding solace doing puzzles. She shared with me that her garden is her meditative space and she enjoys deep thoughts with her hands in the earth. Beyond arranging, Kelli uses flowers to dye fabrics, make lotions and oils, and dries them for crafts and other projects. Each spring, she embarks on major projects in an effort to improve the garden. Her focus this year is landscape fabric to calm the weeds and next she may just add a bee hive!
I always love to ask my guests about the heart of their business and Kelli shared this with me. “Flowers have been my passion since I was young. Raised in a family of gardeners, I remember choosing seed packets from the farm store each spring. The anticipation of the flowers blooming, all that color and fragrance in the garden, was so thrilling to me! Nature still provides me with constant inspiration, the way a branch is shaped or a flower is bobbing in the breeze. I strive to translate that feeling into my designs, creating florals that look as though they were just picked from the garden. Over the years, my careers have changed but I've always had my hand in growing flowers. It wasn't until my daughters were born 13+ years ago that I finally had the courage to focus solely on wedding and floral design. No retail store or deliveries like a traditional florist. My studio is in a small barn, next to my gardens. Though I do purchase flowers from other growers for my design work, my favorite part of the process is walking in my gardens and choosing flowers that take the design from pretty to extraordinary.”
Make sure to follow along with Kelli on social media (Instagram: @countrybouquetsfloral) to see what she is doing in her garden as the seasons progress. She will be sharing more about using flowers from your own gardens to create arrangements for your homes. She also offers private lessons, and of course, floral for parties, weddings and just because! Her website is www.countrybouquetsfloral.com
I had the pleasure of spending time at Kelli’s studio as she put these arrangements together for us, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!
Floral Design #1 Simple Spring Bud Vases
[From Kelli] Perfect for long dining tables, this design is bursting with cheerful color.
Supplies Needed:
Floral shears
Bud Vases
Forsythia
Daffodils
You can find garden shears at your local garden store and bud vases at your local craft store. A couple favorites of mine are linked above through my Amazon Associate shop. (If you purchase them through Amazon, I do receive a small commission.)
These flowers can easily be found locally this time of year. Pick some from your yard, a local nursery or shop at your local grocer like Haggen or Trader Joes who likely will have these options.
Tutorial:
Gather your bud vases
Fill the vases ¾ full with clean, cool water.
Cut the flower stems at an angle, so there is more surface space for the flower to drink from.
Place 1-2 stems in each vase, varying the heights.
Floral Design #2 Easter Tulips
[From Kelli] Tulips and Easter are connected for me. Guess that’s because I live out by the tulip fields! I can’t tell you how many times Easter has fallen on a Tulip Festival weekend. This arrangement idea is perfect for a round table or for someone who wants a larger arrangement style.
Supplies Needed:
Floral shears
Large vase
Small vases
Tulips
Mixed greens
[From Kelli] Vases can be found at craft stores, home decor stores, Target, Dollar Store, etc. My favorite shape is one that is an inverted cone, wider at the top and narrows to a point at the bottom. This shape allows the flowers to fan out into a perfect round shape.
I’ve also linked a few you can order from Amazon that would work well for this arrangement.
[From Kelli] Pick the tulips from your yard or look for them at your local grocery store or from a road-side stand. Mixed greenery can be from bushes in your yard, from the grocery store or from your house plants. I use them often!
Tutorial:
Fill the vases ¾ full with clean, cool water.
Cut the flower stems at an angle, so there is more surface space for the flower to drink from.
Start by placing a few greenery branches around the base of the design.
4. Add the tulips in a spiral pattern, varying the height a bit with the center tulips being taller than the outer edge ones.
5. Tuck in a few additional greens with a varying leaf shape to add visual interest.
6. Add your extra greens into the smaller vases and place them at the base of the larger design.
[From Kelli] One thing to know about tulips is that they are one of the few flowers that continues to grow after they have been picked. Don’t be surprised to see your flowers arching out of the vase a few days later, their stems having grown several inches since you placed them in there originally!
Floral Design #3 Hellebore Heaven
[From Kelli] Hellebores, or Lenten Rose, are a popular cut flower right now. You’ve probably seen them on Instagram or in a magazine. They are a great cold-hardy plant that blooms during the season of Lent, therefore its common name. I just added several more of these great plants to my garden, to a shady patch near my front door. You can find hellebore plants at garden stores like Christianson’s Nursery. I’ve seen them recently at Fred Meyer and Haggen. Not sure if you can buy them as a cut flower. By purchasing them as a plant, you can enjoy them again next year when they bloom again!
Supplies Needed:
Floral shears
Short, squatty vase
Chicken wire
Hellebore
Blooming Branches
Eggs (if desired)
[From Kelli] The vase I purchased from a vintage store. You can use any vase you like. Because hellebores have shorter stems (less than 12” typically), I chose a shorter vase. This way, I can vary them by height.
Tutorial
Gather your vase and chicken wire. Since we are using a vase with a rather wide opening, we are going to use the chicken wire inside of the vase to help hold the stems in place and give the arrangement a nice shape. This method allows you to use fewer flowers in your design and keeps it looking nice and full. Chicken wire is a great, eco friendly alternative to floral foam. Simply make a ball with your chicken wire and tuck it inside of your vase. Then fill it 3/4 full with cool, clean water.
2. Hellebores do not last long as cut flowers, at least until the flower has matured and dropped its center stamens. Cut them at an angle, to help them drink water better. Or cut/split the bottom of the stem in half, again to help it drink more water.
3.Arrange the stems so some flowers lean over the edge of the vase. Place a few in the center, at varying heights.
4. Add in stems of flowering branches for interest. The ones we used in the picture are plum that opened the next day after we took the pictures!
5. For a little added Easter flair, add some eggs around the vase and tuck in a few hellebore blooms for pretty soft pops to compliment their shape.
I hope this has inspired you to start creating and given you the tools to feel empowered to make something that feels just like you. I know your Easter table is going to be just beautiful!
A special thank you to Kelli for your time and hard work in bringing this all to life for our readers. You are exceptional and it is a delight to know you.
I thought I’d end with a peek for you at some of Kelli’s gorgeous work.
Make sure to stay tuned next week for the final part in this series, The Menu! An inspired menu put together just for you by another Female Illuminator, Brooke Perez, of Table Catering.
