My Journey through Floral Design

This is my journey through taking a Distant Leaning class in Floral Design. My last posts are my latest designs, and the first posts are my first lessons. I have grown through my experience and have learned so much. I especially enjoyed doing the bridal bouquets.

This took me 4 months to complete, but now I am certified as a floral designer. I will add more posts as I create more designs in the future.

♥ Denise

Final Designs Module 15 Arrangement, Bud Vase & Corsage

Comments on my last and final module #15 (from Lyn Ann)

Bud vase:

Beautiful scale to your roses. You have spaced each one consistently. And the overall form is in good proportion to the vase. To improve, keep the tallest rose straight up and down over binding point for better visual balance. Foliage and filler flower fills in the form and unifies. Stems appear to be left long in the vase- good work here.

Arrangement:

Great job with the color harmony and texture. Scale is perfect. The radial line of flowers provide a strong accent, interest and harmony. The foliages give the design a relaxed feeling that blends to your primary line of flowers. To improve, try to balance of foliage lengths to the your flowers lengths a bit more smoothly to create better visual support. As the design is now the foliages seem to overwhelm a little. Keeping flowers a little longer or shortening foliages would help blend them more fluently. Using leaves inside the vase is a good choice to create additional interest.

Corsage:

Wiring is done well. Taping is thin and tidy. To improve, try to create a stronger backbone. It is slightly weak and flops around too much. As you add individual wired flowers or foliages to the first stem, start higher up and work your way down so that a stronger construction forms at the back. This will help naturally create a stronger bond when combining your materials. The bow is in good scale, consider making a smaller loop at the center to conceal wire. " Total practical score is 96%. Written exam is 100%.

My average overall Floral Design score is 98%!

Not bad for a beginner! I enjoyed my experience studying floral design from the Floral Design Institute Distant Learning Program. My favorite designs were wedding flowers and European designs.

I hope to have an opportunity to designs flowers in the future! ♥

Basket Arrangement $37.50

Comments from my teacher: "Materials are consistently covering the form providing rhythm. To improve on line within your design- design vertically by working materials into a terraced line above the handle of the basket. This will provide height, higher perceived value and create interest by using flowers to their fullest advantage. The color harmony and texture are very pleasing."

I did my best with this, but I had the flu that day, so this is where I could improve and follow directions better.

Vase Arrangement $32.50

Comments from my teacher: "This is a fabulous design! Well done. The accent is perfect. The form is well balanced and line through design has beautiful rhythmn. Creating height vertically can give the perceived notion of a higher value- you did a wonderful job with this."

I liked this design, I guess because I was able to create it for myself and stay within budget. Whew!

Landscape & Formal Linear Arrangements

I didn't enjoy doing these arrangements. I thought they were different and foreign to me. I did get good feedback and my instructor liked the placement of the materials.

European Flemish Interpretation

This one has better spacing. Roses would've been better grouping & sequencing with sunflowers toward center for greater impact for focal area.

Botanical/Landscape Design

Each quandrant has a nice section of material. Improve by having more negative space & height with flower groupings to create better form & depth. Kind of interesting design.

Flemish Arrangement

This has great harmony. It needs to improve spacing by spreading out the materials to allow depth & texture.

Ikebana & Vertical Arrangements

This was created correctly, but I needed to tilt the Iris heads upward to visually connect them. The vertical arrangement looks okay, but the Delphinium needed to be taller for an accent. This isn't my favorite type of flower arranging, but I learned some interesting things about Ikebana (Japanese) and negative space.

Pew Bow Clip

The bow blended beautifully with the roses in the arrangement. Excellent structure of loops, etc.!

Wired Body Flowers

My Boutonniere was fine, Corsage (with yellow roses) needed to form a longer line and stretch out the roses more. Halo was dones nicely and evenly , however, a personal comment was I hated using the 26 gauge wire... so flimsy, and I thought the foliage was too big. Next time I will change these things. The glued corsage was easier to make and turned out well. I prefer this method when making corsages.

Cascade Bridal Bouquet

This was one of my most favorite projects to do. It was labor intensive, but the outcome was just beautiful! This would sell starting at $88. and go up from there. I received a very good score for this project! Yeah!

Round Bridal Bouquet

I enjoyed this projected and received high marks for execution. It was a little tricky doing a bouquet, but it was worth the effort. I like the wedding flowers, especially this module #9!

Hand-tied Rose Bouquet

This bouquet was nicely executed! Yeah!

3 Roses in a Bud vase

I received a positive comment on this arrangement also, but a comment to make it better would've been putting the smallest bud at the top and largest bloom near the bottom. This would retail about $35. I made mine for approx. $4.

12 Roses in a Vase

This was a fun project arranging 12 roses in a regular vase. It turned out nice and I received a very high grade. Something like this would cost somewhere between $60-$80. retail! I think I made it for about $14.

Glamellia

I created this Glamellia (or composite flower) from Gladiola's that have been pulled apart, then glued back together with cold glue. It forms this kind of giant carnation looking flower. It is an old-fashioned style used in the 50's that is trying to make a come back. Composite flowers can be made from roses too. I was given an excellent score for this flower... whew!

Casket Spray

This is the same Casket spray I made (front & back). I was large and cumbersome as the others. Comments made from my instructors were: great overall design. I just needed to snap off some of the excess Gladiola buds, because they are too leggy.

Easel Design

This Easel design went a little more smoothly. A suggestion was made that I incorporate more foliage through the middle of design. It was somewhat difficult to do... learning lesson, use a large towel on floor to catch drips! Funeral arrangements are not so hard, but BIG!

Large Symmetrical (Slumber room) Arrangement

My first attempt at a large arrangement. It looks okay, but after I had it graded, it was pointed out that my Gladiolas could be separated more and should be longer. The Alstroemeria fills in nicely along with the bow. It was fun to do, but cumbersome!

Basket Arrangement

This arrangement in a basket turned out well, except the same problem again! I need to trim the foliages, and the line flowers need to be straight up and down. When will I ever learn! The line flowers could also have been a bit taller. The roses are placed nicely though! ☺

Vase Arrangement

OK this was a different style of arrangement. Using a vase and foliage creating a nest for the flowers. The critique I received on this arrangement was that my flowers stems were too short, and foliages need to be trimmed. I tend to have that problem. The Veronica would have looked nicer lower in the arrangement to break the line of the container. Another first attempt at something like this.

Bows

This was just simply learning how to make bows. This came easily to me without too many problems. The trick it twist after each loop, then tie off with wire. Simply done! These are made with floral ribbon #3.

Coffee Mug Arrangement

Next was to create a small arrangement using a mug. The flowers appear to be leaning to the right (but maybe perhaps the whole photo is leaning to the right). I needed to keep to a center focal point and have the tallest flower straight and vertical. Still learning!

Novelty Arrangement

Next we were asked to create an arrangement in a Novelty container. This is the one that was sent to me. It looked okay, except the foliage needed to be trimmed back a bit. Using foam is really nice for placement, but needed to be watered more often than a vase.

Western Line Arrangement

I finished off Module #3 with a "Western Line" arrangement. I really have a difficult time seeing the difference between the Asymmetrical and Western Line. They both have interesting angles. I am still learning....

Asymmetrical line

This design was a little interesting to do. It is an "L" shape or asymmetrical. It was a little difficult to get the design concept down. I just followed along with the DVD and it turned out ok. I didn't have the exact correct or recommended flowers, but the blue Delphinium look nice with the mums.

Fresh Oval Centerpiece

This is my oval centerpiece. I used white carnations, yellow solidaster, hypericum, leather leaf fern, pittosporum and salal leaf. It looks bit mangy and could be tighter. I am still on a learning curve. It is only lesson 2.

Basic Fresh Round Centerpiece

This is my first attempt at using fresh flowers. It looks okay, but the flower stems should be a bit shorter and the greens cut down. It almost looks more oval than a round. It's okay. I am still learning. I gave several of these away for the 4th of July. It was fun!