Here in Australia it's Spring, the birds are super busy nest building, flowers are opening en masse and the air is warming with the promise of Summer.
Inspired by all the activity I created a Spring centrepiece that I have decided to use in my entry way, where my dedicated seasonal space is the focus every time I walk through the front door.
It's easy to do and I've included step by step instructions if you want to DIY your own celebration of Spring, or switch out the flowers for Autumn leaves and dried seed pods for those in the northern hemisphere.
I added a sweet little swing tag as I envisaged this being a lovely arrangement you might have bought as you passed a florists stand, whilst wandering through a farmers market on a sunny Saturday morning.
This will be a visual tutorial for the most part as a picture as we all know speaks a thousand words!
You will need:
A container of choice - I used a vintage double brick mould
Enough florists 'oasis' for dry flowers to fit into your container
A variety of faux greenery and lavender flowers
A roll of hessian twine or string
Double sided tape
Paper swing tag or craft card in a light neutral colour
Some small bunny or bird ornaments
Step 2: Cut your florists foam to fit the shape of your container using a bread knife. It's fairly easy to cut and better to cut a few times than make it too small as you want it to fit firmly in your container. If after your best effort the foam is a bit loose you can stick it in place with some double sided tape on the base or jam a few off cuts of foam around the edges.
Make sure to have the foam a little below the edge of your container so it doesn't show when finished.
Step 3: Start arranging your greenery around the edges of the foam, angling it down to hang over the edges of the container a little, vary the distance in you place these pieces for a more natural look.
Follow this by adding in your lavender flowers upright in the centre and leaning a little at the edges, vary the angles and depths.
At this stage before it gets too full, place your bunny figurines near the edges to see where they will look best, you don't need too many bunnies, just enough to add interest. I used one alone on one side and 2 grouped on the other and used a variety of bunnies in different poses.
Step 4: Once you have decided on the final placement of your bunnies, remove them and cut a piece of double sided tape to fit each of their bases, stick them on, then place each bunny in position pressing down firmly to secure the other side of the tape to the foam. The tape will stop your bunnies flying off onto the floor and breaking if the centrepiece gets knocked or moved.
Step 5: Finish off your design by adding in the longer greenery to fill all the gaps between the flowers making sure not to completely cover the bunnies, but to make them appear they are peaking out from the greenery.
Step 6: Wrap your jute twine around the container and tie off firmly in a bow at one corner, repeat to have two strands of twine. If your container is slippery and the twine won't stay in place you can used a little tape to secure the twine in an area that won't be noticeable when on display, a piece of doubled over clear tape placed under the twine will not be too obvious if your display is viewable from all sides.
Step 7: Create a swing tag using old card or a blank paper tag like I used.
I taped my tags to the corner of a piece of A4 light weight card on one side and at the leading edge that would enter the printer. I then used my computer to design some text for the tag in a light brown colour. I arranged the text on the computer page to match up where the tags were located (lots of holding tags against the screen to get it just right). Experiment with a test print on plain paper first to make sure you placement is correct.
If using just plain card that you will cut out later, then it's easier to just print your text anywhere on the page and then cut around it and punch a hole at one end.
Step 8: Place some twine through the hole in your tag and attached it to a low hanging piece of foliage. I also tucked my tag behind one piece of the twine that wraps around the container to keep it in place.
That's it - your done! Place your Spring Centrepiece in position on a sideboard or as your dining table centrepiece, move it about as it pleases you throughout the season and enjoy the little bit of Spring it brings into your home.
You can easily lift the whole lot out of the container intact when the seasons ends and store it to reuse next Spring, or remove all the bits and pieces to reassemble in another design for your next display.
If you enjoyed this tutorial or have any questions please let me know in the comments below.
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