How to make a beginner compote flower arrangement using Trader Joe’s Flowers
In this post, you will learn how to make a beginner compote flower arrangement using Trader Joe’s flowers.
Flowers are one of those items that bring instant joy and yet I don’t buy them nearly enough. Come mid February, I am pretty much over the bland Winter landscape and ready for color, flowers and spring! However, the reality is that here in Colorado, there are still two more months of winter weather in store for us. So, the next best thing? Bring Spring INSIDE!
If you haven’t heard already, Trader Joe’s is an excellent source for beautiful and inexpensive flowers of all kinds! It is my “go to” when I need a little floral pick me up!
Recently, during one of my weekly trips to Goodwill, I scored a couple of gorgeous compotes. I couldn’t pass up these beautiful vessels! One, a tarnished silver with gorgeous patina, and the other a beautiful brass (drool!). Since I’ve been chomping at the bit to use these beauties, I decided to try my hand at making a beginner compote floral arrangement.
Now let me start off by saying… I am NOT a floral designer! I tell you this so that you can go forward into this tutorial with confidence! This beginner compote flower arrangement is EASY! Trust me! Follow the simple step-by-step tutorial below and you will be on your way to impressing your friends and designing compote flower arrangements that look like they cost way more than they did!!
Here is what you need to get started on your way to making a beginner compote floral arrangement!
Materials:
- Compote Flower Vessel – I picked both of mine up at a local thrift store. One for $3.99 and the other for $9.99. They are easy to find!
- Floral Wire
- Wire Snips
- Flower Frog – again, I picked mine up at the thrift store. However, floral foam like this here will work as well!
- Scissors – for trimming your flowers and stems
- Flowers and Stems – For this arrangement, I used various flowers from Trader Joes and a variety of Seeded and non-seeded Eucalyptus stems as filler.
Instructions:
Place your flower frog or floral foam in the center of the compote.
If needed, you can place a bit of Floralife Sure-Stik putty underneath your flower frog to keep it from sliding.
Prepare your flowers
Prepare your flowers by cutting off the bottom of each stem at a 45 degree angle and making a small slit of 1-2″ up the side of the stem (this will help the flower to absorb the necessary water to stay fresh!)
Take a segment of floral wire and wrap it into a coil.
To do this, you can wrap it around a broom handle, or even a couple of your fingers. It doesn’t need to be perfect! The wire will not be seen, but rather will serve as support for your flowers to rest upon within your vessel.
Secure the wire coils across the circumference of your compote by folding the edge of the wire over the rim on opposite sides. Do this with about 4 pieces or wire, creating a criss-crossing grid.
Now it is time to start placing your flowers within your compote flower arrangement!
Start with your flopping and long Eucalyptus stems. Place them around the various sides of the compote. We will work with our longest stems first and then place the shorter stems around the top and as we work our way in towards the middle of the compote.
Next, add in your medium size florals
followed by your larger mounds of flowers.
Once you have these two sizes of flowers evenly distributed throughout your compote, start adding in large clusters of filler flowers (Seeded Eucalyptus in this example) to fill in between the gaps.
Next, start adding in any extra stems of flowers and/or any additional accent colors that you would like to fill in with. For this, you can use smaller clumps or individual stems, as these serve the purpose of further filling in any existing gaps between the larger clumps of flowers and add visual interest.
Now, give your compote flower arrangement a spin and check for any empty spots.
I like to save a little bit of filler for the last step and pluck it in anywhere there is a space or where visual interest is needed. It is perfect to use between flowers on the top of your arrangement or spilling out over the sides.
Don’t forget to water your new compote flower arrangement!
If your flowers came with a little packet of plant food, mix this in with a pitcher of water and then carefully pour into your compote. This should keep your flowers looking fresh and full for days!
And there you have it! You have learned how to make a beautiful beginner compote flower arrangement that is sure to cure any spring fever!
Lastly, play with your compotes and arrangement sizes.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to these learning how to make a beginner compote flower arrangement. Use your creative freedom and know that you can’t mess this up! Below is a smaller arrangement with less flowers and a different compote. Similar effect, less drama 🙂
Remember, you can make these beautiful beginner compote flower arrangements to be used anywhere! Style them on your bookshelves (see this post for tips on how to style your shelves), greet your guests with flowers on an entry table, or put them on display on your kitchen island or coffee table. However you show them off, just have fun!
Don’t forget to PIN this for future use!
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