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Fresh as well as dried flowers and live plants as well, always add a unique edge to the décor of any room. And when talking about flowers what can be a better time than spring to bring some outdoor beauty straight into the domesticate abode. Now here are some ready tips, try out a few if you like of them.
Let’s start with something really off-bit, you will feel as if it’s out of the blue…
It’s the Toothbrush Holder Vase. This is one thing that doesn’t really fall to the traditional decorative category, right? But one you are with Craftslove anything and everything is possible. Place a bunch of fresh fragrant flowers within the brush holder. It will be a nice little floral arrangement. You just add half the cup with water, put back the lid and insert the flowers through the brush inserting holes.
Next comes the Wineglass vase. What about making an innovative avowal by exhibiting a distinct blooming stem in a ornate wineglass? Fill up a nice crystal glass with some goblet pebbles making the base and then introduce one nice stunning blossom. If your flowers have smaller stems, you can make use of a raffia ribbon or some other decorative grasses to fasten the flowers in concert and put in the center. Now put one such adorned vase at alternate settings on the dinner table.
Now take the Demitasse Cup Vase. This time the idea is to augment any normal table scenery by introducing a solitary stem of a Gerbera Daisy in Italian espresso or demitasse cups. To accentuate a little more you may use some bright gold or silver markers to inscribe the name of the dinner party guest on the cup. That will just send your go gaga on your arrangement, just wait and watch!
Next is the Old Shoe Planter. For the Old Shoe Planter fill an old shoe with grime and append a small plant to serve as a decoration on a corner table or merely as a conversation piece. For a little decorative camouflage cover the shoe, if it’s too dilapidated, with some bright marble paper and then drape the plant in an aluminum foil. Another bright idea would be to pot the plant in a small container first and then place it inside the shoe. That’s it!
In the same way you can also use the old and rejected jars, jugs and bottles to create arrangements of this kind and brighten up your home.

Pressing flowers has always been a passion for almost all of us when we were kids or as adolescents. So basically the foundational process is known to all of us. Now as you are about to do something real special with the pressed flowers and not just keep them stuck in the pages of a book, you have to go one step further when dealing with pressing.
If you have pressing in mind then almost all kinds of flowers and foliage is apt only with the exception of blossoms which have a large center or leaves that are too fleshy and succulent. Such leaves may get squashed when placed for pressing. Again with weird shaped flowers like daffodils you first need too cut the blossom into two halves and for thick flowers like Chrysanthemums the calyx needs to be removed to reduce thickness, for the latter be careful or you may disintegrate the blossom. Don’t ever lose upon the petals; they are a hit ingredient while making pictures or candles.
Cut the blossoms during the dry season before you take them for pressing. There should not be any water content at all or else the pressing won’t be nice and you will find a mouldy effect.
As a tool for pressing you can use a flower press. It is quite a popular and inexpensive tool widely available. Or else you can try and make a press on your own. Just take two pieces of plywood each 2-3 feet square with four holes bored in the corners. Now take four coach bolts enhanced with wing nuts for stiffening. Now intersperse layers of blotting paper with the thick layers of newspaper that you lay one after the other inside the plywood sheets.
Now take the cut flowers and foliage and start with the bottom layer of your press. Place several layers of newspaper over and place a blotting paper between to prevent direct contact. Continue this way with all the flowers you aspire to press. Now attach the top plywood layer and tighten with the bolts. After a few days tighten the bolts a little more as by then the flowers will be dried and shrunk a bit. The entire process will take around 1-3 weeks to complete.

   “Your own flowers, special roses from your wedding or anniversary or birthday, meticulously crushed, shaped and conserved into excellence, and intended to wear in startling trend jewellery”…does it sound like a dream?
But believe me it is actually possible. You can actually make some beautiful earrings or necklace out of your cherished rose bouquets that you want to preserve and treasure for years. Such innovative jewellery can also go as very nice and authentic gifts. Like may be you can make a bookmark for your husband out of the rose petals from the bouquet he gave it you on last Valentine’s. He will surely love to have such a gift which will certainly continue to be a very special piece of memory and remembrance for him.
The first step…
You collect and dry the rose petals. Now adding a few drops of rose water and you start mixing and rolling the petals ensuring that each one of the beads made out of the mash are one of a kind piece. Make little balls out of the mash and create a hole in the center with a thick needle. Place in the sunlight and let the beads dry well.
Once the beads are well dried you may add colour pigments or else add the colour pigment way back while mixing the mash for unique colour variations.
If you ask whether fresh or dried flowers are apt for the purpose, the answer will be both do immensely well. But while you are working ion this project you have to maintain some extended levels of constraint to ensure apt success. For example,
If you want to make a durable bead then stop caring about the original colour and add the fillers and hardeners. The colour can be taken care of by the pigment; you only care about the resilience. Just in case if you are too particular about the colour add the pigments to the mixture to help get your aspired tone. If you are working with deep shaded flowers like dark brown or dark shades of red then you can facade them with colours like maroon, dark green, turquoise, etc.
You can base your color choice on the following criteria. If your flowers are dark brown or dark shades of red, you can choose any deep color. I can enhance or mask the color with such shades as deep reds, maroons, navy, dark green, brown, and turquoise to name a few. For lighter colours use pink, light blue and lavender.
Once the beads are ready tuck them up with a fine silver chain and some silver bock laces. Now as the jewels are ready make it a habit to always store them in air-free packets to prevent the silver from turning dull. You can also keep a silver polishing cloth to remove the body oils after removing the jewels from your neck or ears or wrist. I hope you remember the beads are porous and hence absorb sweat or water or any kinds of liquids. The best preservative in any circumstances is Sunrays, fresh and bright and warm sunlight!!

Hello people! I am Craftslove. This time let’s have a little chitchat about come aspects of craft. What do you think can be the topic?? Let me guess…let it be floral arrangements and complimenting baskets to go with. Just anything from a gardening can to a large coffee mug or a crystal bowl or a even a common glass jar can act as an apt container for a dried flower arrangement. But something that suits this flowery purpose just ideally is the basket. Baskets are just the thing for the task no matter the arrangement is a large dinning bouquet or a wedding altar arrangement or a little showpiece for the center table in the living room.
If you have the habit or the hobby of making floral arrangements, fresh flower bouquets or dried flower arrangements very often then it would be very handy if you can maintain a large selection of baskets comprising of various sizes and shapes. Any basket you deem, just pick it up and fill it with dried flowers and foliage and if you like even some dried fruits and veggies and cover the base with some ribbons and bows. Put it somewhere a little away from direct sunlight and it will persist to be a long lasting floral array for your home.
Flower arrangements go well at numerous places indoors, they look great or a corner stool, the mantelpiece or beside the fireplace, the entrance, aside to the computer table, on the kitchen counter a little towards the corner, and they just look good anywhere and everywhere. A little care and maintenance and you can enjoy a prolonged longevity of the engrossing arrangement.
There are a host of various baskets you can use at various times for your floral arrangements, here’s a little list for you,
• Designer Flower Bowl Basket
• Freesia Flower Basket
• A braided bamboo flower basket
• The teak stem basket (This is personal favorite of mine)

Did you know that fresh fall pinecones smell great? They have a very sweet and revitalizing aroma of their own. So if you can grab few or a basket full of pine cones during the festive holiday season then you can make some great decorations out of them and the blend of decoration and fragrance will just mesmerize you.
A few exceptions do occur. Few people are there who don’t really prefer the woody smell of the pine cones. Once you grab one if you realize that even you don’t like the smell too much then you can very well change it.
Pine cones are apt for decoration because they are not just easy to use but last longer as well. What can add to the aura is when you add few drops of cinnamon oil concentrate to the cones and a beautiful aroma starts coming.
Here’s the description as to how you can make the decorative arrangement with the pine cones.
Start by wrapping the cones with wire. Drape some florist’s wire through the scales close to the bottom of the cone. Now while putting the wire around the cone see that both sides of the wire are of like length and entwine the wire-ends together into a U-shape so that it grapples tightly. Curve the U-shaped end at the back of the cone in any direction but remember it has to be inserted into an oasis or dri-hard.
Now start shaking the cones lightly and brush slightly to remove the dirt and the needles embedded into the cone. Now dab a cinnamon oil soaked cotton swab onto the cones for the fragrance. Juts a few drops will do. Store the cones in a plastic bag for some days to let the cinnamon oil permeate the cones completely.
Now with the stored cones you can make a nice wreath. Either gluing the cones or wire them to a form base. Cones go very well with Christmas greenery also making the cherry garlands look even grander. Just a little pile of pinecones in a glass crystal bowl is also a very delicate arrangement.
So these are some of the innate and secure ways of adding a little icing to your exclusive holiday decorations with the pinecones which will continue to carry the holiday ambiance for some time even after the holiday season is long gone.

Dried flower topiary is a very chic piece of embellishing adornment for the interior decor; it has a kind of zest of its own, a certain stature of grandeur and excellence. This is a unique topiary that goes perfectly with any occasion, anything from Thanksgiving to Christmas to Halloween or even Easter.
There are a very few things you require for making one,
• A 4” pot preferably hand painted
• Sheet moss
• A block of foam
• Some oak moss
• White statice
• 12” cinnamon stick
• Yellow Stock
• Ivy and stemmed strawflowers
Now in a very simple procedure Mr. Craftslove will tell you how to make one,
First, cut the piece of foam block aptly to fit the pot. Cut a second piece of foam for the head of the topiary as well.
Chop the flower stems down to a same length and insert them into the foam intended to be the head.
As far as the design is concerned you are the sole boss. Just try anything may be three colours or juts one to compliment the color of the pot.
Now use little pieces of oak moss as fillers between the stems.
Continue adding flowers until there’s no place left at all and then glue it onto the cinnamon stick.
Now carefully place the stick into the base with lot of glue and cover the base with sheet moss leaving no open spaces. Now the last end, wind the ivy vines all around the stick to add that natural charm to the topiary. That’s sit; your dried flower topiary is all ready with its royal aura.

Did you know that you can create startling whiles of art and home décor bits and pieces with pressed flowers? Just culture your creative self and craft out some pressed flower items. They are great both as decorative pieces and also as presents.
Now the question is how do you press?
The selection of the flowers and foliage for pressing is the most delicate part. Always collect such flowers and greenery that are easily press able. Some apt flowers for the purpose would be pansies and cosmos. Pick them just at the peak of bloom and freshness and only press when the moisture in the blossoms is all gone.
In case you don’t get time to press them immediately after picking store them in a zip-lock bag filled with air and put in the refrigerator. Finally before pressing brush away the loose debris form the flowers as well as the greenery to prevent any crumbling.
Now let’s tell you the two simplest ways of pressing flower and foliage,
Firstly, you can use a flower press which is a very cheap instrument available in the market. It is quite a handy and time saving tool especially when it comes to pressing flowers.
Secondly, it is the traditional way of putting the flowers in between the book pages. Put while you do that don’t forget to place two blank sheets of paper in between the pages to save the book. Or else place the blossoms between two large books like encyclopedia on the shelf. But this way it will take a bit too time, as much as 1-2 weeks for complete drying.
While pressing bed the flowers in the press by chopping small pieces of cardboard and newsprint paper to fit appropriately amid the boards of the press. To guarantee utmost colour preservation place the flowers between two sheets of paper and change them on a regular basis.
Now once you have successfully pressed the flowers how about making a floral art picture with them?
When talking about picture frames some are more suitable when affixed with pressed flowers than others. So while selecting a wooden frame pick one that can be easily stapled to secure the back of the frame. These days a lot of the plastic and metal frames come ready with clips letting the rear of the frame to be effortlessly opened and closed.
Now mount the flora on the acid free card stash or on a piece of supple fabric such as velvet. If you opt for fabric then in the first place trim to the size of the glass. Make use of tweezers while arranging the flowers and foliage on the card stash or the fabric. Once the array laying is complete add few drops of glue to each flower and press to ensure affixed location. Let the glue dry and then cover the picture with the glass frame and the backboard as well. While framing try to create an air tight seal or else trapped air can cause oxidation and premature fading of the pressed flowers and all your effort will head to the drains.
Other than pictures you can also make botanical specimen showpieces with your pressed flowers. They are also a very popular way of displaying these fantastic creations. Take some acid free parchment paper with an aged yellowish look and glue the pressed flowers onto it. With a calligraphic pen add a few interesting details about the flowers or seeds or foliage you display.
Now when it comes to preservation both in case of the pictures and specimens always display them away from direct sunlight or rooms and spots characterized with high humidity, for instance, the bathroom and the kitchen.

From the very name you know that this is a special occasional arrangement. Intended for the grand Christmas Festivity this arrangement has a special enamor of its own.
The unique dried floral arrangement is made in a basket using dry foam as the basket material. The basic requirements for this arrangement are dried and artificial stuff like cinnamon sticks, pinecones, lime slices, lotus heads, ribbons and bell cups, beads, candles, vine twigs, Finland moss, etc. Other than these a primary requisite is gold paint and fabric leaves.
The beauty of a Christmas Basket is in the golden fabric leaves which add a lot of height to the entire array. Adding some extra level of aura are the golden beads, bells and thread all around like a line of lacing all around the basket. Now take the candles and spray them well with golden paint. Place them inside amongst all the other dry pine cones, lime slices, cinnamon sticks and vine twigs which are the fillers in this case.
Do not light the candle sticks; the purpose is to add to the festive look. Make some bows with the ribbon around the base of the candles.
Now insert a white Poinsettia just in the middle and place some artificial grapes, a few gold wicker balls adding to the appealing look.
You can also make some golden roses from the gold paper ribbon and chain them together to form stems of small flowers.
Isn’t this an interesting and engrossing one? Once you are done making this you will amazed with the sheer grace this arrangement ushers into your abode with the elegant golden tinge that goes so well with the ambience of Christmas and New Year.
Enjoy making the Gold Christmas Basket!!

Stages at weddings are always grand with lovely flower arrangements and gorgeous tapestry settings and pleasant colours and meticulous finishing. Ever wondered how one makes it look so perfect and chic? Okay no more wondering…here’s how you can actually do that, design a wedding-day celebration stage all by your own.
Here are all the things that you will need in the process,
• Spanish moss
• Dry foam
• A round and flat utility container
• Some waterproof tape
• A 3” high candleholder
• An assorted collection of flowers
• Scissors and greening pins
• Hot glue gun
• 3” by 9” pillar candle
• Artificial grape clusters
• Some floral tape
• Greenery bush
• 3” wood picks and pick tool
• Wire and wire cutter
Now the steps to the grand agenda…
First cut a piece of dry foam to fit exactly into the round, flat utility container. Fix the foam into the container with some hot glue. Slot in the 3” candle holder into the top of the foam towards the back. Affix the candleholder with ¼” waterproof tape. Now envelop the dry foam by Spanish moss and secure with greening pins.
Next, place the pillar candle into the candleholder maintaining a safe distance from all the floral pieces. Chop the line flower stems to a particular length you wish and start tucking them into the foam on both sided of the floral arrangement. Establish an overall height synchrony and put the pillar candle a bit towards the back.
Now cut two more stems and place them in front of the candle. Cut extra stems of line flowers introducing them at the edge of the altar. See that they come ahead of the altar. Drape the picks with floral tapes and insert them amongst the longer line of flowers in the arrangement.
Take two bunches of dominant stem flowers and shape the stems. Place a few in front of the arrangement on either sides of the pillar candle. Pick some large greenery leaves and tape the stems fixing with wire. Now fill up the altar arrangement with petite pieces of foliage and large wired leaves.

Finally arrange for some complimenting filler leaves and wire them with 3” wood picks but before that wrap them with floral tape. Now place them both in front and back of the candle. Cut small grape clusters from the main grape cluster and again attach to a wood pick. And now add the crowning effect with placing the grape clusters all throughout.

“The life is so short, the craft is so long to learn”…Hippocrates.

   “How true isn’t it?” says Mr. Craftslove. Now keeping that in mind and making it a spree to explore way more into the wild and exciting world of crafts today we will talk about centerpieces. To take into the perspective the wider category let’s call them table arrangements.
When it actually comes to table arrangements Craftslove thinks there’s a huge and humongous scope for creativity and experimentation. He considers the table to be a great stage to tell the story candles and flowers, showpieces and statuaries, wind chime sand vases. Just anything that posits a meaning to you can be put on the table. Exclusive occasional themes can be expressed through traditional or exquisite decorations. If you try and be a little specific you will find each one of the various kinds of tables have a special tone of their own. For example, the buffet table imparts to an intricate still life of flowers, fruits and vegetables. At times you can trail an innovative way to the edge of excellence where you yourself can get amazed at the sheer amalgamation of food and decoration, of beauty and utilization.
Broadly centerpieces fall into three categories vis-à-vis placement,
The first is when the arrangement is placed on a table surrounded by guests on all sides. In this case the arrangement needs extended care while creation and the design have to be a specific one keeping in mind that the guests will be viewing it from all the sides. Accordingly keep the height low so that the diners are able to look at each other without any hindrance. The central flowers should be placed all over the design and a few streak flowers may remain scattered beyond eye level for a stunning contrast. Some candles would also go well, but keep them either very tall or just too short again to avoid obstruction.
The arrangement is placed in a corner on a stool or stand or one particular side of the table. These are generally found as floral arrangements at the two ends of a long, rectangular dinning table or one large bouquet in the center. These are large in size and are the exotic combination of bright and open blossoms.
Finally the third category includes all those arrangements that are placed on the buffet table amongst food and beverages and can be viewed from three sides. In a buffet there are no specific seating arrangements so the floral arrangements are placed alternately with the food arrangements all throughout the length of the table. Another variation in case of a very large buffet table may be that a boastful floral arrangement is placed in the center towards the back with two minor ones resounding the same colour blend and design at both the ends.
So that must have given you some idea about how you can be a little sophisticated with the floral arrangements at your interior. Go on and try your hand at a few of these tips!!