One of my favorite things about flower arrangement, is letting the vase impact the shape and scope of the piece. Last Friday, I staged a photo shoot for my Thanksgiving Pie Project, (more to come on that SOON!) and in the process purchased bunches of flowers in blues and rusts. Because I wanted lots of different textures, I ended up with plenty of flowers to make about five different arrangements. I always pull out all of my vases and start building from there. The flowers and vases will guide you to make balanced and pleasing shapes. And then you can give some to nearby friends and family, or fill your house with flowers.

Here’s what when in my cart:
Purple and Blue: Stock, Lisianthus, Statice, Delphinium
Rust: Amaranth, Cockscomb, Eucalyptus

Lower vases lend themselves to more dense arrangements.

I love the impact of the intense blue of the delphiniums, orange of the cockscomb and purple stock next to each other in this closeup.

I love this shot that highlights the architecture of the rust amaranth and the seeds of the eucalyptus.In my largest vase, I wanted to break up the square effect of the vase, so I had sprays of flowers stretching the impact of the arrangement horizontally.

Along with the dessert plates, cakes stands and flowers, I added a whimsical horse to my still life. Now we’re ready for a dessert and cocktail party. And it gave me the excuse to dust off a few of my favorite things and feature them in a way where my guests could appreciate them too. Ah, the life of a collector.