Reddit mentions: The best floral arranging supplies

I was originally going to be lazy and buy them pre dyed and already made from another seller. But when I got the sample color flowers I ordered. I realized I would rather have more control in the colors. What one person considers wine another says burgundy. So I looked up dying them on YouTube. And doing the stems.

I bought these stems

BCP Dark Green 50PCS 22 Guage 30CM / 11.75INCH Length Iron Wire , Artificial Flower Stems Making Accessory , Floral Arrangement Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CXY7S5A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_zRbzD9nYZPWr5

And later bought a thinner more pliable kind from hobby lobby/Michaels.

And a hot glue gun

AdTech Lo-Temp Mini Hot Glue Gun COMBO PACK | Low Temp Compact Tool for Crafting, School Projects and DIY | Comes with 10 Multi-Temp Glue Sticks | Ite https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FLS2WPG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_XyMg2Y1csNDJn

And this to make holes in the base of the flower so the stems attach more securely.

Modeling Sculpture Needle Point Clay Detail Tools Pack of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F55LOW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_sj8KyzIAUbZXY

So I stuck the pin in the base. Widened the hole because sola (balsa wood) is a super crafty wood to work with. It's like a firm foam. It's perfect. I've used it for crafts when I was a kid. Then put a dollup of hot glue on the hole and stuck the stem in. Voila!

Then after that was done. I got around to dyeing them. I found the colors I wanted (just regular acrylic paint). Mixed about a quarter of the bottle into a little Tupperware bowl. Stirred it up. (I used warm water but eventually it cools and didn't make a difference). Then dipped the flowers in one by one. Dip. Swirl. Only for like 3-5 seconds depending on the flower. Some have thicker petals than others. I also got smart later on and grabbed and eye shadow brush

http://www.urbandecay.co.uk/en_GB/eyes/eye-brushes/pro-brushes/UD744.html

(Not that exact one but the same style)

Dipped that in the paint and got in between some of the petals where I couldn't seem to get paint. Then just left them upside down on a paper towel to dry.

In hind sight. I should've only dipped my pink ones once. But at the time. They looked too light. So I dipped them again. And they're pink. Which is what I wanted. But of course I want the prior pink. lol. It's pretty cool though because you can change the intensity of the colors.

They come originally in a very pretty cream color. And you can keep them that color or dye them. They're very cheap and easy to work with. I spent $120 on flowers and supplies. And that's 150 flowers. Considering what fresh or even fabric one would run me. I can buy more and get the pink color again if I want. But laziness might win out :)

https://instagram.com/p/BXzILVTAn2B/

https://instagram.com/p/BXzIV2ggVUj/

Not sure if that'll let you see all the flowers. Pre dyed and after. And the lighter pink is what I want. But the bubble gum pink might be here to stay. I doubt I'll even care 5 years from now. :)

To make the roses I used McGill paper punches specifically this one Rose. Just follow the instructions, I made about 80 different flowers for my bouquet and 30-40 flowers for each bridesmaids bouquet. You have to punch all the itty bitty petals out then shape each one, which is the most painstaking part but if you get some friends to help it goes by a lot faster. Also, the best glue is Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive for gluing the paper. Then, you just hot glue each flower to a floral stem. You'll cut each wire down to about 3-4 inches. Then you get a floral foam ball and cut about 1/3 off the bottom, then just start sticking the flowers in with alternating colors. You'll want to hot glue each stem after you stick it in to make sure it doesn't come out. The little sparkling metal things are actually hair pins I got from a $1 store and I just stuck those in and hot glued them down, same with the pearls(those were from hobby lobby in the floral section). I then cut a small hole in the bottom and hot glued a dowel rod to the base and add something like this bouquet holder. I glued pearl string to the base, wrapped the rod in ribbon and glued some jewels to the handle. I also glued a 2013 penny to the bottom of the handle for good luck (couldn't put it in my shoe). Anyway, I pretty much got everything from hobby lobby and I might post a tutorial with pictures later if I have time!

Sure! Apologies in advance for being so wordy! (Note: the sources I link to are just where I got the ingredients myself; I have no association with any of the sites/sellers.)

For reference and context, the ingredients of the Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil are:

> Squalane, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Geraniol

The ingredients of my quasi-dupe are:

> Squalane, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Vitamin E

Long story short(er), I axed the C/CT because I couldn't figure out a reason for its inclusion. I did include the mastic gum, but given the distinct lack of evidence to support its usage am undecided whether I'll continue including it. As for the rose scent, I made batches with rose EO (which is crazy expensive, even for the dinky little bit I bought to test with before comitting to more) and geraniol and rose absolute w/jojoba and geraniol, but preferred the test batch using squalane triple infused/macerated with dried rose petals much more; the scent lingers longer, isn't noticibly less intense but is somehow... softer? It smells more like actual roses than the batches with the EO and geraniol, at least to me. The Vitamin E I included as kind of a knee-jerk as I tend to include it in any sort of oil blend, to help stave off rancidity.

In terms of actual formula if you're ever inclined to give it a shot:

• 90% Rose-infused squalane
  
• 7% Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
  
• 2% Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum oil (found in a local oil supplier/shop, but is available on eBay, Amazon, etc)
  
• 1% Vitamin E
  
  For the infused oil, I fear I wasn't terribly exact in measurements: I just filled a 4oz canning jar roughly 3/4-full with squalane and added the dried rose petals until no more could fit without poking out of the oil (keeping the petals submerged is important!). Using a glass stirring rod, I stirred out all the air bubbles I could see, then stored it in the dark for two weeks, the last two days leaving them in a opaque makeup bag in the window sill (to warm in the sun without getting any direct sun). After those two days, I lined a second identical jar with cheesecloth and poured the squalane/rose petals into it. Using small tongs I squeezed the petals in the cheesecloth to extract as much of the squalane out of them as possible, then added the second batch of rose petals. Back into the dark they went, then into the sun for two days. I changed the petals once more, then back into the dark, etc. (Hence the "triple infused/macerated" bit.) Some squalane was lost, of course, but not much: I started with about 3oz in the jar and at the end was left with about 2.9oz. (The tongs really helped with that.)
  
  Now, all that said,
  
  > I"m wondering if I should just go for the squalane from Biossance/lotioncrafters and stick with the vitamin c from my melano cc.
  
  That depends on what kind of Vitamin C you want to use! Melano CC contains two forms of Vitamin C, L-AA (aka "real" Vitamin C) and Ascorbyl Palmitate (a derivative). Rohto doesn't disclose the percentage of either, but I've seen 10% L-AA tossed around as a guess based on the listed ingredients. Deciding whether to use L-AA or a derivative can be tricky, as it depends on what your skin goals are, if L-AA irritates your skin (or you're, say, repairing a damaged moisture barrier and should be avoiding actives like L-AA), etc. TA/AT (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is also known as Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate) is an oil-soluble derivative not known to cause much in the way of irritation -- which makes it an attractive derivative, since it's not fussy about oxygen, time, pH, or temperature the way L-AA is/can be. (Well, IIRC it's stable at a pH of <5, but in anhydrous formulations like Biossance's oil and my dupe, pH isn't a concern.) But, the trade off is there are fewer studies to back up claims of efficacy and results, and it's not very clear how much TA/AT is actually converted (in vitro testing shows it does convert to AA) -- meaning, if one wants to aim for the equivilant of 20% L-AA (15-20% is often cited as the ideal concentration range, since there's not much to suggest >20% is as effective as 20%), how much AT/TA one should use, or if indeed one even should/needs to aim for a certain L-AA equivilant, isn't really clear. I picked 7% in my dupe because of this study (though you'll note it also used 10% ascorbic acid, aka L-AA, in their anhydrous gel. I'm idly considering including L-AA in my next attempt, though L-AA in anhydrous products can be annoying to deal with/use). Biossance doesn't disclose the concentration of AT/TA in their oil, but I've seen speculation that since it's behind the mastic gum and rose essential oil, it's likely <5%, possibly <2%.
  
  Personally, I use a water-based serum with 20% L-AA, Vitamin E, and ferulic acid every other day, so I'm not relying on this as my only Vitamin C product, but some swear by it (The Ordinary's 20% AT in Vitamin F is a popular AT/TA product).
  
  Edit: Oh, I forgot! When I last mentioned this elsewhere (during the planning stages), someone asked what my estimated cost-per-oz would be against Biossance's. Not including shipping or the cost for the jars, dropper bottle, glass stirring rod, sanitizing products/tool, or cheesecloth (since I had them on-hand already), 30ml came out to ~$9.84 USD, almost $4 of that being the AT/TA. I do wish I could find a rose-colored bottle like Biossance's, though. No luck so far when scouring eBay, Alibabba, etc. Might try posting an ISO in the skincareexchange sub to see if anyone's looking to offload an empty bottle cheaply, though; I love that bottle!

Nice. Personally, I detest bidding games with a passion that burns like a thousand suns... but I can respect a well-crafted one, and it looks like you have the basis for one.

For your mana, you might consider using acrylic table scatter. You can't include that in a TGC-produced game, of course, but they're really satisfying to use at the table during testing. I use them all the time when prototyping games. They come in lots of colors and are relatively cheap and satisfying game component, and I think they'd especially lend themselves to your theme of Atlantis mana.

Thank you so much! :D I'll pass along your compliments to our flower crew. They used these oasis floral cages and a number of clear zipties to hold everything in place. Brilliant as they are, they made them easily reusable and moved them into the dance area after the ceremony so that we could enjoy the arrangements all night :)

I always loved "The Little Mermaid"! We're both redheads and as a youngin' I felt so bad for her wanting to go to the surface to be with Prince Eric and King Triton was just a butthead!

For your wishlist

See ya real soon!

Thanks for the contest! I have never been to Disney World but I have been to Disneyland - hubby and I got engaged the day before we went, so it was a pretty magical trip :)

thank you! the pattern isn't what you're expecting; I basically crocheted a very long shell edging (think like ch. 100 or w.e, sc in first stitch, skip 1 stitch, hdc 3 times in next, skip 1 stitch, then sc in next.) and attached it to a floral cone (similiar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Oasis-Floral-Foam-Cone-Maxlife/dp/B005C40YZU). for mine I just got some pretty pins with pearls on the ends from walmart and stabbed it into the cone. I'm sure there are better ways to attach it, like hot glue or whatever, but I liked the way the pearls kinda looked like lights.

it's really easy to work up, assembly takes no more than five minutes, and it's sturdy. definitely don't let kids near it though.

If you just want clusters of flowers, buy a couple of these http://www.amazon.com/Oasis%C2%AE-Floracage%C2%AE-Holder-with-Maxlife/dp/B00K5SK5F2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457622673&sr=8-2&keywords=Oasis+cage

Soak them in water before you are ready to add flowers, and then just create your arrangement by sticking the stems directly into the Oasis. Im sure there are videos on YouTube of how to do it. Try the flower school channel.

Then just get some heavy string (bind wire is what florists use) and secure it to the arch.

Couple tips. I would use a decent amount of greenery. Where I live salal grows everywhere, and there is a decent amount of eucalyptus and sword fern around, so I would just go cut that somewhere.

Also if you want to name the arrangements the night before just make sure you store it someplace cool like a basement or garage. DO NOT put it in the fridge. There is not enough moisture in there and it could ruin your flowers. Just make sure the cage is thoroughly soaked and they will be fine.

If you have any questions id be happy to help.

I was late to yesterday's thread (West coast!) so I'm just going to check in here again today!

I'm putting together an Effie Trinket original Halloween costume...
I am not good at creating outfits! I either go way too matchy matchy and don't realize that you can add in other colors, or I'm afraid of being too matchy matchy and it ends up all over the place. Here's my plan, I'd love feedback on the whole outfit, how the dress will look, any extra tips?!

This dress with these glued on, not all over... thinking in a bunch on top left then spread out across torso, with more sporadic placement over the skirt.


This


These shoes or possibly these shoes but I feel they need an added something... ideas?! (I'd wear heels but I'll be spending halloween with my toddler at a pumpkin patch!)


These gloves


Umbrella?!


These arranged in the wig as some sort of hair piece although if anyone knows of a better butterfly head piece option...

Thanks!

A "thingy" to help hold flowers straight or in the design you desire.

Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Round-Holder-Arranger-Holde/dp/B07QG3BFMM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B07QG3BFMM&qid=1571589525&sr=8-1

Or this: https://www.amazon.com/Jarware-Flower-Frog-2-Pack/dp/B0744JPMQJ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B0744JPMQJ&qid=1571589616&sr=8-1

In the case of "integrated frog", the person posting means rather than something you add to a vase like I provided in the second link, it is built in to the vase instead.

So the impression of the OP was that this was a cup of some kind with the square pattern of holes, and the replying poster is saying it is really a vase with a "frog" and in this case the "frog" is built into the vase rather than being a separate piece.

(Typically (but not always) "frogs" are not built in....you add a "frog" to something else so you can use that thing as a vase)

Thank you! The corsages scared me too, but they wound up being very easy. We made them the same way as the boutonnieres, with a single rose flanked by some greenery. We also used a sprig of berries for color. For both the boutonnieres and corsages we left the stems extra long and used wire instead of tape, and did not pierce through the stems at all — just wrapped very tightly. On the boutonnieres we left the wire exposed and on the corsages we covered with ribbon. For both we put the stems in tubes. We changed and refilled the water every 12 hours. On the day of, we took them out and trimmed them and boutonnieres went right onto the jackets, corsages went onto these wirstlets where all we had to do was put the wristlet on, hold the stem onto it, and fold the metal over the stem to hold it in. We covered the metal parts with ribbon right then too. I was so nervous about these but they were the easiest and fastest part! Sorry for the long reply but that is pretty much exactly what we did.

Gorgeous! As a gardener, first thing I thought of was how fun it would be to use a living moss in the base.

Thank you!

I used this pattern for the leaf and then I used 20 gauge floral wire that I weaved through the outside of the leaf to give it structure. I made sure the the wire was long enough to create a stem and then used green pipe cleaner for extra stability and wrapped the wire and pipe cleaner together with green floral tape

Edit: I also weaved the wire through the heads of the flowers then used the floral tape to wrapped all the stems together.

https://www.amazon.ca/Quality-Growers-QG1390-Variety-108-5/dp/B005D7BCUM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=fake+moss&qid=1554433544&s=gateway&sr=8-3

get something like that then go out and pick up random bits from trees: twigs, acorns, maple seeds stuff like that. A couple rocks. Small glass bowl and some dirt. Just sit there with everything and try and get creative. Use hot glue even. It won't be a terrarium like this. But it will be cool

This stuff. Holds its shape well and is plenty long enough. Depending on how long you want the web, take two stems or fold one in half to leave a small open loop on one end to fit around the wrist peg, and then twist and weave it together to make it look like a web line.

https://www.amazon.com/DECORA-Gauge-White-Floral-Package/dp/B010NLWZNA/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=White+Fabric+wire&qid=1567293625&s=gateway&sr=8-9

I got it from Amazon, something like that. But search for some cheaper ones, this one is expensive: http://www.amazon.com/SuperMoss-21669-Moss-Preserved-Chartreuse/dp/B004BFZYXS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1463476785&sr=8-6&keywords=moss

Distribution:
Circumpolar; in North America throughout Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States. south to Florida and Alabama.

Habitat:
Typically occur in submontane to alpine environments. They are scattered to plentiful in the open or in open-canopy forest and tundra on well-drained, water-shedding sites with shallow and/or coarse-skeletal soils. In these environments they often occur on soil and sometimes on rocks, stumps, and logs.

Well it looks really cool, but you need something like these https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Water-Beads-Floral-Arrangements/dp/B001U2ZND6

Looks a lot like what they put on the end of a flower so you can transport it and still have water. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Floral-Flower-Arrangements-Royal-Imports/dp/B01DYR27DI

If it's what I think it is, most likely it's not steel but some combination of base and pins that won't rust. Anyway, it looks like a "flower pin frog" for shallow flower arrangements.

Here is a rectangular one.

Added more moss! Is this moss http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004BFZYXS?pc_redir=1411222354&robot_redir=1 safe for animals though?

Deco shops tend to have plastic diamonds, but usually white ones.
I also found these pink ones, but they might be a bit pale or small respectively:
https://www.amazon.com/2lb-Carat-Pink-Acrylic-Diamonds/dp/B003LYUVJW
http://www.craftshack.ca/product/31mm-acrylic-diamond-pendant-5pk/

Oh wait, I found it in green on Afloral.

Red with tinsel on Etsy.

And I found it in brown.

Okay I'll stop now. :)

I bought some gel beads online ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001U2ZND6?pc_redir=1411972920&robot_redir=1) used water from my fish aquarium instead of tap water.

These?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001U2ZND6?pc_redir=1411972920&robot_redir=1