Heart-Shaped Floral Arrangement

Still continuing with my Valentine Sampler theme... today I am going to share my heart-shape floral design and the steps it took to make it with you.  I've been wanting to do this kind of arrangement for a long time now.  Originally, I was going to use only carnations in a very formal pattern but, decided against it when I held this variety of blossoms together in the store.  I thought the arrangement would end up looking more lush and interesting if I added the mums to it. 

As you may know, it has been snowing like crazy here in the Northeast, making it almost impossible to get to the flower market.  I've had to rely on my local grocery store yet again.  Thankfully, it will be Valentine's Day soon and the stock is plentiful.  I chose two different kinds of carnations; one variegated mini carnation with  pinkish  edges and the other a regular sized red carnation, along with red dyed chrysanthemums.

I had been saving this heart-shaped cake tin for sometime just for this very purpose.  It made for an easy form to follow to get the heart shape I was looking for.

Next fill the tin with water soaked oasis.  I cut the block lengthwise down the middle to get the correct depth for the tin.  Then, I continued filling in the form by cutting different oasis pieces to fit.

I finally remembered to take photos during the arranging process. :)  As you can see, I started filling in the shape at the top left corner with the three kinds of flowers, no particular pattern.  You can really play around with this.  If you like uniformity you could go around the outline of the shape with one kind of blossom and fill the center with another.  You can really do anything you'd like.  For me,  I liked the "devil may care" feel of the arrangement.  As I said, having no particular pattern added texture to the whole arrangement I thought.  (I apologize for the old kitchen towel under the floral heart.  I put it there to hold the arrangement in place and to protect my counter top.  You might want to do something like this as well.)

I continued filling in the oasis with flowers and made sure there was a point at the bottom tip to create the point of the heart.  

So there you have it, the finished product!  Isn't it pretty?  I really loved how it turned out with all the different textures and red hues.  It's amazing how simple flowers such as carnations and mums can produce such an extraordinary effect! 

It was enjoyable playing around with different Valentine embellishments to create a centerpiece with the heart-shaped arrangement.  I've been moving it around my house trying to find just the right place for it. Very colorful and fun!

This is a very easy and fun kind of arrangement to make.  Find a container in any shape you would like to try and fill it in with flowers.  You could do this for St. Patrick's Day or Easter if you are able to find the right container.  Specialty cake pans work well for this too. 

Two more days to Valentine's Day!