“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
―Claude Monet
I don’t know how my master gardener mother (who sells plant and flowers for a living) is going to feel about this post, but I must have flowers, always, and always- and this is one inexpensive way to have them every day, so I’m sharing. 😉
First, you’ll need a really realistic-looking faux flower stem. I got this one (which I *think* is supposed to be an apple blossom) for 99 cents at Michaels on the Spring clearance aisle:
I like this particular stem for a few reasons:
1) The edges of the leaves are “toothed”, not smooth. Super realistic looking.
2) The vein pattern on each leaf is very detailed. Again, super realistic looking.
3) The blossom’s petals are off-white, not bright white. #Realistic
4) The stamen (in the center of each bloom) are fabric, not plastic. They’re matte, not shiny.
5) The branches are a muddy brown color, not warm chocolate brown- like I see so often. I love a branch that looks like a real branch texture AND color-wise.
Next, you’ll need some kind of vessel to put your branch/stems in. You may already have one around the house, but if not, just a friendly (non-sponsored) heads up: there are lots of glass vases on the 70% off aisle at Michaels right now. I picked up this cutie for under 5 bucks:
Now here’s the part that really makes the arrangement really look real:
It’s called Quick Water. I got it at Michaels, and basically, it’s fake water that will keep your arrangement in place…and looking real. 🙂
After I mixed it together (in a separate plastic cup), I poured it into the vase and used pencils and painters tape to hold my stem (which I actually cut into two stems) in place.
Here’s a handy tip too: No matter what the box says, do not move or touch your arrangement for at least 24 hours while it’s curing. If you do, your stems will shift and your “water” will be filled with a million teeny tiny bubbles. #TrustMe
You can see from these photos, one box of Quick Water didn’t mix up to be very much “water” in my vase because of how big the bottom is. If I could do it again, I probably would’ve mixed up another half of a box.
Happy decorating!
The little bit of water makes it even more realistic–like you kind of forgot and need to add water. Love it!
Cool. I like it. But why not use real water? Will it ruin the stem?
I figured real water would constantly evaporate and might leave rings around the inside of the vase. 😉
There is nothing I love more than flowers in my house … green plants, live blossoms, fake blossoms, etc. BUT … my kitty that I love more than anything chews anything green (live or fake!). It is such a disappointment. Nothing I do stops him. So I can only have flowers for special events, and then he has to be put in “his” room, and after the event, I send the flowers home with a guest. It is so sad. That said, these are a beautiful way to keep flowers around.
I have the same problem. I have a super tall armoire where I put flowers, but it’s so high, it’s hard to enjoy them. Good thing our cat provides us with a lot of love and laughter. 🙂
I like that there’s only a little bit of water – it looks more real. The ones that are too filled just scream “FAKER” to me! 🙂 “Sweet” little choice on the apple blooms too! (#SweetPea)
Love this but have a question. How do you clean it?
Thanks.
Hi Donnella!
I just made it, so I haven’t had to clean it yet- but I guess I’ll just dust it off and maybe push the stems aside so I can wipe it out with a damp paper towel from time to time. 🙂
It is absolutely adorable. can’t wait to get to Michael to see if I can find something as cute.
Layla, this is ADORABLE! I’m going to try this . . . . Do you get the faux water at Michaels too?????
Yep! 🙂
Love it! I didn’t know they had DIY fake water. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the “fake water” tip! This is so cute looking. I just spent an outrageous amount of money on glass pebbles to put in the bottom of a very large vase I had for some really pretty fake flowers I found. Your’s is definitely a cheaper and more realistic looking alternative…now to figure out what to do with all those clear pebbles that I will have 🙂
its very cute ,and who knew you could buy “fake” water ???Lol. I too love flowers ,but I am with Lee Ann ,I have one kitty that loves to chew every plant and flower I bring into the house ,therefore you have to be careful as to NOT bring in plants that are “poisonous” I think out doors they love to chew plants ,I have heard it “settles” their stomach, then they throw it up ( nice ,huh??)lol ,anywho ,great job Layla 🙂
You are SO right, Mattie and thanks for educating people about plants that are poisonous to cats. The worst is any kind of lily. Even a speck of yellow stamen on their whiskers is FATAL, stops them from eating and shuts their kidneys down resulting in a horrible time for both pet and owner. I know because of the horrible death of my beloved 10 year old as a result of bringing an Easter Lily into my home. Recently, I caught my cat Toby taking a bite of a Day Lily while I was harness-walking him outside. I quickly brought him to our emergency vet hospital where he was induced to vomit and on IV fluids for 2 days. If this is done within 72 hours, they may pull through it.
Creative way to have ‘fresh’ flowers ALL the time! The only thing worse than no flowers, is sad flowers. Thanks for the link to SantaRosaGardens! Summer discount code to save 25% is: summer25 Love ya’!
I agree with all who said it makes it looks more realistic with a small amount of water. Question: Does the fake water dry to a sort of gel or it a hard solid? Reason I’m asking is, I wouldn’t want a child (like a toddler) to think it is real water, especially while in a cup. I had a neighbor borrow bleach once, then return it in a cup. I sat it on a counter, my 3 year old thought it was water and took a drink of it. Funny thing is, I did the exact same thing as a child.
It dries into a hard solid, Rebecca. Blech! About the bleach! 😛
I am laughing about the fake water, I never thought to even google it. I figured I was seeing epoxy or something being used. I recently saw some beautiful fake peonies in fake water, on sale for $359. What?!? I knew I could find more inexpensive ones, but really didn’t want to mess with real water, for exactly the reasons you gave. Gah. I still shake my head in disbelief when I remember those peonies. Thanks for the much more affordable tip!
This would be a sweet and lasting arrangement to bring to a patient in the hospital or a nursing home resident who might not be able to have real flowers. Great tip!
Love the vase! and who knew you could buy fake water for plants? Thanks for sharing!
Wow, that Quick water is expensive. I left it at the store :(. I will check on line. I agree that it looks more realistic with the smaller amount of fake water. It looks nice.
Yeah, I think it was $12.99, Alison. I pulled up an e-coupon on my cell phone at the register when I bought mine. 🙂
I need to remember to do that, thanks for the reminder.
Very cool! And if you want to make a fake plant look more realistic in a terra cotta pot, just rub some REAL dirt on it! A friend of mine does this. Another friend bought an orchid plant at a yard sale and watered it for a month before she realized it was a fake!!
PS I buy glass vases in interesting shapes at Goodwill, all the time….they are VERY cheap
This is a great idea and who knew there was fake water! Brilliant!
Thanks for sharing
Lauren Baxter | LB Designs
xx
Thanks for sharing this Layla! I have always wanted to know how to do this, and now I have no reason not to try it 😉