DIY ‘Thinking Outside the Vase’ Transitional Flower Arrangement

I had a blog challenge to create a transitional flower arrangement that incorporated fruits and veggies. I decided to ‘think outside the vase’ and started with a reproduction biscuit tin I found at HomeGoods many years ago.

I’ve discovered the hard way that most decorative metal pieces are not water tight. I tested it first adding an inch of water to the container to see if it would leak. All seemed fine, but just to be safe I lined it with a plastic bag that I could tuck inside and conceal once my flowers were in place.

I cut some Limelight Hydrangeas and green crape myrtle seed pods from the garden to go with some flowers from the grocery store:

• sunflowers
• blue hydrangeas
• red alstroemeria
• yellow safflower

I picked up some artichokes and apples from the produce department and added them to the arrangement with bamboo skewers. You can find bamboo skewers in 10" and 12" lengths at most grocery stores.

I used my favorite flower-arranging tool, appropriately, chicken wire, ;) for this rooster biscuit tin. Chicken wire is an eco-friendly alternative to wet flower foam as it is reusable. I used two layers of chicken wire, one in the bottom and one at the top to support the weight of sunflowers.

I started with the larger flowers, the hydrangeas, tucking the stems in the chicken wire. Next came the sunflowers.

Adding fruit or veggies to your floral arrangements is a great way to add interest, texture, color and helps your floral material go farther!

Skewer the apples through the blossom end of the apple. As the bamboo skewers are food safe, you can use your apples for fall baking or eating after your flowers are spent.

Here is the completed arrangement. Fall is my favorite season and I'm counting down the days and crowing in delight at its arrival!

More photos and details at the blog post, HERE.

Love sunflowers? Find DIYs, flower centerpieces and table inspiration using sunflowers to transition for summer into fall, HERE.

You can find more inspiration and 16+ Creative Ideas for Adding Fruit and Veggies in Flower Arrangements, HERE.