Easter Floral Arrangements to Make at Home

Carrot Tree

• Cut a 10-inch narrow twiggy branch from a tree or bush and strip it free of all leaves. Cut several bright orange bumpy chenille stem pipe cleaners into quarters. Be sure that the widest part of each three-inch piece is in the center, with the narrow parts on each end to make the carrots. Cut four four-inch-long strands of green embroidery floss for each carrot. Hold the green strands centered on one end of the carrot, and bend a half inch of the pipe cleaner over the middle of the strands. Tie all the strands in a knot to secure them. Place a six-inch piece of thread or dental floss under the bent pipe cleaner, and bend the pipe cleaner tighter to secure. Bend the other end of the pipe cleaner up to give it a carrot shape. Place the bare branch in a small flower pot and secure it with wads of newspaper tightly packed around it. Cover the newspaper with decorative rocks or glass beads. Tie the carrots onto individual branches using the six-inch thread or dental floss. Decorate the pot with a bright orange or lavender ribbon and add a peep or two.

Shallow Easter Nest Flower

• Find a shallow dish, serving platter, or dinner plate. Place a smaller plastic or ceramic dish in the center, and choose a candle, using either a taper in a plain glass holder or three votive candles in individual glass holders. Find vines or narrow branches, with or without leaves, and wind them into a wreath. Close the wreath by tying it with string, dental floss, or ribbon. Insert your favorite artificial or real flowers lying on their sides into the wreath. Add additional flowers around the arrangement by cutting the stems short and inserting them into the wreath. Add delicate greens if desired.

Paper Lilies

• Cut two-inch circles from blue crepe paper. Cut a one-inch square of yellow crepe paper. Place a drop of craft glue on the end of a bamboo skewer, and wrap the yellow paper around one inch of the skewer. Put a drop of glue on the end of the yellow wrap to secure it. Put a drop of glue at the bottom of the yellow paper. Attach the first crepe paper circle (petal) to the bottom of the yellow paper, and pinch the edge to secure it to the glue. Add another petal the same way but slightly lower and to the side of the first petal. Continue to add petals in a spiral about the skewer until the flower is the desired size. Wrap the skewer with a green crepe strip secured with a drop of glue at each end, or use green floral sticky tape to wrap the skewer. Cut two leaf shapes from green crepe paper and glue them on the stem. Place a bouquet of the blue paper lilies in a clear crystal vase filled with glass beads, or place the lilies in a row in a rectangular planter with moss.

Tips

• To prevent fires, never set candles next to foliage in an arrangement unless they are in a protective glass holder.