Create an Inexpensive Bouquet in a Hot Pink Pot for Your Valentine

Guys, do you want to give your Valentine a beautiful bouquet but can't afford the florist? Want to give a unique gift with the personal touch? Here's an idea that you can make that is simple, quick, but will knock her socks off. If you are lucky, other articles of clothing will come off, too. Ladies, you can make this as a beautiful centerpiece for the Valentine's Day dinner.

You need a 6-inch clay pot to make this. Get one that has the saucer underneath. These can be purchased at any store that has a home and garden section and cost very little. You also need a liner for the pot since the clay will absorb all the water that will keep the bouquet fresh.

Paint the clay pot with hot pink acrylic craft paint on the main portion and bright yellow around the upper border. Also paint the pot saucer with yellow acrylic craft paint. Allow this to dry. You will need about 5 coats of yellow to cover the pot. Pink won't take as many coats. Let each coat dry completely before you paint the next. Since the clay absorbs the water from the paint the first and second coat won't take long.

While the paint is drying soak a 3"X4"X8" brick of floral foam meant for wet arrangements. Add a little plant food or cut flower preservative to the water. Soak the block for at least half an hour.

Place the foam block in the liner and cut it off even to the liner and fill the liner with water. Once it is filled place it in the painted clay pot and fill with water. Get ten pink carnations and cut the stem at an angle to 4 inches. Push the stem into the foam at an angle and make an even border.

Mentally divide the center with three horizontal lines. You need seven yellow roses for this section. On the two outer lines insert two evenly spaced yellow roses and in the middle push three. You should have already cut the stem to 4 inches and removed any leaves on it.

To finish off the floral arrangement you need about three stems of 18" tree fern. Cut the fern into pieces that are 2 to 3 inches and insert them in between the roses and the carnations making certain that no foam is left showing. Once that is done take the remaining fern pieces around the rim of the pot, allowing them to drape over the edge and provide a beautiful accent to the hot pink carnations.

You can find individual flowers at the grocery floral department. If you order the flowers to be ready for pick-up Valentine's Day and have the clay pot painted and floral foam soaked, it should only take about 15 minutes to assemble.

Depending on the cost of the flowers, you may have about $20 or less in the project. You may be able to get a bouquet with no vase on line for less, but it won't be as nice. It will just be flowers. Putting your personal touch to the gift makes it 100000000% more valuable to the recipient. It will warm the heart of your Valentine, and maybe a few other areas.