It is raining and pouring here in Seattle, but that hasn’t dampened the buzz of excitement as we prepare for our visitors and Thanksgiving dinner. Amongst many other things, I am thankful for the beautiful flowers I found at my local Trader Joe’s {at incredible prices, I must add!}. I am also thankful for the many shortcuts my sous chef, TJ has provided: his peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, shredded cabbage, stuffing starter {finely chopped fresh celery, onions and herbs}, and prepared pomegranate jewels are saving me HOURS of prep time!
I like to arrange the flowers early, so I can enjoy their fragrance and beauty while I buzz about the kitchen, here’s a quicky on how I made my bouquets:
If there is time, I like to trim the stems of store bought flowers and give them a nice long drink, free of plastic and rubberbands, before arranging.
I don’t usually use oasis, but I was trying to replicate these bouquets I saw at a party last year, and knew I’d need that foundation in these shallow containers. I soak the oasis in water for as long as possible before piercing it with the flower stems.
To start things out, I used herbs and flowers to establish the shape and size I wanted. So, looking at the photo below, the deep red mums facing to the rear, the coral colored rose to the left, the orange and yellow mums facing forward and the sage sprig facing right established the approximate perimeter for this bouquet.
I was intrigued by a bouquet I saw on Eddie Ross and thought it would be fun to put some fruit into the mix, as he had. A wooden skewer, cut to the correct length was the perfect support for these petite golden pears.
Once I had my “frame” built, I began filling in the gaps with more flowers, hiding all of the oasis and creating a very full, complex appearance.
Sprigs of rosemary and some fallen leaves provided a neutral accent to all of the bright colored flowers.
Freesia and Stock always offer a fresh, peppery fragrance.
Like good friends, lilies and roses tend to open up, relax and release their lovely fragrance more and more each day.
Sage was my green of choice, especially since it’s such a traditional herb in the Thanksgiving menu.
Each guest will have a different view of these complex pots during dinner tomorrow evening.
Are you a guest tomorrow? For a great host or hostess gift, you could bring a garnish kit of herbs and citrus, and offer to garnish platters for your chef. For more details, click on gorgeous garnishes.
Happy Thanksgiving Splendid Readers, I am thankful for each and every one of you and for all of your visits and comments!
Emily,
they are gorgeous! I love the addition of the herbs, especially the sage. It is a stunning table. M.
I love your beautiful arrangements and after TJ gets done at your house, can you please send him over here? Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday!!
Thank you IDS. Q, I will send him your way soon, um. I just have a couple of more events…
Happy Thanksgiving, xo ebh
I miss the Pac NW rain for that cozy feeling so I would love that. 🙂 Your sage and overall the arrangements look great, and what a fun idea to offer to garnish the platters! I'll have to use that again when I am stateside. Happy Thanksgiving Emily! All the best…Barbara
Well done!! I love "playing florist"..yours came out beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving! Those containers are lovely and your arrangements are fabulous!
Emily, These centerpieces are beautiful and I love your idea for the hostess gift. It looks like you had a busy, but I have a feeling wonderful Thanksgiving.
I want to thank you for taking time to stop by the blog. I always enjoy seeing your comments and am thankful for having known you since the beginning of this blogging journey. While it might not be soon, I do look forward to having a cup of coffee with you sometime when I'm up in Seattle.
Have a wonderful holiday season.
-Shannon 🙂