Tips for Flower Arranging at Home

Floral design is an art and for some it comes easy. If you have tried and failed or never tried at all, take heart, all is not lost. The beauty of learning at home is that if you make mistakes, it does not matter if it looks a bit funny. With some helpful tips and practice you can become proficient at it.

From my years as a designer, I have learned some helpful ideas that will make the journey easier.

1) The first thing I would do is to rent from the library or buy a floral design book. I used books liberally in the beginning to learn about the various floral supplies and get familiar with them. Also you get to see pictures of designs and in most books they will take you step by step on how to do it.

2) Start with the simplest of designs. Follow the step by step instructions and pat yourself on the back for each little step you do that works out. Do not fall in the trap of getting down on your-self if it does not look right.

3) Do the same beginners design over and over again until you really get proficient at it. Then take on a different design and do that over and over until you've got it down, and so on.

4) Now that you'll have practiced several designs and you are feeling comfortable doing it, I'm going to give you an important tip that can take you from becoming a good designer into a great designer. I consider this one of the most important learning tools. This is what changed my floral designs. Take your tips from nature. Once I had some basic skills from doing it over and over, I started to observe flowers, plants and shrubs as they grow in nature. Really, really look at how they grow naturally. If you mimic nature, you will not go wrong in your designs. Most people make the mistake of trying to make flowers perfectly symmetrical. This looks very fake and you will never see them grow that way. Some flowers are sticking out and some are tucked in and may be barely visible but still contribute to the overall look. I have even based some of my designs on how a particular tree grows. The more you observe nature and mimic that, the more successful you will be in your designs.

Some of the most successful designers in the world mimic nature and its that organized haphazard look that makes it beautiful.

If all you want to do is have flowers that make your home beautiful and more inviting, then practicing floral design can be an extremely rewarding activity. If you want to take it a step farther and learn to become a designer and make an income from it, you really can learn at home and it is a very fun activity.

Enjoy!

http://www.artinspires.com/display_motivational.asp?c=Beauty

Will ie Jones

Willie is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist. Thanks very much for reading this far. Please come and visit us at: http://www.artinspires.com/for an inspirational poster or two

"Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing. All winners receive a free framed print."

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:55:50 GMT Obama Campaign Criticizes Rival McCain's Economic Proposals - Bloomberg Wall Street Journal Blogs Obama Campaign Criticizes Rival McCain's Economic Proposals Bloomberg - 5 hours ago By Alison Vekshin July 6 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's advisers criticized Republican rival John McCain's economic proposals as both candidates prepared to focus on the US economy this week. Obama Advisers Tout Tax Plan FOXNews That topic we love to hate Atlanta Journal Constitution Wall Street Journal - Newsweek - NewsMax.com - Wall Street Journal Blogs all 10 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:27:55 GMT 'Hancock' a signature opening for Smith - Los Angeles Times Ottawa Citizen 'Hancock' a signature opening for Smith Los Angeles Times - 52 minutes ago The offbeat superhero story brings in $66 million over the holiday weekend, marking the star's eighth straight No. 1. He's hot, but the reviews were not. ‘Hancock’ Powers to the Top of Box Office New York Times Will Smith is box office superhero with 'Hancock' Reuters USA Today - Celebrity News - The Associated Press - BloggingStocks all 322 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:03:03 GMT AT&T's Odd iPhone Offer - TechNewsWorld Computerworld AT&T's Odd iPhone Offer TechNewsWorld - 13 hours ago By Eric Benderoff Some of the details surrounding AT&T's iPhone prices make little sense, writes Eric Benderoff. The company will sell a 3G iPhone with no contract for a $400 premium. iPhone 3G line forms in NYC for a green cause Ars Technica New iPhone Can Decouple From AT&T, for a Price Washington Post TMCnet - Slashdot - CRN - CNNMoney.com all 568 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:04:21 GMT Weather Channel Is Sold to NBC and Equity Firms - New York Times Weather Channel Is Sold to NBC and Equity Firms New York Times - 3 hours ago By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED An investor group led by NBC Universal and two private equity firms clinched a deal for the Weather Channel on Sunday after three weeks of negotiations. NBC Universal, Bain, Blackstone Buy Weather Channel (Update1) Bloomberg NBC and its Partners Announce Deal To Buy Weather Channel and Assets Wall Street Journal The Associated Press - Hollywood Reporter - Variety - New York Times Blogs all 360 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:48:12 GMT Google, Zen Master of the Market - New York Times Times Online Google, Zen Master of the Market New York Times - 1 hour ago By STEVE LOHR Bill Gates, who walked away from full-time work at Microsoft last month, was perhaps the foremost applied economist of the second half of the 20th century. Why Microsoft will win Yahoo CNNMoney.com Yahoo! re-enters merger talks with Time Warner Times Online TheNewsTribune.com - CNET News - Washington Post - InformationWeek all 244 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:57:50 GMT Obama cites faith as key to change - Boston Globe Obama cites faith as key to change Boston Globe - 17 hours ago Barack Obama called "active faith" an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change in a speech yesterday at the national meeting of a black church group. Veterans Group Urges Support to 'Finish the Job' Washington Post Veterans’ Group Critical of Obama Plans Costly Ad Campaign FOXNews The Associated Press - KPVI-TV - Telegraph.co.uk - New York Times Blogs all 129 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:58:31 GMT Bosox, Cubs each put 7 players on All-Star rosters - The Associated Press AFP Bosox, Cubs each put 7 players on All-Star rosters The Associated Press - 54 minutes ago NEW YORK (AP) - Maybe Manny Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and the rest of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs should just play their own All-Star game. All-Star rosters revealed Sports Network Cubs win 7-1 and seven All-Stars; I'd say it was a good day Bleacher Report MLB.com - Chicago Sun-Times - WSBT-TV - Atlanta Journal Constitution all 421 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:58 GMT RSS feeds Increase Web Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

How to Make Personalized Candle Gifts From Ordinary Candles

If you are looking for a fun gift to make... Read More

Make Your Own Lampshades

When redecorating your room, you may be faced with looking... Read More

Woodworking Beginners: Secret Tips To Start Right

Woodworking: Where To Start - Tips From Experienced WoodworkersWoodworking encompasses... Read More

Scrapbooking Ideas for Kids

Many times at auctions, or estate sales, a box of... Read More

Genealogy - Why You Should Get Involved in Your Family History

A few years ago I read a statistic that said... Read More

Wax Pencils, Stickers, and Rubber Stamping in Your Scrapbooks

Another important writing implement for scrapbooking is a wax pencil.... Read More

Ever Wanted to Make Your Own Themed Gift Baskets?

If you've always wanted to know how to make your... Read More

Stress-Free Scrapbook Journaling Ideas

Do you find it intimidating when you come to journal... Read More

Where Antiques Originate and How You Can Find Them

It's important to understand where antiques originate. Many antique buyers... Read More

How To Make Your Own Gift Baskets

Haven't you always wanted to give someone a beautiful gift... Read More

Rubber Stamps and Scrapbooking ? Keep Kids Busy with Crafts This Summer

They're out of school and back to torment the neighborhood... Read More

Scrapbook Photos -- Getting Adventurous With Your Layouts

When you have selected the photos for your scrapbook, you'll... Read More

Why You Should Race RC Cars, and Not Just Bash

For those of you who have been racing your RC... Read More

Creative Soap Crafts

Soap is a craft that is fun and easy to... Read More

Use Newspaper Clippings, Graphics, Kids Art, and Clipart to Enhance Your Scrapbook

A popular addition to scrapbook pages is newspaper clippings. Newspaper... Read More

The Choice Between Electric or Nitro Powered RC Cars Can be Overwhelming!

The roar of the crowd as the cars rush by,... Read More

The Theme and Title of Your New Scrapbook

The theme of your scrapbook can be simple or complex.... Read More

Tracing Your Family History

Let me say straight away that tracing your family ancestry... Read More

Learn Exactly How To Repair Your Sewing Machine At Home!

My name is Tony Asef and I start my own... Read More

Woodworking Tools: Right Selection And Care Will Save You Money, Part 5

Woodworking: Tools Of The Trade, Part 5 - Tools For... Read More

History of Kokeshi Wooden Dolls from Japan

Little is known of the early history of Kokeshi Japanese... Read More

Identifying US Coins with Bullish Futures

Okay, let's get something straight? I do not advocate the... Read More

Be Your Own Way, but Still Use the Safe Tools

It is so often that people are not aware with... Read More

Rubber Stamps ? For Teachers and Students

Once again we are reminded that summer is not long... Read More

Woodworking Tools: Right Selection And Care Will Save You Money, Part 1

Woodworking: Tools Of The Trade, Part 1 - A Place... Read More