One of the first things a person notices, when entering a cemetery that allows only flat headstones, are the beautiful flowers located in the accompanying vases. Each headstone has a vase that attaches to hold bouquets, Christmas trees and other memorials. The floral bouquets can be very expensive, but you can make them yourself, and theyll be just as beautiful as any youve ever seen.
A Styrofoam cone is exactly what you need to start creating a magnificent bouquet. You dont have to be extremely talented in flower arranging to make it. The six inch size cone will soon become a memorial thats colorful and elegant. Turn the cone upside-down, into a vase or jar, to steady it. This will make it much easier to insert flowers without the cone shifting.
Remember that a portion of the cone will be inserted into the headstone vase. Work with the top couple of inches of the cone, which is actually the bottom of the cone. The cone bottom will give you a flat surface for inserting flowers, vines, flags, mini trees and more. Plastic and silk flowers generally have rigid stems that can be inserted directly into the cone. Limp stems or vines may need strengthening before inserting in the cone. Places which sell floral supplies have spike-type objects which can help. The spike is wrapped around the limp stem and secured with metal tabs. The metal spike then easily slides into the cone. Another way to steady the vines is to glue or tape them to a wooden skewer piece before insertion in the cone. Start by pushing stems from flowers, leaves and vines into the sides of the Styrofoam. Work towards the center of the flat Styrofoam piece. The floral pieces should rest horizontally. After the bottom of the cone is covered in the floral choices youll begin adding pieces in a vertical manner. As you push the flowers into the cone bottom start at the center and insert a main flower into the middle. Surrounding flowers should be somewhat shorter than the main flower. Leaves and vine pieces should be placed amongst the flowers but they should not stand straight up. Only the main flower should be perfectly vertical; other flowers and such should slant out and away from the main center. You dont necessarily have to just work with flowers, leaves and vines. Other choices include small novelty flags, bows on sticks, curled ribbon and various trinkets. Make certain novelties stand up higher by first attaching them to a wooden skewer. You can find plastic spikes which can hold all sorts of novelties at a place that sells floral supplies. After youve created the bouquet youll simply remove it from the vase or jar and take it to the cemetery. Place the cone, with the point down, into the headstone vase. Wedge the cone tightly into the vase and make sure its perfectly upright. For Christmas the Styrofoam cone can help you create a Christmas tree for the vase. Use the cone as the base and insert the mini tree trunk. Tiny packages can be glued around the base to cover the Styrofoam and embellish the tree. Its easy to create the memorial bouquets for many different occasions. Store the additional ones, with the cone facing downward, in jars or vases at home. You can cover them with a plastic bag to protect them from dust until you need them. Shop at craft stores, memorial departments and even dollar-theme stores to find a variety of things you can use to create your memorials. You dont have to spend big bucks to make them. Just purchase several of the small Styrofoam cones and plastic or silk floral items. Youll be able to make a bouquet for each holiday, birthday memorials and more.
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