simple DIY flowers: hand tied bouquet with hydrangeas & dahlias

hand tied bouquets are a fairly simple and very put-together style of arranging flowers.  for this bouquet i wanted a rounded look, so i used hydrangeas and dahlias, as well as a bit of dusty miller for texture.  but, as always, there are other types of flowers that would work (roses, peonies, etc., and lots of different kinds of foliage would be fine).

first, i cleaned all of the leaves off of the flowers.  then, i started with a hydrangea in one hand for the center flower, and then continued adding flowers/foliage, 2 to 3 at a time, before giving the whole thing a little turn with the other hand.  i held the bouquet near the base of the flowers, to keep the shape.  

i continued repeating these steps (adding 2-3 flowers, giving a turn) until the bouquet was full and round.  (tip:  you can check in the mirror to make sure that the you're maintaining a rounded shape)

after i was happy with the way my bouquet looked, i trimmed the stems to my desired length.  then i added a clear rubber band (hair tie) midway up the stems.  and, if you're keeping the bouquet for yourself, then that's it!  just plop them in a vase.  if you want to gift your bouquet to someone special, just wrap a little ribbon or twine around that center band.  i used a simple black satin ribbon, but use whatever looks good with your bouquet.

have a happy and gracious day.

xo, c