Christmas Table Centerpieces
I like using wired ribbon because it holds it's shape, even when you have to re-water the design and hold it near a faucet.
There are a lot of inexpensive ribbons at discount and dollar stores. Keep in mind that there is very little yardage on these spools and will generally only yield about one centerpiece worth.
Professional florists buy their ribbon in much larger (and cheaper per yard) bolts since they do so many arrangements.
Be sure to cut cleanly with sharp shears. I NEVER use my quality ribbon shears to cut flower stems or tough greenery. That would be a good way to ruin a good pair of shears.
Florists are pretty protective of their working tools and take care to keep them sharp and clean. Regular scissors can pinch a delicate flower stem closed, crushing the inner cells so that they cannot take up water easily.
Best advice? Use the right tools for the right job. That means cutting wire with wire cutters, flower stems with florist knives or flower scissors and tough stems with floral snips or pruners.
Instead of making an actual bow, I'm going to use Cowee picks to create individual loops of ribbon and tails of ribbon to insert into the foam, in between the greenery.
These handy little picks are green and made of a very porous wood that swells up when it absorbs water. That means it tightens in place and stays where it is put once inserted into the florist foam.
Pleat fold the end of your ribbon like shown in the image below.
Lay the wired end of the Cowee pick against the pleated end and then wrap the thin wire tightly around the ribbon, securing the pick and creating a stem for the ribbon.
The wound wire will hold the ribbon securely.
Give the wired ribbon a few curvy folds and it's ready to be inserted into the flower design.
Tuck the wooden pick in between the greenery and deep enough that the wired end doesn't show.
