stephanotis bouquets
Stephanotis bouquets often have a dainty accent of pearl in the center of each flower head. You will need to cut the shank of corsage pins down to size. Pearl headed pins come in many different colors.
Always wear eye protection when cutting the steel shank of the pins.
For added safety, I always push the steel shank deep into stiff styrofoam before cutting. Use heavy pliers to cut through the stem.
Insert the shortened corsage pin into the center of each flower. The shank needs to be long enough to push into the cotten top of the stephanotis bouquet stems.
For my own choice, I like inserting the stephanotis into stiff styrofoam so that none of the petals touch.
You then insert the stems one at a time into the bouquet, giving it an all around look. You can see why I covered the foam with the white stock, otherwise you would need a lot more stephanotis.
If you want a little more color to your bouquet, you can see how just the addition of lavender freesia and purple miniature carnations can really change your overall look.
I do use Floralock stem adhesive to be sure that every stem stays locked into place. This adhesive is safe to use with flowers. Be sure to read the directions on the back of the can. You should shake the can thoroughly to aerate the glue. The red nozzel is inserted into the nozzle on the top of the can. Fit it in snugly and insert the red straw deep in between the flowers, right where the stems are in the florist foam.
Spray in short bursts, waiting to allow the glue to dry. Use sparingly, because you don't want glue to drip down the sides and make the bouquet handle sticky.
Clean out the nozzle by dipping in acetate fingernail polish remover. Always tape the nozzle back to the side of the can - you can lose these very quickly in a pile of discarded flower stems and leaves! If the red stem gets clogged, you can snip off the end with a pair of wire cutters.
Always spray every bouquet with a flower sealant such as Finishing Touch. This locks the moisture into flowers head. Allow to dry before storing bouquet in refrigerator. Turn it up a little warmer and do not store bouquets near the back, as colder temperatures could freeze the blooms.
