unity candle ideas
Unity candle ideas can go far beyond a simple pillar candle and two tapers. With the right florist foam products, a florist can create a lovely and unique flower stand. It may seem difficult, but all the skill you really need is the ability to "cut and poke" into flower foam.
I start with a block of Oasis florist foam referred to as an Oasis spray bar. This is a bar of rectangle shaped Max-life foam surrounded by a thin film of poly foam. These foam bars come in an array of different sizes, but the longest ones are referred to as raquettes. For this design, I've chosen the shortest one available, which is approximately a foot long.
The film is perforated with tiny holes, which allows the foam to be floated in water treated with a professional flower food, which it quickly absorbs. Do not try to form the foam underwater, as this may cause dry pockets that will not nourish flowers later.
The film also has the advantage of slowing down normal evaporation, keeping as much water in the foam as possible thus keeping the flowers alive longer.
The second Oasis foam used in this demonstration is a 9 inch foam open heart.
The next florist supply needed is a wooden Cowee stick, which will be needed to support the foam heart in an upright position on the spray bar. Cowee products are very porous wood, so one inserted deep into the foam the wood expands, creating a tight lock in the wet foam.
The wood is easily cut or snapped into smaller pieces if needed.
This upright heart will be heavy once full of water and flowers, so I also use a special adhesive used with fresh flowers. It dries slower, but keeps stems and Cowee sticks locked into place, even in wet foam or refrigerated conditions.
The third florist foam product is known as an Iglu cage. The plastic cage tends to float, so turn it upside down and allow it to absorb as much water as possible. It doesn't take long to become fully saturated.
Taper candles fit easily into the top of these iglu cages and become a free standing design of greenery and flowers that hold the taper candle securely.
Simply push the candle down into the opening from the top of the Iglu. Some water may be forced out of the foam, so be sure you are on a designing surface when you do this. It's easier to put the candle in before designing, otherwise flower stems may crowd the inner portion of the foam keeping the candle from being inserted.
