As mother’s day quickly approaches, have you decided how to celebrate the most important woman in your life this year?

Instead of hurrying to the store to buy yet another mainstream gift, consider creating your gift this year.

I love DIY presents because they’re such a fun way to express your creativity and infuse the gift with meaning.

Time is our most precious commodity so unlike store bought, homemade gifts show the receiver how much you care about them, because you took the time to create something from scratch, just for them.

FLOWER ARRANGEMENT AS A GIFT

My friends and loved ones can tell you that my favorite DIY presents are flower arrangements.

Flowers are such a special & elegant gift and can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. Flower arrangements also bring freshness into the home – in both color and scent & provide a constant source of inspiration.

Another reason why I adore flower arrangements is the fact that they’re an eco-friendly gift guaranteed to make anyone smile, especially MOM.

HOW TO MAKE A UNIQUE FLORAL CAKE FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

Now that I convinced you to forgo the traditional gift and opt for a DIY flower arrangement instead, I must show you how to do it in the comfort of your own home.

Join me and my son on our visit to Floral Habitat as we show you how fun this project can be. Together we made a floral cake arrangement, a lemon vase bouquet and a simple symmetrical composition.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Clippers
• Knife
• Tape
• Lemons
• Cake stand
• Floral oasis foam
• You can purchase this dark green, spongy foam, called oasis foam. Oasis foam is easy to penetrate with delicate stems and will hold the water that is needed to help keep your arrangement fresher for an extended period of time.
• The flowers of your choosing
• In-season blooms will be less expensive and feel right for the time of year. Other varieties, such as roses and orchids, are available year-round. My personal favorites are hydrangeas and peonies & orchids

EASY DIY FLOWER CAKE ARRANGEMENT FOR MOMS EVERYWHERE (TO MAKE FOR AND TO GIFT)

Step 1. Create your set-up. Clear a large table or countertop so you have space to move and keep everything you need close by.

Step 2. Opt for either mixing complementary colors for example

• Blue complements orange
• Green complements pinks
• Yellow complements violet

or choose one shade (red, yellow, white) or variety. Don’t forget to add greenery for texture and color.

Step 3. Cut the oasis foam brick into a cake slice shape, roughly around 12cm long. This will be the base of your floral arrangement.

Step 4. Place the flowers that you will use on a tray for easy access. This type of floral cake requires that we layer different varieties of flowers on top of one another so it’s important that you choose suitable flowers (small and large) that will allow you to align the flowers in a straight line.

Remove any excess leaves that may interfere with your layering. Cut your flower stems so that they’re no more than 1-3 cm long depending on the flower.

Step 5. Take the left or right side of your cake and starting from the bottom, gently stick the stems of your flowers as closely together in a straight line leaving no trace of the oasis foam brick.

Once you have completed your bottom layer around the entire slice of oasis foam, continue to the next layer and move your way up.

Step 6. Layer each variety of flower and repeat until all flowers have been added. Finish the arrangement by adding greenery and any other accessories of your choosing.

Psst – check out these awesome hacks I use at home to make my flower arrangement stand out

Tip 1: Keep flowers from falling out of shallow vases by using tape to hold your stems in place

Tip 2: Layer vases and fill them with lemon slices for an extraordinary result

Tip 3: Avoid wasting! You can use leftover flowers as flower accessories for your hair

HAVE YOUR KIDS HELP YOU!

Add even more meaning to this mother’s day gift by having your child help you. Grandma will love knowing the little ones were part of the process.

Showing kids how to arrange flowers can be a really fun activity as many children are naturally attracted to colorful flowers. Your child will also learn first-hand how flowers bring happiness to others and feel personally satisfied with their carefully-crafted arrangements.

Tip for kids: be careful to not accidentally squirt lemon into your eye!

FLOWERS & MINDFULNESS

Because of the passing nature and beauty of fresh flowers, they allow us to be more mindful and teach us to live in the moment. Flowers also teach us to have gratitude toward the earth, how to pause and really appreciate what’s important.

A BIG Thank you to Michelle from Floral Habitat for letting us use her space to make these beautiful floral arrangements.

Will you make a flower arrangement this Mother’s Day? I’d love to see your beautiful creations – DM me your pictures @bless_the_mess_