DIY Bubblegum Bowl Valentine Centerpiece

I recently did several Valentines centerpiece tutorials. The bubble gum jar arrangement is my favorite . I love how the bubblegum turned this plain glass bowl into a jar of happiness.

But you know what the best part is? This arrangement was never in the original plan. The bowl was actually one of three apothecary jars I bought to set out on display with candy in them. Somewhere between the store and my house one of the glass lids broke. Bummer and it was the lid to my favorite one too! Now I had two decorative apothecary jars and one odd glass bowl. So much for my apothecary jar plan. Then as I was trying to figure out what to do with the left over flowers from my previous arrangements, a light bulb went off. And that is when the broken jar transformed into the perfect vessel for this bubblegum arrangement. I am kind of glad the lid broke now. Here is how to make this arrangement...





Here is a list of the flowers I used
◦Mini White Carnations
◦Mini Red Carnations
◦Mini Hot Pink Carnations
◦1 Hot Pink Rose
◦Leather Leaf Fern
◦Baby’s Breath





Now the supplies you will need
◦Colorful bubblegum. (I found these at target in the valentine’s section)
◦Glass bowl (I got mine from Marshalls. It was with the apothecary jars.)
◦Short drinking glass
◦Oasis Wet Foam Blocks (not pictured above)
◦Heart Picks (not pictured above)
◦Floral Tape (optional)





Fill a clean sink with WARM water. I also mix in the flower food packet that comes with the flowers but this isn’t necessary.
◦Cut your oasis foam with a sharp knife to fit inside your glass and then soak your cut foam in your water.
◦Once your foam is soaked, place it in the short drinking glass
◦If needed, you can use floral tape to secure the foam in the glass. I didn’t so this because it was super snug already.





You want the floral foam to stick up about an inch or two above your glass bowl. Next pour in your bubblegum. I was concerned that the bubblegum colors might bleed if the gum got wet. I used a piece of paper in front of the foam to shield it while I poured the gum into the bowl. This worked out well.





The gum should only go up to the top of the glass but not high enough to touch the foam. I also helped myself to some gum. In case you are wondering, It tasted like it was meant for a decoration.





Next Prep the Flowers…
◦Strip the leaves off the carnations and your rose
◦Cut at least an inch off the bottom of your flower stems under warm water. This is a must! I only cut the main flower stems. I don’t prep the filler greens. (The Fern)
◦Keep 2 buckets of water on hand. One for your flowers and one for your greens to sit in while you are working your arrangement.
( I go into more detail about this in a previous post on my blog.)





Now cut small pieces of the leather leaf fern and tuck them in the foam just above the lip of the glass. This covers the inside glass perfectly! I was careful to not to use any fern pieces that had spores on the back of the leaves. I didn’t want little seeds falling into to gum.





Now add another layer of fern pieces that extend a little over the edge of the glass bowl. Add a few more in the layer above that last one.





Cut your rose so it has about a 4-inch stem and place it directly in the center. Now cut and add about 4 or 5 hot pink carnations. They are pointing slightly upward. Next add 4 red carnations.





I tucked in more red carnations directly above the lip of the glass bowl and added 3 unopened pink carnations near the rose.





Add white carnations in some of the gaps. I also added a few more pink and red where I felt it needed it. Then lastly, I tucked in little sprigs of baby’s breath.





The final step is to put in some little heart picks and you are done.





It’s so much better than my plain apothecary jar candy dish plan.
Isn’t this so like life… So many times I have found myself disappointed, holding on to my plan and the broken pieces; meanwhile, God has something so much better planned and it is beautiful.





Click the link below for more flower ideas, DIY and general craftiness - Blessings, Jenny @Paintyourselfasmile






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13753930/diy-bubblegum-bowl-valentine-centerpiece site