Mauve Peony Flower Arrangement

Today I’m going to share how I made this Mauve Peony Flower Arrangement with faux flowers to create this beautiful spring floral arrangement. There are some tips and tricks to using artificial flowers that will make your flower arrangements look great and I’ll share the pros and cons of using artificial/faux flowers.

I will link all my favorites at the bottom and throughout the post. Just click on the images to shop the source.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

The Pros of Using Artificial Flowers

Faux Flowers last forever.

Faux flowers last forever if you take good care of them and store them properly. You never have to worry about them dying. You invest about the same amount of money or close to it, for real flowers but they are dead and gone in a week or less. Try using high end faux flowers next time and see how beautiful they are!

They are easy to bend and shape.

Artificial flowers are easy to bend and shape to fit your arrangement and they tend to stand up and stay where you place them, especially if they have a support system like a tape grid, chicken wire base, or floral foam. I’m not a huge fan of floral foam though as it’s terrible for the planet! Try using a chicken wire base if you want another option.

Faux flower quality is improving.

Another pro with using artificial or faux florals and greenery is that that the overall quality of flowers you can purchase now is amazing!

I typically only use the high-end type flowers, and people often ask me on my Instagram how I keep my flowers alive. Thats how nice they are! Many people think they are real!

They are so beautiful that they look real.

There are a lot of “real touch” flowers on the market nowadays and the quality just keeps getting better! I’ve linked the ones I used here for this Mauve Peony Flower Arrangement at the bottom of the post.

Artificial flowers are also much easier to come by when real flowers are out of season or hard to get.

Let’s be honest, peonies are only in season for about 3-4 weeks in early summer and that’s way to short!

I have so many beautiful peonies in all colors and sizes that I’ve found online and also have in my online shop EvolutionHomeDecor.com. I’ll be adding many of my favorites in the shop soon so stay tuned. (as of posting this 5/3/23, we should be launching the shop in a matter of weeks so check back soon if the website isn’t working yet)

The Cons of Using Artificial Flowers

They don’t have any smell.

I guess that could be a pro though if you have allergies!

They are not real and at the end of the day, fresh flowers are still my favorite to use but when they are not in season or hard to get, artificial flowers come in handy.

If you don’t swap them out often or don’t dust much, they do tend to get dusty.

I change flowers out often for the seasons so I don’t have that problem and I store them in my basement when not in use and keep them in a dust free area. Give them a good shake if they are dusty.

You have to store them somewhere in your home.

I am fortunate to have a basement in both my homes where I have ample storage space to keep all my flowers and seasonal home decor.

I prefer to store mine in french flower cans or buckets and I like to store similar colors and seasonal flowers together. I will also use large clear plastic garbage bags from Costco to put over the top of the flowers or greenery that I store in buckets or bins. This also helps keep them from getting dusty.

It’s a little harder to create arrangements that look asymmetrical and how they would appear in nature.

I like to give each flower it’s own space to breath and using real flowers allows for this to happen a little easier but if you use a proper support structure, you can achieve a beautiful look with the faux florals as well.

How to Arrange Faux Flowers

Now that we have covered some of the pros and cons of artificial flowers, let’s talk about how to arrange them.

One of my favorite techniques is to use a grid.

There are many ways to do this and in this particular arrangement, I used a grid that came with another vase I bought years ago. It was the perfect size for the antique crock opening and I used floral tape to attach it to the crock.

The grid provides some support and a little structure for the flowers. In a wider mouthed jar, vase, or crock, as I’ve used here, this really comes in handy.

You can see how I made this Mauve Peony Flower Arrangement in this reel video I shared here on Instagram.

I used clear floral tape and placed a few pieces of tape across the top of the crock and then laid the metal floral grid on top of the tape and then taped that down so it wouldn’t move.

I used a marble lazy susan to set the vase on and then I started arranging the flowers. This helps to see all sides of the arrangement. I learned this method years ago at a floral arranging workshop at my friend Dawn’s All My Thyme Rose Farm.

Start arranging your flowers.

Now that you have your tape grid or floral grid secure and a lazy susan, you can start arranging your flowers. I used two types of faux peonies. One was a dark mauve color and the other a similar color but with some contrast and a little smaller.

I love the simplicity of these colors and how they are similar but different.

I started adding a layer of the larger peonies then added in a layer of the smaller peonies. I used the the lazy susan to spin the vase around so I could see any holes or areas in the arrangement that looked sparse. I added both the large and small flowers in until it looked balanced and full. I was amazed at how many flowers I was able to fit into this crock!

I’ve shared as many of the sources as I could find in this next section but you can use any type of flower or color combo that you like. Just tap the photos of the individual sources to get to the link.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing how to create a faux or artificial peony flower arrangement!

Shop the Look

Here are some other flower arranging posts to check out!

Blue and Orange DIY Fall Centerpiece

Summer/Fall Sunflower Centerpiece

Blue and Yellow Summer/Fall DIY Floral Arrangement

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The post How to Create a Beautiful Mauve Peony Flower Arrangement appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Blue and Orange DIY Fall Centerpiece

Fall is quickly approaching and I’ve already started my Fall decorating! This Blue and Orange DIY Fall Centerpiece is so easy to make and adds a pop of color anywhere you place it. I set mine in the middle of my kitchen island and I love how it turned out.

Picking my Fall Color Decor Palette

I have a lot of blue in my Highland, Utah home and decided to go with a light blue and orange color palette. I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not so I started with this faux floral centerpiece. Once I was done making this I set it out on the island on top of a round shaped wood cutting board and I knew I’d made the right choice for colors!

After placing the centerpiece on the island, I started adding other decor in the same color palette to my open shelves and the rest of my kitchen, family room, and dining room. I also used tan and ivory colors around my home to compliment the blue and orange.

Using Artificial Florals

One of the reasons I like to use artificial or faux flowers is that they last forever and you can use them over and over again. I only use high quality florals though, as that makes all the difference in the overall quality of your centerpiece or floral arrangement. Here are some of the items I used in this fall centerpiece and in my kitchen decor. I’ll link the sources below at the bottom of the post.

Tap the photos below for sources. They are also listed larger at the bottom of the post.

Here you can see how I styled the rest of the kitchen and open shelves.

Another reason I like faux flowers is that you can get almost any color in many different types of flowers. I don’t know if a burnt orange peony actually exists, but I sure love that there is a faux version available! Faux flowers are easy to arrange because you can shape and bend the stems and cut off the stems if they are too long.

I used a mix of artificial hydrangeas, peony’s, roses, and few others smaller flowers that add height and shape to the larger flowers.

How to Arrange Faux Flowers

First, pick a ginger jar or wide mouth urn or vase to recreate this look. This particular vase has a lid so I removed it and then started filling the jar with my flowers. I added three each of the roses, hydrangeas, ivory peonies, and orange peonies into the vase, and then added in the taller delphinium flowers. I always use odd numbers of flowers so 3 of each is a good formula for this type of arrangement.

I then added in some of the smaller cream colored roses on the outside and bent them over to look like they are falling out of the vase. You want it loose and not overfilled. Then add in some of the smaller orange flowers to fill in any holes. The last thing I do is check all sides to make sure there are no holes on the sides or back of the arrangement. Since this one can be seen from all sides, every part needs to look good!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I created this blue and orange fall centerpiece flower arrangement for my kitchen island. This would also be perfect for a dining table or entry table. You could make one larger one and two smaller ones to accent the larger one and place the smaller ones throughout your home.

xoxo,

Here are all the sources (or similar options) for the fall centerpiece and some of the other items I used to decorate my kitchen. For more fall inspiration, check out my Summer/Fall Sunflower Centerpiece and my Fall Home Tour 2019

Shop The Post by tapping on the images below.

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Blue and Orange Pumpkin Themed Tablescape

Every year I like to create a pumpkin tablescape and this years came out completely different than I had planned it in my head. Blue was not in my original plan but as I was mixing and matching different dishes to see how they looked together I threw a blue plate in the mix just to see how it looked. The result was this blue and orange pumpkin themed tablescape!

As soon as I saw the blue against the orange, I knew I was changing my original plan. I have a lot of blue decor in my Highland, Utah home and my fall decor colors had a lot of orange colors mixed in so this worked out perfectly and matched my fall decor.

Two Different Versions

When I was setting the table, I had it set without the blue bowls. I liked it but then I added the blue bowls onto the table and I instantly liked it more. Here you can see each version. Which is your favorite?

Here you can see more of the orange and less blue. Either way I love the bright colors and how this tablescape came together.

One way you can determine how many plates you want use and whether you add a bowl or not depends on what you’re serving for dinner.

The Place-Setting

For my blue and orange pumpkin themed tablescape, I first started with the place-setting. I chose a teal blue charger and then alternated the blue and orange plates.

I wanted this pumpkin tablescape to be fun and not formal so I chose to use these paper placemats that came in a tablet. You just tear them off one at a time and they are super cute and affordable!

I used a light blue cloth napkin with these autumn leaf napkin rings and my everyday silver flatware.

The Centerpiece Garland

To create the centerpiece I layered two faux olive branch leafy garlands on top of a long burlap table runner.

Then I layered in faux fall colored leaf stems, blue and brown berry picks and a few faux sage picks on top of the two garlands. Then I nestled in some velvet pumpkins placing the largest one in the center and the smaller pumpkins in and around the garland.

Orange Berry Leaf Spray

Blueberry Stems 18 Inch – Artificial Decorative Spray

28" Lamb's Ear Leaf Spray Green

Finishing Touches

I’m always about the details and adding simple things like matching salt and pepper shakers is one way I add an extra touch. I’m always on the hunt for cute salt and pepper shakers. I guess it’s safe to say that I collect them too! These cute copper and silver salt and pepper shakers matched perfect.

Another finishing touch and detail I added was the pumpkin sign on the wall in the dining room. Just underneath the sign I placed an orange metal container filled with more of the same leafy branch stems I used in the garland and placed it on top of an old antique crate.

Similar Fall Leaf Branch

The pumpkin sign is from Teal Barn Signs. I’ll link the sign and all the other items I’m able to below.

I hope you enjoyed seeing all the details of this fun blue and orange pumpkin themed tablescape!

For more pumpkin tablescape inspiration you can click here to see last years pumpkin themed tablescape.

Enjoy!

XOXO,

The blue dishes are from Target a few years ago and discontinued so I’ve linked some similar options. The orange dishes are from Anthropologie. This color is not available at the moment but will maybe come back again in the future. This is the link to this line of dishes: Old Havana Dinnerware

See last years Pumpkin Tablescape here:

Sources:

43" Fall Leaf Branch

Blueberry Stems 18 Inch – Artificial Decorative Spray

Orange Berry Leaf Spray

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