Have you always wondered how florists beautifully wrap blooms to get them looking gift-ready? Well, you’re in for a treat!
We’re sharing this delightful ‘Cloudy White Tissue Wrapping’ DIY straight out of A Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson.
Annabel says, “The only way to improve your flower bouquet as a gift is to wrap the bundle in a big, blousy cloud of white tissue paper, and then another layer of white, heavy wrapping paper, while still keeping its legs firmly grounded in a jar of water. If you don’t have any tissue or wrapping paper at home, fear not: baking paper does a very fine job.”
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
– Flowers
– White paper, tissue or wax paper
– Ribbon or string
– Tape
WHAT TO DO
STEP 1: Get two sheets of white paper and place them on a table.
“The sheets I used are 40 by 55 cm (16 by 22 in) – the hydrangeas I was wrapping were quite big, and because I wanted the paper to be big too, I did not fold them.”
“If you have sheets that are bigger, or an arrangement that is smaller, fold one sheet in half, off‑centre, and then the other.”
“Position the two folded sheets so they make an upside‑down V, overlapping at the top and with the fold lines facing in.”
STEP 2: repeat the folding process
“Get two pieces of tissue paper (the sheets I used are 50 by 75 cm/20 by 30 in) and repeat the folding process, placing them on top of the white paper.”
“My preference is food‑grade tissue paper that is a little stiffer than the stock‑standard stuff you will find at the newsagency. But don’t sweat it.”
STEP 3: make a collar around the flowers
“Place the bouquet on top of the paper, right in the centre, with the stems sitting in the negative space between the two sides of the upside‑down V.”
“Use the paper sheets to make a collar around the flowers, then secure it with ribbon or string at the base. Use a small bit of sticky tape to secure the two sheets together at the front and the back.”
“Re‑cut the stems and immediately place the bunch in the water‑filled jar. In theory, every time you take the stems out of water they need a recut. CSIRO actually advises you to cut them underwater so that no air bubbles get trapped in the stems, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide how militant you want to be.”
A Tree in the House
This is an edited extract from A Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson published by Hardie Grant Books AU $50.00/NZ $55.00 and is available where all good books are sold.
Photographer: © Annabelle Hickson
