Recently, I went to a Mother’s Day flower design class with friends. My previous flower arranging experience consisted of buying flowers at Trader Joe’s, trimming the ends of the stems and haphazardly dumping them into a vase. I’ve never had the vision or the patience to add my own flair. However, this experience inspired me. We learned to layer texture, color and different types of flowers and greens to create an arrangement that could have been delivered. It made me realize that with just a few tips and tricks, you can create arrangements that make a big impact — and that sometimes the most charming centerpieces are the ones made at home with a little creativity and a handful of seasonal blooms.
Pro Tip: We learned that if you don’t have “flower food,” you can add Sprite, bleach or a little bit of sugar to the water to nourish the flowers, keep bacteria down, and help the water stay clean longer.
Now inspired, I was thrilled to have found “Blooms Every Day: A Modern Guide to Flower Arranging” by Amy McCord, a brand-new book that provides approachable, step-by-step instructions for creating beautiful and practical arrangements at home. The book provides an overview of flower design foundations, as well as 30+ arrangement designs for everything, including centerpieces, wedding and other event arrangements, and flower arrangements that double as gifts.
I’ve started to work my way through the book and am thrilled to share two that are perfect for Mother’s Day – a casual table centerpiece that will make your Mother’s Day brunch table and a flower and coffee carrier combo that makes a unique and personalized gift. These arrangements are approachable, relaxed and designed to help you feel confident creating something beautiful yourself — no florist experience required.
The following are reprinted with permission from “Blooms Every Day: A Modern Guide to Flower Arranging” by Amy McCord.
Tiptoe Through the Tulip Garden
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
When I was a wedding planner, I’d advise clients with tiny budgets to choose a simple gown
made of quality fabric and clean lines rather than a chain store dress covered in lace and
beads. Because flash doesn’t always equal luxury.
The same principle applies to floral design. Whether you’re working within a budget or
aiming for a refined look, sometimes the quiet confidence of a single flower type, repeated
and layered, delivers the strongest flex. Like the pink tulips in this soft, sculptural
installation. Proof that simplicity can elevate the entire aesthetic.
MATERIALS
40 pink tulips (5 to 10 per vase)
TOOLS
5 cylindrical glass vases, assorted heights
Bind wire or twine
FLOWER SWAPS
Tulips → roses, calla lilies
SKILL SPOTLIGHT
Intentional Hand-Building: Arranging tulips into a clean, outward-facing bundle may look simple, but it requires thoughtful placement and patience. Confident Binding: Learn how to secure the stems with tension without damage. Too loose, and the shape collapses. Too tight, and the tulips look choked.
Bloom & Brew Gift Carrier
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
Every year, without fail, my sister calls me in a panic: “911! I’m at Trader Joe’s. What flowers
should I buy for Teacher Appreciation? I’M PUTTING THEM IN MASON JARS, AMY.”
We all need a last-minute go-to gift for birthdays, hard days, and appreciation moments.
Which is why I’m so obsessed with this flower-and-coffee carrier. It’s practical, portable,
and charming as hell. Even with zero design experience, you can’t mess up a mason jar. (My
2008 self tried. Repeatedly.)
The cardboard drink carriers are easy to snag online, and mason jars usually don’t even
need mechanics. If your stems are drifting around too much, grab some mesh from a fruit
or veggie bag (lemons, tangerines, and avocados all work), screw it into the ring lid, trim the
excess, and you’re golden. All the gold stars go to you!
MATERIALS
1 blue delphinium
1 pink gladiolus
1 peach Juliet garden rose
1 Peach ranunculus
2 yellow Billy Balls
3 yellow button poms
2 sprigs feverfew
TOOLS
1 16-ounce (1 L) mason jar
1 double cardboard drink carrier
¼-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon
Optional: 4 x 4-inch (10 x 10 cm) square
of produce mesh
Optional: Fresh juice, coffee, or matcha and a handwritten note or gift card
FLOWER SWAPS
Ranunculus → spray rose, tulip, lisianthus
Feverfew → waxflower, asters, mini carnations, daisies
Delphinium → stock, snapdragon, veronica, larkspur
