Do you need another good excuse to drink that bottle of wine? Well good news, we’ve got just the thing! *wink*  Seriously, though… these lovely Wine Bottle Floral Frrangements from Amber Lay – starring emptied and embellished bottles of wine + the flowers of your choice – make such lovely decor for all sorts of occasions… from milestone celebrations like engagment parties and anniversaries to more casual celebrations like summer dinners and wine-and-cheese parties.

DIY WINE BOTTLE ARRANGEMENTS

by Amber Lay
{There are 17 tutorial images above. Be sure to scroll to page 2 for images 11-17}

Materials Needed:

• 5 Green Wine Bottles
• Adhesive Remover
• 5 Wine Corks
• 18 Gauge Floral Wire
• Floral Pick
• 1″ Sheer Green Ribbon
• Scissors
• Floral Knife or Floral Shears

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First of all, enjoy that wine! Once those bottles are emptied soak them in hot water and scrub off the labels. You may need to use adhesive remover to get the more stubborn labels completely off.

2. Fill the wine bottles 3/4 of the way full with room temperature water. Mix in a little “flower food” to each bottle. This usually comes in a powder form in little packets with each bundle of flowers you purchase.

3. Choose your flowers. I chose to use a mixture of white and green flowers to match the bottles. Make sure you have a variety of heights, textures, and bloom sizes to create interest within the arrangement. Keep in mind that the openings of the wine bottles are small so make sure the stems of the flowers you choose are not too big. There will be about 5 stems in each bottle.

4. As soon as you get your flowers, cut the stems at a deep angle with either your floral shears or floral knife to allow maximum hydration once they are inserted in the water.

5. Make your floral arrangements. The flowers are intended to look like they are spraying out of the wine bottles as if you just corked a bottle of champagne and flowers started shooting out instead. Achieve this by staggering the heights of the stems, leaving enough space between each bloom, and angling the stems slightly outward.

6. Next take your floral pick and pre-poke a hole in each cork. Then insert your 18 gauge wire and place in your arrangement so that it looks as if it is shooting out of the bottle along with the flowers.

7. Wrap each wine bottle in your choice of ribbon by using this “wrap & twist” technique: Cut 4′ lengths of ribbon. From behind each bottle take the center point of the ribbon and wrap the bottle once around. When the ends meet in the front of the bottle twist and wrap around the bottle again only twisting in the front. Repeat this step up the whole base of the bottle. Knot and trim the ends of the ribbon on the backside.

8. Cluster your group of wine bottle arrangements in the center of your dining table at a wine and cheese party or use them as decor on your food display table. The great thing about these arrangements is that each guest can take one home easily at the end of the night.

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MATERIALS SOURCES:

• 5 Green Wine Bottles & Corks: local grocery stores
• Adhesive Remover: local craft & home improvement stores
• 18 Gauge Floral Wire: local craft & floral supply stores
• Floral Pick: local floral supply stores
• 1″ Sheer Green Ribbon: local craft stores
• Scissors: local craft stores
• Floral Knife or Floral Shears: Lowe’s or local floral supply stores

About the Stylist:
AMBER LAY graduated from San Diego State with a Bachelors in Art and Design. In addition to assisting with Editorial and Styling at HWTM, she runs Amber Lay Events and coordinates events in both Northern and Southern California. She gained much of her experience interning and working for top event coordinators in the industry, as well as talented floral designers. For more info on Amber, please visit her website and client testimonials.