Carnation Pave' - Now this is EASY and Impressive!

Carnations are amazing flowers- they come in such a wide variety of colors... and so many of the Colors are unexpected. Today there are carnations in Orange, Caramel, Deep Purple and tri-colors- that look almost like peonies. It's truly amazing- and it's so unexpected.This project- I call it the Carnation Pave'- (that's a term we flower folks borrowed from the Jewelry Industry. A pave' of diamonds or gems- is typically a row of tiny little gems- set closely- usually touching underneath a more fantastic focal gem or stone... so they kind of form a river or pathway of little jewels- underneath or next to another bigger gem.) We can pave' flowers too- this is where flower foam comes in really handy.I love flower foam- because it gives me the opportunity to specifically and accurately place my flowers exactly where I want them- and it also provides a water source that allows the flowers to last as long as if they were in just plain water. Vernon Smithers invented Flower Foam in the 1940's and it revolutionized the flower industry. The invention of this foam- that could be soaked in water- and have cut flowers inserted into it... allowed florists and hobbyists alike - to make all sorts of new shapes and forms in flower design.Wreaths, hearts, crosses, horses, footballs, wagon wheels, the gates of heaven- telephones, lion's heads, sheep, the possibilities are endless- and for this project- you just cut a few pieces and line a low tray with flower foam- you only need about 2 inches of foam- in the bottom of the tray- and then you cut the carnation stems short- and place them into the foam.I place them in rows- but you could make a checkerboard pattern- or make circles- or angles- just imagine the fun you can have with flowers- when you're making a pave'- with colors! I make them look like rows of flowers- it reminds me of the rows of benches we had in our family carnation house- on the greenhouse property... where carnations grew in big benches- each section of the bench was a different color... just like this tray!I use a glass tray for this project- and you can see through the glass- so it's a perfect opportunity to wrap a #9 (2 inch) Ribbon around the tray and tie it in a bow- to cover the mechanics. Imagine if you did this with orange and green and purple carnation for Halloween, or Pastel colors for Spring- or Red and Green and White for Christmas- or all one color for BIG COLOR Impact for a themed party... the possibilities are endless.This project is also featured in my Book- Fun with Flowers- you can get it on line- www.uBloom.com/Books Fun with Flowers won the Living Now Book Award for Craft and Hobby- and it contains 4 dozen projects for arranging flowers, plus my favorite flowers, tips, tricks, my wonderful flower friends and my philosophy on Flowers!Hint: it should always be FUN- and you should ENJOY YOURSELF!I also have a video about this project- that includes bonus footage not seen on Public Television- you can access that video on uBloom.com- (members login to see the full length video) If you're not a member of uBloom.com YET... you can use this discount code- UBLOOMLUV at www.uBloom.com/Join/Annual and get an extra 20% an annual subscription! BonusCarnations are amazing- and this is a fun project- I'm sure you'll enjoy it... and it lasts a long long time!!!