Valentine's Eve Arrangement

I've always had a soft spot for carnations.  When I was little my Dad bought me a carnation corsage every year for the father-daughter dinner and I was hooked.  Would you believe that last night I carried home 2 bunches of flowers, 4 pink glass votive holders, 3 bottles of wine, 1 12" lucite tray, 1 can of pear juice and 2 5-pound buckets of glycerin melt-and-pour soap?  All in one box!  But more about all that later...

Here's a window of roses in the Flower Market area on 28th Street in Chelsea.  So beautiful, but we're close to the ultimate flower holiday so they were over $35 a bunch, wholesale.  I headed to G.Page, a vendor we use almost every day at work.

I got two shades of pink carnations because I was inspired by this Martha Stewart arrangement from 1-800 Flowers; the ribbon is from Kate's Paperie. 

I clipped a few to make little ribbon-wrapped bouquets for some of my co-workers, including Michel, our Pastry Chef who took a break from making this heart cake:

to carve this heart form out of Oasis Brand Floral Foam, which you soak in water so it can feed the flowers when you poke them in (thanks, Michel!)  Oh, and this is where the lucite tray comes in, I put it underneath in case there was any leaking.


I only snipped my finger once (ouch), then wrapped the bottom with more satin ribbon

and added some white stones

and tealights

and then it was done.  And I had a few flowers left over for a desk bouquet.