Valentines Heart

VALENTINE’S DAY IS ALWAYS A WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR TO CELEBRATE LOVE.

A Valentines Heart is easy to make

Perhaps this year you would like to bypass the traditional chocolates and flowers and make something a little more special? This Valentine’s heart is very easy to assemble and makes a beautiful centrepiece for a romantic dinner.

Most of the supplies may be found at your local grocery store. Yes, your local grocery store, so there is no need to visit a florist or specialty shop of any kind.

Give yourself 30 minutes to assemble the heart. If watered daily it should last for at least one week.

Materials:

8 ½” x 11″ piece of white paper 1 standard block of wet floral foam Sharp knife, scissors

Floral preservative

Toothpicks or floral tape Fresh leaves (salal or other garden variety)

12 red roses

Straight pins

Look for the pre-wrapped dozen roses that grocery stores have on special each week for $13-$15 per dozen. These are the best deals for an arrangement such as this.

Begin by folding your piece of paper in half vertically. Draw out one-half of a heart using only one-half of the size of the paper. You do not want the heart too large so as to not have enough roses to cover the top. Cut out the heart with your scissors.

Using your sharp knife, slice the foam block in half horizontally and place both halves into room-temperature water that has been treated with floral preservative.

Once the blocks are fully saturated, place them on a dry towel side by side. Insert two toothpicks on top halves of the foam and the bottom halves to secure the two halves together. Lay your paper heart over top of the two secured halves of foam and carefully cut the foam around the paper heart. Remove the template and the side pieces of foam that have been cut. Discard the cut pieces.

Take your floral tape and wrap two to three pieces around the foam heart to secure it together. Alternatively, you can use your toothpicks to secure the heart.

Cut your rose stems to three centimetres. Insert the roses into the foam to fully cover the top of the heart.

Remove your fresh, green leaves from their stems and place around the perimeter of the heart, covering all the floral foam. Pin your leaves to the foam, using your straight pins.

Water the heart thoroughly and place on a decorative platter. It is always nice to scatter a few tea lights around the heart when it is time to sit down.