How-To Floral & Lifestyle Blog by Expert Julie Mulligan

How-To's

How to Preserve Flowers with Wax

August 8, 2020

FRESH TALK® – Your Floral & Gift Newsletter

Create Your Own Wax Flowers

You can make your beautiful fresh-cut roses last longer than you ever imagined by dipping the open blooms in melted wax! The best time to dip your roses is at the very end of their shelf life–after you have enjoyed their beauty for over a week–when the rose is in full bloom.

I have waxed roses many times over the years using paraffin wax. Now that soy wax is readily available, I decided to give that I try… and I’m glad I did! Soy wax is a completely natural and renewable resource, has a lower melting point, and cleans up easily (with just soap and water). And soy wax is so versatile that you can melt it in the microwave! Continue Reading…

Lifestyle

Sunflower Smiles

July 16, 2020

I wanted to share a just a few of the smiles that were created during a recent Sunflowers for Smile Farms fundraiser. The fundraiser came about when the owner of Dos Gringos, a flower farm in California that 1-800 Flowers is proud to partner with, reached out to me about some extra sunflowers they had. It was at the beginning of the quarantine and everything was on hold – but the flowers were in bloom and ready for harvesting!

At the same time, the big annual fundraising event for Smile Farms, Inc. had just been canceled due to the pandemic. Smile Farms is the signature philanthropic partner of 1-800 Flowers and my brother Kevin is a farmer at Smile Farms at IGHL. So, when I got that call from Dos Gringos, I knew exactly what we could do with those sunflowers!

Holiday Decorations

DIY Red, White & Blue Floral
4th of July Crafts

June 28, 2020

Fourth of July celebrations (and decorations) are the best! Whether you’re celebrating America’s birthday with friends and family on the beach or in your backyard, here are some easy ways to add little patriotic touches of red, white and blue with these fun DIY floral 4th of July decoration ideas!

DIY Mason Jar American Flag Vase

Seriously, is there anything you can’t do with a few mason jars? I took three small, clear mason jars and painted them in a stars and stripes tribute to Old Glory. One stem of blue hydrangea in each and you have a beautiful, fun, inexpensive centerpiece. You could paint a couple more while you’re at it and use them to hold cutlery or straws, or even tea lights, creating a festive look for evening festivities.

How-To's

Memorial Day Garland DIY

May 21, 2020

Here’s an idea for a festive Memorial Day garland made from things that you already have around your house. For example, who doesn’t have a ton of corrugated boxes from all the deliveries we’ve all been getting these days? There are so many crafty things that you can do with the cardboard.

How-To's

Patriotic Decorations

May 11, 2020

Memorial Day celebrations may be different this year but you can still decorate your home in red, white, and blue. Whether you’re celebrating virtually with friends and family, or having a barbecue with your household, these DIY patriotic decorations will help bring the American spirit to your home.

DIY Mason Jar American Flag Vase

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day Wine Tasting

April 28, 2020

A Unique Mother’s Day Activity to Wow Mom

Spring is here and Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Have you started to think about how you can show mom just how much you love her and how special she is? Hosting a Mother’s Day wine tasting is a fun way to spend time with mom for you to enjoy the holiday together!

The planning and preparation can be as much fun as the event itself! Getting together with a few of your and moms friends to plan a Mother Daughter Wine Tasting party, makes for a great girls day and for a guaranteed good time. In addition to the mother/daughter ideas, a Mother’s Day wine tasting for the whole family (21 and older of course!), can be equally as fun!

A rustic, natural Napa Valley-inspired wine tasting can make for the perfect setting to incorporate so many of the most popular trends: burlap, chalkboard, mason jars, monograms and Made in America.

How-To's

DIY Planter Decor: Everything Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect

April 25, 2020

My motto has always been “Just have fun with it”. I believe that the process or the journey is just as important, if not more so, than the end result. So, I decided to show you how easy it is to just go freestyle.

How-To's

Personalized Container Gardens

April 25, 2020

In addition to the Container Garden DIY Creative Workshop that was scheduled for March 20^th at Bungalow Bar, we were also in the planning stages for an April 20th workshop.

Holiday Decorations, How-To's, Mother's Day

DIY Mother’s Day Craft: How to Make a Floral Hot Air Balloon for Mom

April 25, 2020

Mom does so much for the family throughout the year: No matter how long her to-do list is, you know you can always count on her for anything. Because she means so much, let her sit back and enjoy herself on Mother’s Day, and show her how appreciated she is. Treating your mom to a nice brunch is the best way to make her feel like a queen bee: Since you’ve already taken care of everything, Mom doesn’t have to lift a finger. To make her day even more special, pick a fun and truly original theme for your luncheon: hot air balloons!

This beautiful hot air balloon arrangement adds a whimsical take-me-away touch to any Mother’s Day table setting. As soon as she sits down, Mom will feel like she’s floating among the clouds without a care in the world! This Mother’s Day craft is really simple to make, so you can make a big, loving statement with minimal effort. Here’s how to make a floral hot air balloon for Mom on Mother’s Day! Continue Reading…

Holiday Decorations, Mother's Day

Mother-Daughter Flower Crowns & Crafts

April 22, 2020

Who doesn’t love a pretty flower crown? This trend is hotter than ever, and what I love about them is that with so many ways to design them, each crown can be your own unique creation!

I’ve done a few posts over the last few years dedicated to floral crowns and flower fashion accessories of all sorts, for big girls and little girls too. Within these posts are step-by-step instructions on all the basic techniques used in making crowns: wiring, taping, threading and gluing, which you can find here.

However, this Mother/Daughter Flower Crown Brunch is for young moms with babies and toddlers, so you can forget about finding the perfect technique and instead focus on having fun!

Here are my top tips for throwing a pretty and festive Mother’s Day get-together that will entertain (relatively) news moms and little ones, too:

Be prepared and be flexible. Have everything set up and ready to go before any of your guests arrive. Keep it simple so that you won’t be worn out before the party even starts.

Keep the food simple but delicious. I ordered a fantastic brunch gift basket from Harry & David and had it delivered the day before the party. All the goodies came packed in a beautiful floral hatbox that I used as the vase!