Make basic (and cheap) flowers from the grocery store to look like a million bucks. I use this flower trick all the time and it works like a charm!
I’ve never been one to shy away from a DIY flower project. Over the years, there have been many. From mini flower arrangement tutorials and DIY bouquets that you can make, to a list of beautiful flower arrangements every time. It’s amazing how cheerful a room can become with a bouquet or two of flowers.
But flowers can be expensive, too, so I wanted to show you how to take two basic flowers, which can be found in almost any grocery store, and turn them into something that looks straight from the florist.
Make cheap roses look like beautiful garden roses
I’m not really a fan of roses, but with this flower trick to make grocery store roses look more like garden roses (which I love), I’m a fan!
The cost of the flower
Roses at Trader Joes range from $7 (spray roses) to $10 or $15 for full-size roses.
how
1. Wash and dry your hands well. This will reduce the amount of oil from your hands that may transfer to the flower petals, which can cause them to wilt and bruise faster.
2. Once you have washed your hands, remove any discolored or bruised petals. These petals are usually around the outermost petals.
Petal Tip: Save any discarded petals you’ve picked. You can dry them and use them in a variety of body scrubs, bath salts, soaps, etc. Check out my tutorial to learn how to dry rose petals and make your own floral bath salts at the same time.
3. Start pushing the petals back individually. I have a video demonstrating this process as well, which might be helpful to watch. It’s in my Instagram highlight called “Flower Hack”.
You can do this with each petal or just a few outer layers for a different look.
*Note: Some rose petals will not stay all the way through. If so, pull each petal back as far as it will go (gently) and continue the process all the way. Some roses may look more like the yellow rose above, which also has the shape of a garden rose. Unlike the light pink ones in the designer pictures.
Make the carnations look prettier
Flower Cost: A bouquet of carnations from Trader Joes costs $5.
1. Turn the carnation over, with the flower facing the ground and the stem up for airflow.
2. Do you see the cracks at the base of the cloves?
Take scissors or pruning shears and cut longer slits on the slits all the way around (or every other one if you don’t want it all the way around and thin).
3. Turn the carnation back over and fluff the petals slightly with clean hands.
If it doesn’t give you the fullness you want, you can flip it over again and cut the slits a little more. But be careful. If the cracks are too large, the entire flower may collapse. So just cut out a little time.
And that’s it! This hack also makes the cloves appear much larger. Which is a nice bonus.
Tips for easy flower arranging
If you need help arranging your flowers once everything is done, be sure to check out my article on How to Make a Flower Centerpiece Without a Flower Frog. it’s easy!
How to make a flower arrangement with 7 simple flower tricks. Number 7 on the list is a great way to display small flowers that have lost their stem.
Cute vases under $40
And since this post is budget friendly, let’s find some cute and affordable vases too. Here’s a collection of cute vases, all under $40!
Simple Scandi Vase from Etsy $22 Quad Orb Glass Vase from Anthropologie $16 Short Stone Vase from Public Goods $7.95 Half Fluted Vase from Etsy $14 Leif Glossy Rose Bud Vase $22 Modernist Bud Vases from Anthropologie $14
How to Upgrade Your Grocery Store Flowers Instantly
I’ve never been one to shy away from a DIY flower project. Over the years, there have been many. From mini flower arrangement tutorials and DIY bouquets that you can make, to a list of beautiful flower arrangements every time. It’s amazing how cheerful a room can become with a bouquet or two of flowers. But flowers can be expensive, too, so I wanted to show you how to take two basic flowers, which can be found in almost any grocery store, and turn them into something that looks straight from the florist.
Roses
Wash and dry your hands well. This will reduce the amount of oil from your hands that may transfer to the flower petals, which can cause them to wilt and bruise faster. Once you wash your hands, remove any discolored or bruised petals. These petals are usually around the outermost petals.
Petal Tip: Save any discarded petals you’ve picked. You can dry them and use them in a variety of body scrubs, bath salts, soaps, etc. Check out my tutorial to learn how to dry rose petals and make your own floral bath salts at the same time.
Start by pushing the petals back individually. I have a video demonstrating this process as well, which might be helpful to watch. It’s in my Instagram highlight called “Flower Hack”. You can do this with each petal or just a few outer layers for a different look.
*Note: Some rose petals will not stay all the way through. If so, pull each petal back as far as it will go (gently) and continue the process all the way. Some roses may look more like the yellow rose above, which also has the shape of a garden rose. Unlike the light pink ones in the designer pictures.
Cloves
Turn the carnation over, so the flower is facing the ground and the stem is facing up into the air.
Do you see the cracks at the base of the cloves? Take scissors or pruning shears and cut longer slits on the slits all the way around (or every other one if you don’t want it all the way around and thin).
Turn the carnations back over and fluff the petals slightly with clean hands. If it doesn’t give you the fullness you want, you can flip it over again and cut the slits a little more. But be careful. If the cracks are too large, the entire flower may collapse. So just cut out a little time.
If you need help arranging your flowers once everything is done, be sure to check out my article on How to Make a Flower Centerpiece Without a Flower Frog. it’s easy!
How to make a flower arrangement with 7 simple flower tricks. Number 7 on the list is a great way to display small flowers that have lost their stem.
