How to Make a Wags and Flags Puppy Bouquet and Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

In addition to being our nation’s birthday today,

it’s also the first Monday of the month which means

I’m joining my Monday Morning Blooms’ friends

to celebrate the Red, White and Blue!

We’re excited to have Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul joining us as a Guest ‘Bloomer’ today!

You can find my flower friends’ links to their floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.

We’re all about wags and flags today,

and celebrating the red, white and blue with

a puppy bouquet for Independence Day!

Here’s my inspiration. . .  🐾🐾 :)

Long time readers might remember a winter version of a puppy bouquet,

inspired by an arrangement I saw at my vet’s office.

This is an easy and dog gone fun arrangement to create

 and share with someone in need of some puppy love!

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 A stars and stripes box on clearance at Hobby Lobby provided an

inexpensive and festive container for my puppy bouquet.

I placed the lid on the bottom of the box so I didn’t lose the stars to pair with the stripes

and added a plastic container to the box to protect it from water and wet floral foam.

Soak your wet floral foam in water, or water mixed with floral preservative

to prolong the life of the flowers, and place in

your container and you’re ready to begin! 🐾

Tip: When using wet floral foam, use the “float soak” method

and place your floral foam brick on top of the water.

Let the floral foam gradually absorb the water until it’s fully saturated (it will only take a minute).

Plunging the floral foam in the water traps air bubbles and will prohibit

 the transfer of water from the foam to the flower stems.

I used white fluffy carnations to create the puppy bouquet for obvious reasons. ;)

Arrange the carnations in the shape of the puppy’s face and head,

using two carnations strategically placed at the top of the head for ears.

Note: Larger carnations are easier to work with; depending on the size

of your carnations, you’ll six – nine stems for the puppy face and

six to eight carnations for your puppy legs, depending on how long you want

 your puppy legs to be, for a total of 12 – 17 carnations for the puppy arrangement.

Once you have your puppy head arranged, cut the ends of your stems

so they’re all the same length, taping them together with floral stem wrap.

 Wrap the stems tightly to preserve the shape of head.

Floral tape or stem wrap is self-adhesive so it will only stick to itself.

Stretch it as you wrap your floral stems to activate the wax adhesive on the tape.

You’ll only need to wrap the top of the stems to hold them together.

Place the wrapped stems in the wet floral foam at your desired height in your container.

If you find your stems are too long for the placement in your container,

cut more length off the bottom.

To create puppy legs, place three – four carnations in a row

in the foam to form a line for each leg.

I had some leftover animal eyes and noses from my previous arrangement

that I found at Hobby Lobby.

I checked at Hobby Lobby and they’re still available, although they’re now $2.99 a package.

My eyes were 15mm and noses 20mm in size.

You can find mixed packages of animal eyes and nose kits on Amazon.

To attach the eyes and nose, I wrapped some florist wire around the shank

of each piece individually to attach them to a toothpick.

Tuck the toothpick between folds of the carnation or between two flowers.

If your toothpick is too long, snap it off to the length you need to add the pick to the flower,

tucking it in between the petals. 

I filled in around the puppy with hydrangeas from the garden.

Alstroemeria from the grocery store add a pop of red to the arrangement!

I made some loops in some lengths of patriotic wire edged ribbon,

then used a wired wood floral pick to secure the loops and

tucked the ribbon picks into the arrangement.

Last but not least, small American flags were added to complete the

Wags and Flags Patriotic Puppy Arrangement

and to celebrate the red, white and blue!

A Rae Dunn ‘Wags and Flags’ Jar was *fetched* from HomeGoods.

It holds treats for patriotic puppies who agreed

to model with the promise of a treat! 🐾

Lola and Sophie said they’ve been waiting patiently . . .

Waiting. . .

Waiting. . .

Enough waiting! 🐾🐾

Carnations have a long vase life and will last a week or more.

To extend their life and your arrangement further,

add some water to your wet floral foam periodically and

spray your entire arrangement with Crowning Glory,

an anti-transpirant spray that seals in moisture and

prolongs the life of your flowers.

Visit my talented blogging friends to see their floral inspiration this week:

Pam at Everyday Living

 Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul

However you celebrate today, spend a few moments to remember and give thanks

for our military men and women and their families,

whose service and sacrifice allows us to live in freedom.

May we never forget that freedom isn’t free.

 { DIY Patriotic Flower Arrangement with an American Flag }

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