Cheery Sunflowers on the Porch + DIY Blooming Wine Bottle Bouquet

Welcome August with sunflowers and find a method and tips to create a Wine Bottle Bouquet, for gifting or celebrating! You’ll also find steps to create an easy pocket napkin fold, and additional floral inspiration from my Monday Morning Blooms friends.

Happy Monday!

It’s one of my favorite days of the month, when I join my

Monday Morning Blooms’ friends to share some flower therapy!

We’re excited to welcome back Shannon at Belle Bleu Interiors,

joining us as a special guest ‘bloomer’ today.

You can find my Monday Morning Blooms friends’ floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.

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I’m welcoming August with sunflowers!

Did you know that the first Saturday in August is designated as National Sunflower Day?

Sunflowers convey warmth and symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity. Their bright yellow color is considered sign of happiness, friendship, and intelligence. Much like the sun, sunflowers mirror vibrancy and give off an energy of life.

Fun fact: On average, one sunflower can produce up to 2,000 sunflower seeds.

Sunflowers are instant ‘mood-lifters’ and I can almost always find them at the supermarket

no matter what the season, for some welcome flower therapy!

I used a favorite ironstone pitcher to create an easy flower arrangement!

Sunflowers join Limelight Hydrangeas that are blooming now . . .

 Black-eyed Susan blooms were added, free-for-the-picking, popping up in fields and alongside roadways in late July and early August, and offer a delightful burst of cheery yellow.

We had the second hottest July on record, so I’m dreaming of fall (my favorite season) and cooler weather! I had hoped to do a table by the lake for this month’s MMB, but the triple digit temperatures had me seeking shade on the porch, while spending as little time there as possible before the humidity had me dashing back inside for the comfort of the A/C!

I’ve seen these Wine Bottle Bouquets on Pinterest and have been itching to make one for a while.

They make a pretty two-in-one hostess, celebratory or birthday gift!

Here are the steps to make a blooming bottle bouquet and pretty embellishment to a bottle of bubbles or wine for gifting!

I started with a small Oasis Bottles Up! Floral Foam Ring Holder. The bottom is dipped in wax to prevent water from leaking.

Choose a container or bowl large enough for your foam to soak freely without touching the sides or bottom and soak your floral foam in water mixed with floral preservative until it’s fully saturated and you no longer see air bubbles (about 2 minutes).

Tip: When using wet floral foam, use the “float soak” method and place the floral foam (wax side up) on top of the water and let the floral foam gradually absorb the water until it sinks and is fully saturated. Plunging the floral foam in the water creates air pockets in the foam and will cause stems to dry out, shortening the life of your flowers.

I used an empty wine bottle for my flower arranging so my gift wine bottle and label would stay pristine and free of water. If you’ve ever used wet floral foam, you know that as you insert stems into the foam, water is displaced and will drip initially. Keep a towel handy as you work to mop up any water as you work.

I used a bunch of cheery yellow flowers from the supermarket, adding some abelia foliage cut from the shrubs. My supermarket flowers were a combination of daisies, mums, alstroemeria, yellow roses and spray asters / solidago.

I always condition my flowers first after bringing them home, cutting several inches off the stems at an angle, removing any damaged leaves and petals and placing them in water mixed with flower food / preservative. After hydrating your flowers for a few hours, cut your stems short and on an angle, about 1 – 1 1/2 inches long. You want them long enough to securely fit in the foam but not so long that they go through the wall of the foam on the other side.

I started by adding my stems around the base for the foam to conceal the bottom, using a combination of daisies and mums, than added my focal flowers, yellow roses. I removed the guard / outer petals on roses that were wrinkled or discolored, to reveal the fresh, vibrant petals underneath.

Continue adding flowers, filling in with greenery and small filler flowers until your foam is completely covered.

I stripped most of the leaves from the spray asters / solidago to add to the bouquet so the little yellow blooms would be more noticeable.

After my bottle bouquet was complete, I sprayed it with Crowning Glory, placing a towel underneath to catch any drips and let it dry.

Regular readers have heard me sing the praises of Crowning Glory, as I have had flower arrangements that last easily two weeks when using it!

 If you’re not familiar with Crowning Glory, it’s an antitranspirant spray that seals in moisture and dries clear. It’s safe to use on all flower types and is especially beneficial for flowers that are prone to wilting due to moisture loss (like hydrangeas) or in this case floral foam, that won’t be sitting in water to keep it hydrated.

Note: Crowning Glory will dry within 30 minutes to an hour, depending the temperature and humidity.

This was such a fun and cheery project that I hope you  give it try,

customizing your bottle with your recipient’s favorite flowers!

You’ll score extra points with your hostess if your gifted bottle of dinner wine or brunch bubbles is blooming with flowers!

A white embossed sunflower plate is topped with an easy pocket napkin fold, to tuck in flatware and a flower stem if desired.

Here are the easy steps to make a pocket napkin fold:

🌻 Start with a square napkin, right side facing up and pressing with an iron to remove any wrinkles.

🌻 Fold your napkin in half with the fold at the top and opening at the bottom.

🌻 Fold napkin in half again so you have a square, open edges on right hand side.

🌻 Take upper right corner of napkin and fold it down to meet the bottom edge creating a triangle.

🌻 Flip napkin over; fold right corner over to meet left edge, creating a rectangle and revealing a diagonal pocket.

🌻 Optional: Press with your iron so your finished napkin pocket is crisp.

🌻 Place flatware in pocket, adding a flower stem if desired.

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Details:

Ironstone pitcher / vintage, antique mall

Sunflower table runner / HomeGoods, several years ago, used HERE

Flatware / Oneida Community Evening Star

Sunflower Plate / Hobby Lobby, couple of years ago

 Napkins / HomeGoods, several years ago

Sunflower Goblet / Anthropologie, many years ago

Sunflower Bowl / Pottery Barn, many years ago

Sunflower Pillow Cover / Amazon, several years ago

Advice from a sunflower:

Be bright, sunny and positive.

Spread seeds of happiness.

Rise, shine, and hold your head high.

Visit my flower friends to see their floral inspiration:

Pam at Everyday Living

Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

Shannon at Belle Bleu Interiors

Sunflowers are the perfect flower to transition from summer to fall with their sunny yellow rays and warm brown centers!

If you’re dreaming of fall like I am, you can find more sunflower love with DIYs, floral centerpieces and table inspiration, HERE.

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 Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Metamorphosis Monday