"When Your Day Sucks" Bouquet

I'm leaving tonight to go help my sister move into an apartment because she and her husband of 27 years are splitting up.  She's very depressed at the prospect of leaving her beautiful farm in the Virginia countryside and trying to start her life over in an inpersonal furnished apartment.  I thought I would take her something that would brighten up the apartment, give her strength when she needs it, and hopefully make her laugh.
I saw a version of this bouquet quite a while ago made for a 40th birthday, and it said "40 sucks" and had 40 suckers in it.  It could also be used for a hospital gift when a patient isn't allowed to have real flowers and say something like, "Being sick SUCKS. Hope you LICK it soon!"   Whatever you use it for, the recipient is sure to feel loved.

Supplies:

• plastic flower pot

• glass florist marbles

• 1 large green silk  hydrangea stem

• spanish moss

• wired florist picks

• Dumb Dumb suckers

• 1/2 florists foam ball to fit pot

• florists tape

• ribbon, card stock

• wire cutters

• hot glue gun and high heat glue sticks

Using hot glue, adhere ribbon to outside of pot.

Fill the bottom of the pot about half to 2/3 full to keep arrangement from being top-heavy when filled with flowers.

Using hot glue gun, generously put a bead of glue all around the inside top edge of pot and place foam ball so it fits  just inside.  Use a craft knife to trim the edge of the ball if necessary to make it fit.

Using hot glue and doing a small section at a time, adhere moss to completely cover ball.

Using wire cutters, cut hydrangea into smaller stems or bunches. Attach each bunch to florist's pick by wrapping the wire around the stem, then using the florist's tape to cover the stem and about 1/2 of the pick. Push picks into foam, spacing evenly around arrangment.

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Cut flowers from assorted colors of cardstock.  I used a flower from "Walk in My Garden" and cut at about 4".  Using a craft knife, cut an "x" in the center of each flower.

Attach a pick to each Dumb Dumb as you did with the hydrangea stems by wrapping the wire around the pick and sucker stick.  Insert a sucker pick through the center of each flower and finish by wrapping pick and stick with florist's tape, making sure to press sucker flat against flower and start tape tightly against the bottom and catching flaps that were made by the "x".

Add completed flowers to pot, filling in spaces between hydrangea picks.  Print sign, sandwich pick between front of sign and a back piece, add ribbon, and add to the arrangement.