Budget-Friendly Mini-Floral Arrangements

Valentine’s Day is one of the many opportunities I like to show appreciation to my boys’ teachers throughout the year. As a parent, you get to see your little ones in action. Running around, rambunctious, and full of energy, you are regularly attending to their needs. However, you develop a whole new level of respect for their teachers and caretakers whose patience often surpasses your own. 

I remember one of Deuce’s teachers once asked me, “why do you feel like you have to do so much for us?” My reply? “Why shouldn’t I do so much for the people wiping my kid’s butt?!” These men and women are indeed gifts from God, and I’m so very thankful for all of the fantastic teachers He has blessed my boys with, in these few short years. His hand has genuinely been upon them and given them favor with some of the kindest, friendliest, most patient, and beautiful souls I’ve ever met!

That said, I love to show appreciation and gratitude as much as possible, but that can also get expensive. Especially when your kids have more than one teacher and support staff throughout their school. I’ve learned to get creative to keep things affordable and manageable.  

These mini-arrangements cost about $4 each in materials to make. They are budget-friendly and perfect if you have multiple people you will be giving arrangements. 

Here is what you’ll need: 

• Short candle holder or small vase from Dollar Tree. (should be around 3-4’’ in height and width)
• 0.625inch spool of ribbon (I found Valentine’s themed ribbon at Dollar Tree for $1. One spool should cover at least nine arrangements)
• Grocery Store floral bouquet (each bouquet should give you enough flowers for 2-3 arrangements. I usually pick ones with mixed florals, which are easier to work with, you can usually get more for your money than roses. These typically cost around $7-8)
• Hot glue gun (you can use superglue if you don’t have one)
• Scissors or floral cutters

Instructions:

1. Take your ribbon and wrap it around your vase to measure how long of a strand you need to fit around the vase. Then cut it with a slight overlap. 
2. After your hot glue gun is heated, dab the ribbon’s back with glue across the entire length. Then wrap the ribbon with hot glue around the middle of the vase. Make sure it’s straight before pressing firmly. 
3. Cut open the plastic/paper around your floral bouquet so that you can see all of the various stems and play with which ones will fit in each vase. 
4. Please take one of the stems and hold it up to the vase’s length from top to bottom so you can get a good idea of how short you need to cut your stem. 
5. Cut your stem so that it’s short and fits into the vase to make a tight bouquet. Repeat this step until each vase is full. You may have to play around with some of the stems or further cut some stems down to fit appropriately. 
6. Once the arrangement is complete, add water to the vase. 

*Pro Tip: beverage holders from fast food restaurants are usually perfect for transporting these mini arrangements. 

Here is a quick video that walks through the process and supplies step by step instructions, including cutting the flowers. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or reach out to me on my Contact Page. I’d love to hear from you!