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Super easy and super chic carnation centerpiece. Anyone can put this beauty diy project together.
Materials Needed:
- Silver Candlestick or Glass Candlestick
- Oasis floral foam sphere
- Lots and lots of Carnations
Instructions:
1. Start with a candlestick. The entire bouquet ball will sit on the candlestick. (see figure 2)
2. Use any floral foam sphere. Soak it for 45 minutes, then drain on a paper towel. (see figure 3)
3. Work the carnations evenly around the foam sphere to distribute the weight. (see figure 4)
4. Continue adding more carnations until the entire sphere is covered. (see figure 5)
*Since we posted this project - we have had some Q & A’s - so see comments below for some helpful solutions.
Note: With any of our diy projects, if you should recreate the project, send us pictures, materials you used, final cost per item to make and your advice feedback and we will feature you.
Photography & Project: LW Designs
This is really beautiful. I want to make these as centerpieces for my daughter’s birthday. Approximately, how many carnations are use to make one ball?
Hi Claudia,
Pic #4 is showing 1dozen carnations. I am going to say that you would need 4-5 dozen to do this project. It also depends on the size of your floral foam sphere and how tight you want the flowers to be.
This is a neat idea! How do you make sure the oasis doesnt fall if someone accidently bumps it or the table moves?
Choose a wider candle stick base or a short, wide mouth vase. You can even use a fish bowl and fill it with colored water to match your theme.
@Lisset - in my experience, the easiest thing to do is get sticky-tack adhesive and form it heavily around the top of the opening on the candlestick/vase, then firmly press down the foam ball. it doesn’t really “stick” but keeps it from sliding / moving around as you’re putting in the carnations and will give it enough tension to stay put in case of small jostles!
Emily - thanks you for sharing this with us. Great advice!
How long with the flowers stay fresh looking in these centerpieces? I want to make them for my wedding but I’m not sure how to keep them from wilting.
Hi Ashley,
I consulted with our partner, Wayne Gurnick of Moments by Wayne, who is an expert in this field and made the following suggestions:
It’s most important to ensure that the carnations are the freshest they can be. As long as they have a good supply of water (i.e. stored in a bucket in a cool place), they will last as long as 10 days. Placed in floral foam, which is still a good supply of water, but more limited, fresh carnations should last for up to 7 days. The key is to keep them in a cool place. The bride should also think about how the centerpieces will be transported. On a hot day, even a short time spent in a hot van will cause the flowers to wilt, or the edges to brown (which shows up quickly on a white carnation!). The floral foam should be kept moist - it does need additional water, depending on how long in advance the centerpieces are made and the storage and transport conditions. When using floral foam, an important tip is to float the foam in a large container of water and allow it to absorb the water naturally - do not push it down to submerge! Otherwise, the outside is sealed wet, with dry foam on the inside - the flowers will certainly not last under those conditions!
From a practical perspective, it would also be important to consider how many of these centerpieces the bride is planning to make. A possible suggestion is to alternate these carnation centerpieces with a candle or another simpler centerpiece - every table does not need to have the same exact arrangement - sometimes variety actually makes it a more interesting look!
I love this idea and I would like to do them for my wedding but I am having a hard time trying to find gold candlestick holders that I can buy in bulk do you have any ideas as far as finding some online??
What size of foam spheres did you use?
Hi Abby,
We recommend a 6″ Oasis Floral Foam Spheres for this project. We would love for you to share some photos with us if you make this project for your wedding.
I’m planning on doing it for my wedding so I will most definitely take some pictures of how it turns out! 🙂
Great! And congrats on your upcoming wedding!
I have made these - they are super cute!
I like this idea and WILL be using it with some same candles, but I was wondering if this can be done with silk flower instead of real?
Hi Kendra - you absolutely can use silk flowers to do this project. Check out Michaels or Hobby Lobby for a great selection of silk flowers.
Note: With any of our diy projects, if you should recreate the project, send us pictures, materials you used, final cost per item to make and your advice\feedback and we will feature you.
Would this size be big enough for a round table that seats 8 as a centerpiece?
Christine - Yes as long as you add votive candles and your table number around it. Otherwise your table will be a bit bare with this sitting on a pedestal with nothing to compliment it.
Do I cut the flowers before putiing them in the foam? And I am making these for my daughter’s sweet 16 and I am making them the night before so how do I keep them fresh till the next day?
Jennifer - yes you cut the flower stems down but be careful not to cut to much off as you want enough to be able to anchor them into the Styrofoam ball. I would recommending cutting a few, pushing them in all the way and seeing if that stem length works. If it does than use one as a guide to cut the rest.
We would love to see the finished project if you want to submit pictures and a short statement about how easy or difficult you thought the project was. Of course any tips, tricks or ideas you would also like to share with other brides.
Hi, I tried this and it’s very pretty. On the flip side, after soaking the 6″ Oasis Floral Foam Sphere for 45 minutes in water, it was very heavy and wouldn’t stay in place. I tried using project tacky glue and even tried crazy glue, but because the ball was wet and heavy, it wouldn’t stay on; it would roll off. Any ideas to make it really stick on the candle stick so to not have to worry about it rolling off the table in the middle of the wedding reception?
Hi Elaine,
I consulted with our partner, Wayne Gurnick of Moments by Wayne, who is an expert in this field and made the following suggestions:
This is a really simple and easy one to fix. Once the oasis ball has been soaked, it is important to very carefully push the ball onto the candlestick slowly and make sure that the candlestick is “inserted into” the ball about at least 1/2 inch. Don’t worry that the candlestick “mushed” the oasis. If done carefully and slowly, it will not hurt the integrity of the foam and it will stay on the candlestick.
Another option is to take pipe cleaners and twist them together to make a longer length pipe cleaner. Attach the pipe cleaner to the upper neck of the candlestick by wrapping around the neck one time and twisting it to lock it in place. Then place the oasis ball on top of the candlestick and bring one side of the pipe cleaner up to the top on the side of the ball and the other end of the pipe cleaner on the other and bring together at the top of the ball and twist them to lock the ball in place.
I am doing this for my wedding and will post pictures
do I have to use wet floral foam and soak it about 45 min?
or use dry floral foam and soak in water about 45 min?
Thanks
Hi Young - for this particular project they are using a dry floral foam and soaking it for 45 minutes.
If making these in advance, what is the best way to keep the oasis hydrated…by just pouring water on the top of the flowers to refill the oasis, or soaking the entire arrangement in a bucket?
Pouring water on the top of the flowers to refill the oasis would be best. Misting the flowers will also help.
Hi! I’m actually thinking on making 3 centerpieces, each using a 6” Oasis Floral Foam Sphere… How many carnations do I need for each ball? Thank you for the presentation, it’s a great idea.
Hi Aileen,
You will need 4-5 dozen for each foam ball but that will also depend on how tight you want your look.
Do you happen to know the diameter once the flowers were added?
hi could i use fake flowers as well.. thanks real good idea
Hi Esther - yes you could use fake flowers!
Hi M_Ann - it would depend on the type and size of the rose - there are so many different kinds. Roses don’t have to be packed in as tight as carnations to get this same look so you could use less. However, If you go with bigger roses you would use less, but you might end up spending more on the roses. My suggestion is to make one to know exactly what your costs will be and if you like the look.
Hi Kym,
This is such a wonderful idea to do. Do you know how many carnations are needed for a 4 inch ball? Im trying to find diy centerpieces since I will need about 30 of them. I know that is a lot of flowers, thus trying to evaluate if its cheaper to do myself or use a florist
Don’t get me wrong - using a florist is a good thing but in this situation, 30 centerpieces - you need a wholesaler like Fiftyflowers.com. Their customer service is A++ -just tell them what you are trying to do and they will will solve it! We would love to see the end results, what it cost you and a list of materials you used - we would share it here on our blog. Good luck and congratulations!