Pumpkin Posy!

 
I love pumpkin carving but there's nothing better than doing something different with your pumpkin for Halloween. These stunning pumpkin posy's are great for party centre pieces, they really give that wow factor and are sure to make your friends green with envy!
 
Here's what I used to create my pumpkin posy:
 

Pumpkin

Carving Set

Pen

Flowers

Green Stub Wire

Black Wire

Floral Foam

Floral Knife or Kitchen Knife

Scissors

Decorations

Bowl

Water

 

 
I began by using a bowl and a pen to trace a large circle on top of my pumpkin, this has to be big enough to allow the floral foam to fit inside the pumpkin. Once I carved the top I scooped all the gooey bits out and discarded them and the lid, this won't be needed.
 
I wanted my pumpkin posy to have a mixture of Autumn colours with a touch of spookiness. I chose Gerberas as my focal flower and Carnations and Hypericum Berries as my filler. When using Gerberas with floral foam it's important to prepare them properly. Their stems aren't as sturdy as other flowers and tend to bend when inserted into the foam. To stop this from happening, I held the head of the Gererba with my thumb resting lightly on top. With my other hand I pushed the wire through the back of the flower head. If you can see the wire poking though the front of the flower, push it back a little. I then wrapped the wire around the stem of the flower. This will give you more control over the flower and stops it from snapping or bending when you're inserting it into the foam.
  

  
 
Using my floral knife I cut the foam to fit inside the pumpkin. When you are buying floral foam make sure you choose wet foam, it's usually darker in colour than the dry foam. Wet foam is used for fresh flowers. I placed my wet foam into a bowl of water. It is important not to move the foam much while it's absorbing the water as the middle may stay dry. Once the water had soaked through the floral foam I placed it inside the pumpkin.
 

I spaced the Gerberas apart when inserting them into the foam, this is to ensure they don't appear too heavy on one side and to allow room for the filler. Always make sure to cut your stems at an angle, this gives the flower a larger surface to drink from. I randomly added the Carnations between the gaps and finally added the Hypericum Berries to any remaining spaces.
 
 
  

 

I used cinnamon sticks as they add to the autumn feel and little Halloween bows and black diamante feathers as they add a touch of spookiness to the posy's appearance.

 

 

I also wanted to add something different to finish off my pumpkin posy. I came across a similar idea on Google when I was browsing for pumpkin stencils. Instead of carving the words BOO I used black buttons and wire to attach them to the pumpkin, to give it a 3D look. I bought my buttons at my local haberdashery store, they had all different shapes and sizes. I was tempted to buy some of the pretty pink ones but I knew they would have looked out of place. I chose black to keep in with the Halloween theme. I thread black wire though the little holes in the buttons and twisted them on one side. This will ensure they stay in place and wont wobble around when they're stuck on the pumpkin. I trimmed the wire to make sure the ends were the same length, and with a little pressure pushed the buttons into the pumpkin to form each letter.

 

 

 

Finally, I sprayed my pumpkin with hair spray, this gives it a lovely shine and slows down the wilting process.

 

 

Now I'm all prepared for Halloween! The sweeties are in, the decorations are up, just waiting for my first trick or treaters to arrive!

 

Boo! Happy Halloween!