The Sweet Hits of Valentines Past & Present

by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor of Spirited Table®

I know...we just finished the Super Bowl and we're already a week away from Valentines. I can't think of anything that says Valentines as much as a "surprise and delight" for you Valentine.

Here are just a few of my Valentine favorites; they cover the sugar, the savory, the flowers, the table and of course a few ideas and surprises for you!

It's not too late to plan a Valentine's Dessert Party with my template for Dessert Party success! You can change the theme for any holiday or seasonal celebration you prefer! 

Top 10 Valentine's Day Tips - The 10 Best Cheap Bottles of ROSÉ - Valentine's Day Pretzel Bites  - Rosemary Rack of Lamb with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots for Two - Oreo Pops - Make Your Own Magic - Belgian Chocolate Mousse - What really makes your heart happy? 

Floral Recipe for success below! 

Floral recipe for design

Ingredients
*Floral foam or oasis
*Grass or moss
Favorite flowers and colors
Water tubes or lawn tubes with spikes or use a floral pick 

Instructions

1. Use a container of any sort, that you like; photo is of a large one, but it can literally be a glass bowl. 
2. I stuffed paper in the bottom of the bowl so I wouldn’t have to use so much floral foam
3. Lay down moss or grass and don’t worry too much about it being perfect…it’s supposed to have a plucked from the garden look about it. 
4. Fill the tubes with water and push them into the floral foam
5. If you’re not using the tubes for the flowers, place floral foam in a sink of water and fully saturate. If you’re using tubes, they are your water source to nourish the flowers, so use a floral pick or spoon/knife to open a spot for the flower, so it reaches the floral foam through the moss
6. Mix and match the flowers you place in the tubes; be sure to start from the middle of the arranged tubes and move outward toward the edges, with the tallest cut flowers in the middle. Cut your flowers according to whatever height you like. Mix it up. It’s not a perfectly tidy arrangement. It’s about bringing the outdoors in, since it’s still winter outside for some of us. 

Tips

1. * Use enough floral foam with grass or moss on top, to cover your container opening
2. With all flower arrangements, you always need to buy some “filler flowers”; translated, the flowers that help you cover up your mistakes and/or holes in the arrangement where you can see your mechanics. 

Advanced Tip

1. I used a few red wire balls on top of some of the tubes, but this get’s a bit complex, so I’d skip that step if you’re new to flower arranging. If you want to try it, the trick is to place the stem through an opening in the wire ball so it gets plenty of water from the tube.