Single Pink Rose

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A single pink rose is a symbol of thanks and gratitude. And although one may think a single pink rose is not enough to express one’s thanks, a little ingenuity can create a meaningful hand-crafted gift that will be cherished by its recipient.

Choosing Your Rose for Freshness and Maintaining its Beauty

When buying a rose, you need to check for freshness. A rose that is already open and in full bloom is beautiful, but it is near the end of its life and will begin to shed its petals. Find a rose that visually still has a tight bud. Squeeze the base of the bud and if it is soft, the rose is not very fresh. If the squeeze test reveals that base is hard, it is a fresh rose. The optimum choice would be to use a rose is from your garden.

If some of the outside petals appear a little brown or wilted, it is not a problem – you will be able to peel those off when you prepare your gift. It is also important to shave off any of the thorns that were left on the stem. Unlike other flowers, rather than simple making a diagonal cut at the end of the stem before placing it in water, a rose should be cut in a very long diagonal, more or less shaving it along the outside of the stem in a diagonal motion for at least an inch of its length. This enables the delicate flower to draw more water and prolong its life. Be sure to keep your rose in water. It is best to add flower preservative to the water. If you don’t have preservative, adding some non-diet lemon lime soda will help preserve it.

 Some Supplies You Will Need

It will also be helpful to purchase some green floral tape, green floral wire and ribbon, all of which are inexpensive and available at any store that sells arts and craft supplies. You will also need a bud vase, which you may have at home. If not, a wide variety of inexpensive bud vases can be purchase at a thrift shop or dollar store. You may also need to buy some artificial greens and a wire cutter, depending on what you already have at home and based on how you choose to create your gift after reading this article.

Creating Your Pink Rose Presentation

First you will want to place the rose in a bud vase with your water solution. Be sure to cut off any leaves from the rose stem that will be below water level. To enhance the rose, some natural greens can be found in your garden to use in your arrangement. Foliage from a pine tree will not only make an attractive presentation, it will provide fragrance. If you do not have available fresh greens, you can use some artificial greens.

Artificial stems can be cut with a small wire cutter whereas live stems can be cut with scissors. Save any excess fresh or artificial stems because they can be used to further enhance your pink rose by using them as an extension for a variety of items you can add to dress up your arrangement. For example, you can use fresh or artificial berries to compliment your rose. The sky is the limit on what to use to accent your arrangement. You can attach any small decorative item to one of the fresh or artificial stems with floral tape to create an eye-catching and personalized enhancement for your gift. The greens will hide the floral tape.

 Create a Bow

The finishing touch for your gift is to create a bow, which really is not that difficult. Have a piece of floral wire ready. If you have none, you can fasten together two green or white ties from a bread bag or sandwich bags. First cut off a 36-inches piece of your ribbon. Stretch out about eight to 10 inches (which will leave enough for a tail) and create a two inch loop, pinching the base of the loop. Create another loop in the opposite direction – basically making a figure 8 – and pinch the 8 in the center. Continue this until you are near the end of the ribbon and be sure to leave enough ribbon for the second tail. Take your floral wire and place its center where you are pinching the ribbon and twist it around the center of the 8. Once the wire is in place, continue to twist until it is tight. Now you can fluff out the ribbon, and you have created a bow. It may take a few tries, but once you master this technique, it is easy. Now you can use the excess wire to attach the bow to one of the artificial or live stems you have saved and add it to your creation.

You now have a gift that will surely expess your heartfelt gratitude!