Make a Wintry Flower Runner

Anuschka Pashel of Denver’s Bloom by Anuschka demonstrates a versatile, wintry arrangement
wintry flower runner
Anuschka Pashel of Denver’s Bloom by Anuschka demonstrates a versatile, wintry flower runner, perfect for seasonal tables or mantels.

My inspiration for this arrangement was to showcase a magical, wintry design that is versatile for the season, rather than a strictly typical holiday arrangement. This arrangement can be made for surfaces of all sizes, whether it’s a small console, a fireplace mantel, or a long holiday table. The proportion of the arrangement can be adjusted by adding more Oasis Raquettes together as needed. An Oasis Raquette is a long, rectangular piece of floral foam that is covered with a thin plastic; flowers are poked directly through the plastic in rows. The effect is a full, lush flower runner. It’s a flower sculpture in that there is no container to be seen and there is no space between the arrangement and the table.

How to Make a Wintry Flower Runner

wintry flower runner
MATERIALS: pinecones, white sparkle gypsophila, white hydrangeas, white roses, white cymbidium orchids, white spray roses, white carnations, white spider mums, white chrysanthemums, white baby’s breath, white stock, silver brunia, white ostrich feathers
wintry flower runner
TOOLS & SUPPLIES: 1 Oasis Raquette, shears or clippers, a floral knife, 10 floral picks, thin floral wire, floral tape, spray adhesive, Martha Stewart Crafts glitter, 15 water tubes (only necessary if orchid stems are unsturdy)
wintry flower runner
1| Soak the Oasis Raquette overnight. Try to turn the Raquette over every few hours so it can absorb water from both sides.
wintry flower runner
2| Mark the middle of the arrangement in order to place your flowers symmetrically later on.
wintry flower runner
3| Attach some wire to each pinecone by twisting it around the bottom.
wintry flower runner
4| Wrap the wire around a floral pick to poke into the Raquette.
wintry flower runner
5| Spray the adhesive onto each pinecone evenly. Make sure this is done outside or inside with a paper towel underneath.
wintry flower runner
6| Sprinkle the glitter onto each pinecone while the glue is still wet. For this arrangement I used silver glitter, but there are many colors available.
wintry flower runner
7| Once your newly glittered pinecones have dried, begin inserting them into the middle of your Oasis Raquette in a straight line, creating the first row of your arrangement.
wintry flower runner
8| Because of the pinecones’ shape, there will be spaces between them that need to be filled with a smaller textured flower like the silver brunia. Cut the silver brunia beneath the floret, and place them in the Raquette between the pinecones on both sides.
wintry flower runner
9| Cut each rose stem two to three inches from its blossom, and insert them into the Raquette, making a tight row of roses on either side of the pinecones and berries.
wintry flower runner
10| Next, make little compact bundles of baby’s breath, with stems about two to three inches long. Because of their thin stems, poke a hole through the plastic on the Raquette with the tip of your floral knife before inserting them. Be sure to cover the spaces between each row of roses to create a full, lush look.
wintry flower runner
11| Next, create a new row on either side of the baby’s breath with carnations.
wintry flower runner
12| The next rows you create will be with cymbidium orchids. If the orchid stems are long and sturdy enough, you can poke them directly into the Oasis. If not, you can place each stem into a small water tube before inserting it into the arrangement.
wintry flower runner
13| After adding the orchids, create a row of stock mixed with silver brunia on each side. Before doing this, clip of the top inch of the stock to create a cleaner, more compact look. Make sure the other stock blossoms cover the stem where you clipped of the top. Then on each side, create a double row with spray roses. Next, add a light touch of clusters of sparkle gypsophila, which will give the arrangement a wintry effect.
wintry flower runner
14| After adding the sparkle gypsophila, create another row on either side using the spider mums, and fill in the open spaces with your regular mums. Next, tuck in a single hydrangea at either end of the Raquette so that it’s completely covered.
wintry flower runner
15| Because of the size of the ostrich feathers, clip each of them into two to three pieces. (They will need to be cut fairly short so that the flowers around them won’t be overwhelmed.) And for the last and final step, tuck the feathers softly into the arrangement in rows near the orchids or any space where the Oasis might be showing.
Adapt this technique to the season or your event. This variation on the party runner uses brightly colored flowers and berries.

wintry flower runner

“This arrangement has endless possibilities to be re-created; don’t be afraid to make it your own with any flowers, materials, and textures you love. Be flexible with the design by adding fruit, ornaments, ribbons, leaves, moss, etc. The effect is a patchwork of all the materials you collect, similar to knitting a shawl with different yarns.”–Anuschka Pashel


By Anuschka Pashel | Produced by Pamela Hanes | Photography by Laurie Smith

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