All About the Packaging: Puppy Centerpiece Tutorial

We helped throw a surprise party for a dog lover and decided to make these centerpieces to use in the restaurant. All it took was floral foam, flowers, greenery and a water dish.

We used spider mums and carnations. Regular mums work well, too. All of them last for 3-5 days. Longer if kept cool and watered. And while hydrangea look fantastic, they last maybe a day. You’ll need three spider mums and one bunch of carnations. You’ll also need three small black silk roses for the nose and pupils. We actually used a Sharpie to color in blue ones. You can also use the center of black-eyed Susans.

First, take your flowers and cut off all but three inches of the stem. Place in water while you get set up. Then take your floral foam and carve a rough head and snout. After soaking in water, place in the dog dish. Using a skewer, poke some holes to allow easier insertion of the flowers.

Now you can start inserting the flowers. Start with the spider mums. Place two of them towards the side of the head in the position of the ears and one in the center for the snout. Then place two carnations for the eyes, and two columns of three down the front for the legs. Place the black silk roses in the center of the two carnations you inserted for the eyes and in the spider mum on the snout. You may have to play around with placement to make your dog look just right.

Now you can fill in the rest of the dog with flowers. Just leave the space between the legs open. This will be filled in with the greenery.

Once you’re finished, add the greenery around the base of the dog and between its front legs and you’re finished!