Just Add Water. Cynthia Gaylin Bigony

      walk on the beach, a good book beforebed, or freshflowers in my

      home. A great lifeisn’t about greathuge things; it’s about smallthings

      that make a big difference.

      Working with flowers is verynurturing.It transports me to a zone of joy Idon’t want to leave.

      I remember my first “aha” moment. It was a late afternoon and I had just finished unloading groceries. It had been a long day and I was tired.Looking over at the flowers I just purchased still made me smile, so I gathered myenergy, pickedup the blooms, and began prepping.I removedthe leaves,carefully recut the stems, and placed each flower into a vase in a way that looked pretty to me.

      How was this different from any other time? I became aware of the profound calm I felt as I worked with myhands. AsI claimed this moment for myself, the noise ofthree youngchildren playing with our dogs grew faint. I had found peacefulminutes of restorative joy, an active meditation that energized me!

      I am grateful for these simple moments and appreciate them often. However, I also know that when it comes to real life and myhectic schedule, fast and easyflowers are a must.Of course, I love sitting down with an elaborate book showcasing over-the-top party ideas. However, this is not that book.

      This isa book with beautiful yet simple designs that anyone can recreate in a pinch. It encourages you toset aside personal time to recharge your soul byworking with your hands. Touching nature to nurture.

      So manypeople I meet say, “I’m terrible at arranging flowers.” This simply is not true!I wrote this book to demystifythe process of creating professional-looking arrangements with ease. Ifyou can holda pair ofscissors, I promise you can create beautiful flower arrangements. Keep in mind thatwhen it comes to creativity, the number one rule is there are no rules. Sowith simple techniques to guide you and easy ideas to try, you can putyour own spin on these, or just copy what you see and enjoy.

      My goal for you is to open thisbook with curiosityand close it by saying, “I can do that!”Because it’s the small things in life that really matter, and sometimesall you need to do is just add water!

      XO

      GETTING STARTED

      GETTING STARTED

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      This book is about simple designsfor everyday living—and that’s for your tools andmaterials too!You don’t need anything fancy, just some easy itemsfound in your home for quick access. There are also some handy optional materials that you can find online or at your

      local craft store.

      SCISSORS A pair ofsharp flower scissors isideal, but I will admit, I usually grab kitchen scissors. This is amust for cutting stems and removing lower leaves to keep the

      water clean.

      RUBBER BANDSI likesaving thethick rubber bandsthat come with the asparagus from the grocerystore aswell as buying different sizes of clear hair bands. A variety

      of bands will be useful to have.

      TAPE Tape is my secret weapon when creating invisible grids tokeep flowers and stems in place.Waterproof

      tape is nice, but regular tape works fine.

      RAFFIA I always have raffiain my gift-wrapping drawer.I love the organic, simple effect, which worksperfect for flower design. I useit in arrangementsto

      hide rubber bands or to secure leaning orchids.

      ESSENTIAL

      tools & materials

      GETTING STARTED

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      I used to have a pantryfull ofvases

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