Amaryllis Holiday Arrangement

In attempts to create a simple, yet elegant look for the very deep and long living room mantel, I just love the look of these amaryllis holiday arrangements. However, due to the depth and width of the mantel, one arrangement would look diminutive. Prices from places like Pottery Barn or Neiman Marcus for these arrangements range from $285 to $399. Purchasing 4 or 5 at these prices just doesn’t sync with my Connecticut Yankee nature.

Here is my inspiration:

Finding the Container

Since I do have blues in my living room, a blue and white container is exactly what I am seeking. However, they can be expensive. I do find 7 1/2″ tall x 8″ diameter porcelain planters handpainted in the traditional Chinese design from Macys….and on sale at 50% off. Plus Macy’s did ship them immediately in early December.

Finding the Amaryllis

This is perhaps the most challenging part of the project because looking for faux amaryllis in early December isn’t easy. Perhaps if I got this great idea back in September or October, faux amaryllis would be abundant.

I order large amaryllis from Etsy and they are not delivered on the specified date. So I wait. Then a small box arrives and I cannot imagine the 28″ tall large bloom flowers fit in this tiny box. Come to find out, I mistakenly ordered FRESH amaryllis bulbs. Arg! Don’t get me wrong as I love the real thing, but I cannot believe I didn’t read the description thoroughly before hitting the Buy It Now button.

Now that I have wasted a few weeks, I quickly order the actual faux 28″ amaryllis stems from Amazon at a good price of 3 for $23.75 (you can see them here) with an even better shipping date. Until the delivery is delayed. I can’t seem to cut a break here and the flowers do not arrive until just a few days ago.

Other Items You Need

In order to complete the project you will need floral foam, greens, moss, small ornaments and pinecones. I also use a jute twine, which is optional.

Assembly Begins!

You would think a 5.9″ foam square would fit into an interior measurement of 7.25″ circle, but it does not. Fortunately, dry floral foam can be cut with a serrated knife and I chop off the corners. The cube fits snugly into the planter but if it doesn’t, you can wedge the leftover pieces of foam around the edges.

With a little muscle, you can push the stems of the amaryllis down through the foam. Or if this is difficult, you can create the hole from both ends that will meet in the middle.

This next step is optional, but I like the look of the two stems tied together. Using a jute twine, I wrap both stems a few times and add a simple knot in the center.

Next, I use a combination of faux greens and ones cut from the yard. By adding moss, you can fill in the blank spaces and reduce the number of green sprigs.

For the final touches, you can add small ornaments and/or pinecones, or maybe a ribbon. Since the theme of the living room is blue and red for the holidays, I use these small ornaments I found at Michaels.

Finally, a little fluffing of the amaryllis blossoms and the arrangement is ready for placement.

With four newly created arrangements, I place them on the mantel in between the oil paintings of our children. I am still debating whether to add garland or not, but I think they are an elegant, yet simple Christmas statement.

Stockings are hung from brass holders.

Final Costs

Here is the breakdown of costs per pot:

• Blue/White Planters. $59.99 ea.
• 28″ Faux Amaryllis 15.84 (total for two per pot)
• Foam Block. 5.99 ea.
• Ornaments. 2.99 for pkg of 8
• Greens/Moss no cost

Total $82.17 each

What a terrific savings and this project took very little time to assemble.

If you are looking for blue and white planters, here is a resource. The size depends will depend on the height of your flowers and, of course, the price will vary too. And an assortment of small ornaments can be found here.

Though getting to this point is a bit circuitous, I am happy with the results. Plus I can dismantle this and use the planters throughout the year.

I hope you enjoy this post. Happy to be back and writing again!