On a recent visit to Trader Joe’s I noticed they had bundles of Pussy Willows. After what has felt like 72 days of January, the emergence of this early spring stem brings LIGHT to my heart and soul! In early spring, the silky, furry catkins open before the leaves appear to let us know that spring is on the way. The catkins of this tree or large shrub open well ahead of other flowering plants. The season for Pussy Willow stems is short, so if you see them, buy them while they are still available!

You will notice when you purchase these fresh from the store, they should not be in water for a reason. If you place them in a vase with water, the catkins will fall off prematurely. If you leave them out of water and create your arrangement while the stems are still soft and pliable, the stems and catkins will dry and stay intact for the most part. If any fall off, a small dab of hot glue to the stem will reattach the catkin easily and shouldn’t show.

Last year I made some small obelisks in some containers I had on hand using Pussy Willow stems.

I prepped my containers with Sahara foam, trimmed the stems to be the exact same length, and then arranged the Pussy Willow stems around the edge in a uniform placement.

I then pulled them together at the top and tied them with a piece of jute.

I covered the foam with faux moss and added a faux flower in the center.

This was a fast and easy arrangement to make, and after almost a year, they still look wonderful!

This year, I wanted to make some hearts. The stems must be extremely fresh and pliable to bend them as tight as I did these.

I used brown paper covered wire to secure the stems in place, hiding the wire as best I could under the catkins.

I only wanted the catkins to be on the heart. I removed all the catkins from the stems below the heart.

I kept some in case I need to glue any on that might fall off. When they are fresh, the catkins are pretty secure on the stem.

Each heart took four stems, two for each side of the heart.

For my tiny arrangement, I wrapped the base the stems together using floral tape, and cut all four stems at an angle as one to the length I wanted it to be for my arrangement.

Wrapping the angled end with floral tape made inserting the heart into the floral foam much easier.

I bought 4 bundles at Trader Joe’s for $4.99 each. I was able to get a total of 14 hearts from 4 bundles exactly, or 3 ½ hearts per bundle.

That’s roughly $1.43 per heart, a pretty good price for the focal point of a small dried/faux arrangement. Keep in mind, if you put these in a fresh floral arrangement with a water source, your catkins will fall off prematurely.

The following are some of my favorite places to find unique gift items or supplies for your craft projects.

I used a small cream colored, distressed, pedestal metal vase from “Sun River Gardens” in Orem, Utah. https://sunrivergardens.com

Three heart glass ornaments, and the metal bird came from “Knot + Spool” in Holladay, Utah. https://www.knotandspool.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooWITBvmcXeuCgxPnBbOsSpolnU2GzvHlJ6aT6SwuH02gR9_6gT

Silk Ribbon from Amazon for the rosette. https://www.amazon.com/MAYREEL-Velvet-Bouquet-Invitations-Wedding/dp/B0C8D2N1KR?pd_rd_w=p6DBW&content-id=amzn1.sym.ea1d9533-fbb7-4608-bb6f-bfdceb6f6336&pf_rd_p=ea1d9533-fbb7-4608-bb6f-bfdceb6f6336&pf_rd_r=0V3960CBANS6RPVTACE1&pd_rd_wg=MhKH9&pd_rd_r=7bb379e6-b969-4bf3-a1a6-f5dbdb5ec04c&ref_=sspa_dk_detail_1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1

Felt Heart from “The Felt Pod” I love all the sizes and colors of hearts they offer! https://www.thefeltpod.com/felt_hearts_s/1867.htm

The gold metal ivy branch behind the felt heart on the rosette is just something I had in my stash of stuff here at home. But you might try looking at “HHH Enterprises”. I didn’t see the exact same one that I used, but there are some that are similar. https://hhhenterprises.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&page=1&q=floral

If you’re looking to bring some LIGHT to the dull days of winter, try making some of these fun hearts to gift to your friends! Or better yet, get together and host a “Galentine’s Party” to have them create their own!

Have a great week! Be sure to check out next week’s post as we’ll be announcing a fun “Galentine’s Giveaway” – you won’t want to miss it!

Love Ya, Les 😊

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Valentine’s Creativity