DIY: Not your garden-variety Mother’s Day bouquet

Mother’s Day is a week away. Are you ready?

Mothers love to receive flowers, but they love them even more when you personally arrange them. (And they’ll love you even more, too.)

If you’re in a time crunch, this quick and easy arrangement is simple to create using some supermarket flowers and a keepsake box. It’s a beautiful way to honor the moms, sisters, aunts and bubbes in your life.

What you’ll need:

– One bunch of flowers
– Keepsake box
– Plastic trash bag
– Floral foam
– Knife
– Scissors

1. Keepsake boxes are decorative containers used for storing small knickknacks. They are available at discount stores such as Ross and Marshalls for less than $10. They come in a variety of styles; the one I’m using in this example is an upholstered damask box from Ross. And this bunch of flowers from Trader Joe’s was $9.99.

2. Line the keepsake box with plastic so water does not damage the box. I recommend just cutting the corner of a plastic garbage bag and placing it in the box. Don’t worry if the plastic extends past the edge of the box. You can trim it later.

3. Trim a block of floral foam so it will fit inside the keepsake box. Floral foam is available from crafts stores such as Michaels and Jo-Ann. Be sure to buy the floral foam designated for fresh flowers instead of silk flowers. Soak the floral foam in water until it’s completely saturated and place it in the box within the plastic liner.

4. Cut the stems of the flowers to about 3 to 4 inches and insert the stems into the floral foam. The floral foam keeps the flowers hydrated. When you’re done, look at the arrangement from every angle to make sure the flowers completely hide the foam. It’s that easy. Happy Mother’s Day!

Jonathan Fong is the author of “Walls That Wow,” “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.