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After graduating with a degree in studio art from Virginia Tech, Sarah Ryhanen cofounded her rustic soap-and-blossom emporium Saipua (392 Van Brunt St between Coffey and Dikeman Sts, Red Hook, Brooklyn; 718-624-2929, saipua.com) in June 2006 with her boyfriend, Eric Famifan, and her mother, Susan. A self-taught floral designer, Ryhanen creates lush, naturalistic arrangements that look deceptively simple. Luckily for scrambling last-minute gift givers like us, she concocted this charming vernal posy, which can easily be assembled in ten minutes with a bit of prep work and cops the look of a more expensive, time-consuming one. And if kept in a cool, dark spot, your Mom’s Day token will last five to seven days, making your siblings look like the thoughtless, wayward children they are—for even longer.
1 Remove the label from a clean jam jar, such as one from Bonne Maman, by soaking it in hot water overnight, and then dry it with a kitchen towel.
2 Set aside two chrysanthemums and three ranunculus. You’ll also need two stems each of lanuginosa and lepto or phlox—all of which can be purchased from a florist. Break the lanuginosa and lepto into five-inch-long pieces. Remove any greenery or buds that will fall below your jar’s waterline, as they’ll decompose and start to smell.
3 Starting with a single chrysanthemum, build your arrangement: Holding the blooms tightly in one hand, add progressively smaller flowers such as a single ranunculus or a few lanuginosa and lepto (the tips of the lanuginosa and lepto should peek out an inch or two above the other flowers), repeating that order to create a dense, dome-shaped bouquet that should fill the jar. Wrap a piece of string four or five times around the stems and tie to secure them in place.
4 To judge how much you should trim the stems, hold your bouquet next to the jar so that the blossoms hit just above its lip (Ryhanen warns that most folks keep the stems too long). Using a chef’s knife and a cutting board (Ryhanen believes that scissors pinch stems), cut the ends so that they’re about five inches long.
5 With a pair of scissors, cut a length of inch-wide ribbon so that it wraps around the lip of the jar. If you’d like to include a card, punch a hole in one of the corners and thread the ribbon through before tying a knot around the jar.
6 Add a drop of bleach to the jar to prevent scum from developing, place the flowers inside and add water.
Total spent: $25*
Average cost for a Mother’s Day arrangement: $60
Saved: $35, enough for a ticket to see Brazilian Girlsand Spank Rock at Studio B on May 2, 2008.
*Most delis sell chrysanthemums by the bunch, so save the extras for a fuller arrangement.
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