How To Make A Chocolate Bouquet

It's hard to know what to get for your loved one at Valentine's - you usually don't want to spend too much, but you still would like to show them how much you care! Sometimes the best solution is to make a homemade present - a little bit different to a fresh bouquet, but reminds them of how much they mean to you with something that takes time to make!
This Valentine's we wanted to show you how you can make your very own Chocolate Bouquet - allowing them to enjoy their favourite chocolates over a few weeks (or days if you are anything like us!

Have a read of this blog to let us show you how to make your very own Chocolate Bouquet

What you will need:

Florist Foam 

Red Tissue Paper - PA3275

Dot Cellophane - FF2454

Living Vase - BX3449 

Balloon Picks -  PL3335

Red Shredded Tissue Paper - PA3507 

Your choice of chocolate bars/Sweets - we used 34 chocolate bars of various brands.

Step 1)

Firstly cut your cellophane and tissue paper, it is best to do this with the living vase resting on top so you know how much bigger to make the square. Ideally it looks best with the red tissue paper being a slightly smaller square than the cellophane. Aim for the cellophane to reach about 20cm over the Living Vase, this will give a lovely full effect when the arrangement is complete. 

Step 2) 

Now it's time to measure your foam in the center of the flat Living Vase - cut the foam where needed so it fits nicely in the bottom (make sure the living vase hasn't been built up yet and remains flat). When you have cut the foam to the correct size, put 3 out of the 4 Living Vase sides together. Gently wrap your tissue paper and cellophane around the foam, and a little bit of cellotape to keep it together at the bottom. Slot it into the Living Vase, and then seal the 4th corner to make the box. 

Step 3)

Once you have put in the foam, tissue paper, and cellophane - it's time to put a nice little bit of decoration on the outside of your living vase! We chose to use a pull bow to give an elegant gift-like effect! If you wish to do the same, make sure to use your scissors on the 'non-shiny' side of the ribbon ends, this will curl the ribbon to give an aesthetically pleasing effect.

Step 4)

Next, it's time to add the chocolate to the balloon sticks (you can use skewers too)! First, you will need to cut the balloon holder ends off, to create a strong, straight piece of plastic. For the larger chocolates, you may need to use two sticks to make sure they stay upright. Start to Cellotape the plastic sticks to the back of the chocolate packets. As you go, you can start to pop them in the foam. Where possible, try to put the shorter/small chocolates towards the front, and the larger and longer bars towards the back and middle of the bouquet. Don't worry too much about gaps within the chocolate, this will soon be filled in. 

Step 5)

Once you have added all your Chocolate, fill any gaps in with shredded tissue paper - this will hide the sticks and finish the bouquet off beautifully. 

P.S: If you're gifting, make sure to keep it out of the way of any heat or windows!