Flower Arranging 101
Ever feel like you’re not doing justice to the beautiful fresh-cut flowers of summer? Are your arrangements droopy or lopsided? Overcrowded or too skimpy? We’ve found the cure for amateur-looking arrangements. It’s a simple wire grid that fits over the mouth of a vase and adds support so that stems stay upright and have the breathing room they need. With Easy Arranger you can still get creative and dream up your own flower arrangements -- the vase topper just helps you execute the designs like a pro.
Easy Arranger comes to us from Annabelle Noel Designs, a firm with a mission to launch innovative household products designed and manufactured exclusively by women. The founder is Anne Cork, who tapped her jewelry-making skills to create Easy Arranger after being inspired by the tape grids she saw florists using to hold their flowers in place.
Each wire grid is woven by hand, not by a machine. Easy Arranger comes in a variety of diameters to fit different vase sizes. It’s simple to work with, especially when it comes time to change the water: You just lift up your entire arrangement and use the flexible grid to keep it intact until you’re ready to return the flowers to the vase. Easy does it!
Anne
Sometimes I pinch myself and think -- did I really invent something that spawned my career as a product designer and manufacturer? YES! And it’s been quite a journey of love and passion – still is every day. It's kind of cool to realize that letting your creative mind work freely can lead to innovation – like putting two random ideas together which is basically how I came up with the first bloom-shaped, over-the-top-of-the-vase grid. I still believe in the same mantra that got me here today “If you follow your dreams, success is sure to follow”. I am looking forward to your questions.
Heather the Florist
6/14/2011 12:11 PMAnd here we florists have used chicken mesh all these years. Whodathunkit?
Katherine – Grommet Team
6/14/2011 12:15 PM@Heather the Florist: Anne thunked it!
Anne – Special Guest
6/14/2011 12:37 PMThe funny thing is that I had NO idea that florist's were using chicken wire. I actually tried to use it once and cut the snot out of my hands. Maybe that's only for the pros.
Heather the Florist
6/14/2011 3:00 PM@Anne Cork: It's about time someone came up with a friendlier idea. Chicken mesh, as you put it, can be mean to hands if you're not careful.
I do have a suggestion though. Perhaps design one with smaller gaps between the wires for smaller stems, flowers and foliage?
Anne – Special Guest
6/14/2011 4:01 PMGreat idea Heather. The smaller size Easy Arrangers have smaller holes. The 4 inch, 5 inch and 6 inch all have a similar size weave. It might be hard to see in the photos but these Arrangers were designed to fit up to a tulip size stem.
joni
6/14/2011 9:01 PMwhat a great simple idea! i have several ideas but dont know how to get them manufactured can you help me?????
Katherine – Grommet Team
6/14/2011 11:47 PM@joni: You should definitely explore the possibilities. Your local SBA (Small Business Organization) or SCORE Counselors can get you started down the correct path. We wish you great success. We'll want to be one of the first to know about your new products!
Anne – Special Guest
6/15/2011 9:27 AM@joni: Katherine is right. Start locally with one of your SBA or SCORE offices. They can get you started with the whole plan. Another great idea is to look around and see if there is a product that was designed or made in your town. Frequently these inventor entrepeneurs enjoy sharing their stories and helping other people get started. Best of luck! The most important thing you can do is make that first step...call the SBA or a local inventor or the local SCORE office today and you are on your way.
KC
6/16/2011 3:42 AMThis is a GREAT idea, Anne. As soon as I saw it I thought, "I can make that", but I'm buying it because you deserve my money for thinking of it! The really ingenious part of this is how it enables you to lift the whole arrangement out, trim the ends, change the water, put it back in and be done in minutes. I don't change the water on my arrangements daily just cuz of the hassle of rearranging, so this will actually prolong the life of my blossoms. Thanks for an innovative and useful item. I'm actually buying several at your site for all the rose gardeners I know. (Nice that it was featured just in time for Summer and all the fresh flowers of the season.) Just a thought - if I had come up with this, I'd be marketing it to Trader Joe's & all the other places that sell the wrapped, inexpensive bouquets. This should be displayed right beside the flowers. (If you want me to hit up the stores out here in California for you, just let me know!)
B.L. Miles
11/13/2011 5:53 PMQuery: I understand why the Easy Arranger must be a bit larger than the vase diameter, but, have a question about what sizes to order: Are the diameter measurements of the E-As their actual size, or, the size I should order for a vase of that diameter? While a nifty idea, I am not personally keen about decorating mesh that extends and wraps my vases - they are already fabulous cut-crystal. Please guide me, and, perhaps, make the answer you have for me part of your description for ease in ordering. Thank you. Grommet fan, B.L. Miles
Katherine – Grommet Team
11/13/2011 8:51 PM@B.L. Miles: The size listed is the size of the Easy Arranger itself. If the look of the mesh detracts from your cut crystal you will have to be clever about using filler greens or larger flowers at the base that will cover the mesh.
(edited)I just heard from Anne who says that you can also push the easy arranger to the inside. It's not a problem if it gets wet. Thanks for being a Grommet fan!
B.L. Miles
11/14/2011 2:00 AM@Katherine Klinger: Simple as that! Brilliant! As brilliantly simple as the Easy Arranger! Many thanks for your reply and info. Grommet FAN, B.L. Miles