Lily Vase with Ostrich Feathers

This guide will explain how to produce the lily vase table centrepiece shown. First of all unpack all of the products. In the picture I have used a 60cm round based lily vase, 25cm round mirror plate, purple ostrich feathers, water pearls and some floralytes.

If you have purchased the dried water pearls, we will need to make these first. Dried water pearls are often more cost effective, than the ready made product, so if you have lots of vases to fill, these are often the best choice. If you have purchased pre-made water pearls you do not need to follow the next step.

The water pearls will need soaking for upto 8 hours for them to swell to capacity. I find the best way is to put them in a large container or bucket. It is important to make sure that the container that you use is completely clean. For each gram of dried product you will need approximately 100ml of water. Measure out the quantities into your container. Initially it will look like you have too much water, but gradually the pearls will soak this up. I would recommend stirring the pearls every couple of hours, and this will help them keep to relatively even sizes. After 8 hours drain off any excess water, and you should be left with a container full of water pearls ready to use.

Now that we have the water pearls made up it is time start making up the display. First of all I would wash the lily vase. Sometimes the packing that is used to protect these during transit can leave a residue on the glass. Hot soapy water is suitable for cleaning the lily vase. Once washed make sure it is completely dry.

Now its time to place the water pearls and floralytes into the lily vase. To create the lighting effect up the stem of the vase I have used four floralytes per vase. These are suspended in the waterpearls. First of all place a thin layer of pearls in the base of the vase. Now turn on two lights and place these on top of these pearls. Now add some more pearls on top of these lights until the vase is around a third full. Now add the next light and add some more pearls on top of this. Add the final light slightly higher up the vase, and fill the rest of the vase with water pearls, leaving a gap of a few centimetres at the top of the vase.

The lily vase is now filled with the water pearls and its time to add the ostrich feathers. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the display, and requires a little patience to get the feathers positioned correctly. In this display I have used between 20 and 25 feathers, but less or more can be used to your taste. I also find it easier to add the feathers once the vase is sat on the mirror plate. Add the feathers one by one to the vase. The first row of feathers will tend to form the most visible row, with the center feathers providing the depth to the arrangement.

Once the feathers are all in the top of the vase you can adjust them to their final positions. In this display I have not used anything to hold the feathers in place, as the number of feathers and the water pearls do this. If you are using less feathers, or are having trouble keeping them in position you can try a small piece of florist foam cut to fit in the top of the vase, and piercing the feathers into the foam.

Don't forget that there are many colour combinations and variations of this display that you can produce. In my display I have chosen a purple theme, with clear water pearls and white floralytes. There are many different colours of feathers and water pearls available, and the theme can be expanded further with matching table sprinkles or confetti.