One of my favorite flowers to make are giant cabbage roses made from brown paper bags. They are so dramatic, and they’re really fun to make. And no one would believe they’re actually made from lunch bags.

Start with some lunch-sized brown paper bags. They’re sold in packs at the grocery store.

And grab some bottles of Rit Dye. You don’t have to color your roses, but the dye gives them a gorgeous quality. For these roses I chose red for the roses and green for the sepals. I’ve also used yellow and purple in the past, and both colors turned out beautifully.

Place the paper bags one at a time in the dye bath. I just estimated the amount of dye to water — about 1 part dye and 2 parts water. The bags at first resist taking on the color. The key is to break down the fibers of the paper. I do that by scrunching the bags over and over again. I saturate each bag in the dye, squeeze, soak it again, squeeze, soak it again and squeeze. All that squeezing breaks down the paper and relaxes it, and the dye takes. (Oh, rubber gloves are your best friend here.)

Lay the paper bags out on plastic covering to dry overnight. When the bags are wet with dye, the color will not look very good. Green and purple look like black when they are wet. But when they’re dry, the color looks it should. (Yeah, I know those bags look like meat from the butcher’s shop.)

For each rose, you’ll need 4 bags of the color of your choice, and 1 bag that’s green.

You’ve heard of double bagging. You will be “quintuple” bagging, with the green bag on the outside and the four red bags on the inside.

Twist the bags together tightly so you have what looks like a handle. It’s starting to look like a rose, or at least the torch that the Statue of Liberty holds.

Peel back the green bag. Tear it in a few places, and it looks like the sepals of the rose.

Then peel back the red bags one at a time starting from the outside in.You can leave the layers as is or tear them to create petals. And just as the inner petals of real roses are more closed, keep the innermost red bag scrunched up. You’ll also notice as you’re unpeeling the bags that sometimes there are spots on the bags that did not get thoroughly dyed. That’s okay. The roses look kind of cool with variegated petals.

The rose looks finished, but wait! There’s a second rose hidden in there. Cut the green stem at the base of the rose with a good pair of scissors.

Seal the cut edge with hot glue. Then put a wood skewer into the base for a stem if desired.

And that piece we cut off? Unroll the layers and make another rose out of that. Poke a skewer through the base for the stem.

Here are the two roses.

Make several roses (if you’re going through the trouble of dyeing them, might as well make a bunch), and put them in a vase for an impressive display.

Or arrange them in manzanita branches. You’ve got this project in the bag.

1.  First, cut a length of ribbon that’s about 30″. Then apply the double-sided tape to the bottom edge of the ribbon so that half the tape is sitting on the tape and half is off the tape.

2. I used a wood skewer for the stem of the flower. You can also use wire. Start at one end of the ribbon, press the stem down onto the tape, and start rolling tightly. At first, you’ll want to create a tight roll, just as the petals on real roses are clustered tightly in the center.

3. As you go around, pinch the bottom of the flower where the double stick tape is, so everything holds securely. Then gradually make your “petals” looser. You can do this by overlapping the ribbon and sticking it onto itself. The overlapping creates the pretty folds in the flower as well.

4. Keep wrapping the ribbon around the stem until you’re done. Again, pinch the bottom where the double stick tape is, so everything is secure. 

5. If you look at the underside of the rose, there is exposed tape. If you are making a topiary, you won’t see the bottoms of the roses so it won’t matter. But if you are displaying the roses as is, you will want to cover the bottoms.

6. All you have to do is cut a small round piece of felt that would cover the exposed area, poke a hole in it, and slide the felt piece onto the bottom of the rose. The double-sided tape will adhere to the felt, and now the rose has sepals.

7. To make the ribbon rose topiary, insert the roses into a small foam ball. The foam ball I used was about 3″ in diameter. You’ll need about 25 ribbon roses to cover the ball. The foam ball seems really small, but after you cover it with roses, you get a nice-sized topiary.

When the topiary is finished, you can hang the floral ball, insert a dowel into it to make a standing topiary, and set it on a candle holder or small container. You can even add a bouquet handle to make a bouquet that will last forever.

Creating your own floral arrangement from supermarket flowers can save you a lot of money. The flowers for the arrangement in this project, which I bought at Trader Joe’s, cost only about $20, and the glass vase from Michael’s was less than $3. Yet the finished arrangement could easily retail for $80 to $100 — or even more — at a florist.

If the thought of putting together your own floral arrangement scares you, don’t worry, it’s pretty easy. I learned by sticking my fingers into arrangements florists delivered to the office where I used to work, to analyze how they were assembled. I’ve also had the privilege of working with several top-notch florists in Los Angeles, who have shared their tricks of the trade with me. They swore me to secrecy, so, naturally, I’m passing these tips on to you.

Get the right proportions

 One secret very few people know is there’s an ideal proportion between your vase size and the amount of flowers you should use. I usually work with a 1:4 vase-to-flower ratio, meaning the diameter of the flowers should be approximately four times the diameter of the vase. For example, I wanted the flowers in my arrangement to be about 12 inches across, so I selected a vase that is a little more than three inches in diameter. This ratio makes your arrangement look full. If you use a larger vase with the same volume of flowers, the arrangement can appear skimpy.

Create a support grid

If you’ve ever arranged flowers in water, you know it can be a challenge to keep the stems from moving out of place. One way to solve this problem is to support the stems with a grid of tape along the top of the vase. Florists use floral tape, but I use duct tape cut into ¼-inch strips, spaced about an inch apart. The taped grid on the vase will keep the stems upright. It can also help you map out where to place the different flowers. Instead of a tape grid, I’ve sometimes placed a folded piece of chicken wire in the vase to help support the stems.

Go monochromatic

Another challenge many floral novices face is selecting a color scheme. What colors go together? And how many colors should go in the mix? The best advice I’ve ever gotten about color came from one of my favorite florists: Go monochromatic. I now do almost exclusively monochromatic arrangements, whether for gifts or event centerpieces. This makes shopping for flowers easier, because I only have to look for one color. And, in my opinion, monochromatic arrangements have a more modern and upscale feel. The only other color I introduce in my arrangements is green — in the form of leaves or hydrangeas — because green goes with everything, and it actually accentuates the color of the other flowers.

Even if you’re going with a monochromatic color scheme, select three or four different types of flowers to incorporate various textures. To make my example here, I bought three small bunches of flowers at Trader Joe’s that ranged from $3.99 to $5.99 each — including roses, calla lilies and chrysanthemums. Each of their petals are distinct from the others, so even though they’re the same color, the texture variations provide visual contrast.

Prepare the stems

To create a dome-shaped arrangement, cut the stems of the flowers so that the ones positioned at the edge of the vase are shorter than the ones in the center. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle, which allows for more surface area on the stems to absorb water. Then remove any leaves on the stems that will be submerged. I know it seems like a shame to pick the leaves off and discard them, but any plant material left in the water will contribute to bacteria growth. (Leaves above the water line are fine.)

Separate flowers by type

Another trick I use when arranging flowers is to not mix the different types of flowers. Like the child at mealtime who won’t let his potatoes touch the peas, I keep each of the different flowers in its own section in the vase. This makes floral arranging so much easier, because it takes the guesswork out of how to combine the arrangement. And again, I find this type of arrangement also looks more modern and high-end.

Fill in gaps with greenery

After you’ve filled the vase with flowers, you might still see a few empty spots here or there. Fill these gaps with greenery, using leaves or succulents from your garden. (Just be sure that only the stems are submerged in water.) Bushy blooms like hydrangeas also make great fillers.

Hide the stems

If your vase is transparent, you will see the stems in the water, and seeing submerged stems is a no-no in professional arrangements. They need to be covered up. One florist friend calls this “hiding the underwear.” Many florists cover the stems by lining the inside of the vase with large leaves. It’s a great look, but the leaves will contribute to bacteria growth. The simplest solution is to wrap a ribbon around the outside of the vase, adhering it in place with double-sided tape. Of course, if your vase is opaque, you don’t need to hide your stems. Still, wrapping a ribbon around the vase can add a nice finishing touch.

What you’ll need:

1 quart takeout container

1 pint plastic deli container

Floral foam

Knife

Flowers

Chopsticks

1. Get a takeout container

The foundation for this arrangement is a 1-quart, or 32-ounce, takeout container. You can purchase takeout containers in different colors at crafts stores like Michaels or Joann, as well as packaging retailers like the Container Store. Stores even sell themed containers for the different holidays. The red fabric-covered takeout container I’m using here is from Pier One.

2. Carve floral foam

Instead of sitting directly in the container, which would leak water, you’ll insert your flowers into floral foam inside a plastic deli container. (I recommend getting a pint of potato salad at the deli and washing out the tub afterwards.) Purchase a brick of floral foam at the crafts store, and carve it with a knife to fit in the deli container. Make sure you select floral foam that is made especially for fresh flowers rather than the kind for artificial flowers.

3. Soak the foam

Immerse the floral foam in water for about a minute, so the foam will absorb the water. Put the wet foam into the plastic deli container, and then place both into the Chinese takeout container. You’re now ready to insert flowers into the foam.

4. Select flowers

I find that the easiest way to choose flowers for this arrangement is to purchase a ready-made bouquet at Trader Joe’s (or any supermarket). This way, you can have an instant assortment of color-coordinated flowers, plus greenery, for less than $10. Cut the flowers’ stems so that they’re all about four inches long, then insert the stems into the wet floral foam.

5. Fill container with flowers

Keep adding flowers until you’ve covered the entire top of the floral foam. Add the greenery that comes with the bouquet, or grab some from your yard, to help fill out any empty spots where the foam is visible. This photo shows the arrangement partially finished, so you can see how the stems look going into the foam.

6. Finish with chopsticks

The finishing element that really makes the arrangement is a pair of chopsticks inserted amid the flowers, right into the floral foam. Go for a decorative pair of chopsticks, not the plain wooden ones you get with takeout. Gorgeous chopsticks are available at Cost Plus World Market as well as specialty stores in Chinatown or Little Tokyo. And when you’re done with the arrangement, treat yourself to a fortune cookie.

The eHow tutorial is here.

Here’s how I did it:

1) I chose magnolia leaves because they are sturdy and stiff, so a design goes on them easily. First, I applied a glue stick all over the front of the leaf. I used my finger to spread the glue around and make sure there was some on the sides.

2) Then I printed my desired design on a sheet of Craft Attitude film. Because I was using words, I printed out the design in reverse, as I would be flipping it over, ink side down. I placed the film on the leaf, pressing down to make sure the film made contact with the glue. One of the great things about Craft Attitude is that it’s flexible, so I was able to stretch it around the curved parts of the leaf.

3) Using scissors, trim the excess film around the leaves. Sometimes I cut into the leaves, and that’s okay.

4) After you’ve trimmed the excess, you can do a better job of stretching the film on the leaves. I repeatedly lifted the film up and put it back down until I was happy with the placement. See, the film is very forgiving that way. I put a different design on different leaves, and this made for a very unique floral arrangement.