How To Create a Tape Grid on a Vase for Arranging Flowers

Hi, this is Amy of Amy Nicole Floral and today on this episode I am going to talk all about how to do the grid method. The grid method is an awesome inexpensive way to prepare your container to design into. So the first step of using the grid method is really selecting the right tape and this is the Oasis brand of tape and I'm going to post a link so don't worry about where to buy this from. Typically a lot of floral wholesalers will have these. You can also find them on Amazon but essentially this is kind of works like duct tape. It has a very sticky adhesive on one side and a very soft side on the other. It comes in several different colors and thicknesses. A favorite and a common one is sort of this dark green. It also comes in white and one of my favorites clear. So I'm going to show you exactly how to do it and give you some examples of how this may work with other containers. Now one of the reasons the grid method works so well is that you can pretty much do it on any type of container that has a wide opening and it's going to allow you to put your flowers in and hopefully stay where you put them. So when you're working on a container like glass like we have here, I'm going to show you a trick and one of the most common ways to do this. So you're going to start your tape at the very top here. You're just going go around all the way around the lip of the container and what this is doing is it's creating a place for the tape to be taped to. Things like glass or very porous surfaces like ceramics or cement sometimes this tape does not want to stick to it especially this clear plastic one. So when you first rim the vase with tape you're essentially taping again to the tape and we're going to tape again at the very end and then this is really going to keep the tape secure and I'm going to show you an example of that. So I'm going over the top now. I'm only going down about a quarter of an inch on all sides and my favorite way to tape or I would say the size of the squares that you're making is really about one and a half to two inches. I think if you make the squares or the grids too small you really can't get your flowers through. If you make the squares too large and you really it's essentially an ineffective technique because then everything's flopping around. So my grid's done over the top very quick very inexpensive. Now if I was to leave it like this that would be okay but really the most secure way is to then go ahead and tape over one more time basically tacking down all those little ends. This also makes your mechanics a lot easier to cover when you use the clear. Done. Then you can add your water and you're ready to start designing. You can do this ahead of time if you have a busy holiday coming up or lots of arrangements to make. This is something really fast and easy that just about anybody could do. Now I do like using the waterproof options as well. They are pretty sturdy and they're waterproof so you really can't get them out if there's water in that vase. Another great option is if you don't want your mechanics to be seen is to tape to a grid tape method over a liner and you know there's enough redundancy in our industry where you can really find a liner and get creative with your liners if you got to get something at the dollar store or somewhere else if nothing's working. Tape to the insert and then you just put the insert inside the bowl and then now you don't have to worry about any kind of mechanics that are showing and you still have your grid. This is an option with the white tape again one and a half to two inches on the square. I've gone all the way around. This is a very porous material. If I would have just done a grid without doing that neck it wouldn't have stuck. Let me show you just how strong that is. I'm really pulling on that and it is really solid. So next time you need a great mechanic that's inexpensive, affordable, easy to do, try the grid method. If you like this video, like it, share it with your flower loving friends and of course subscribe so you don't miss out any of the good tips and tricks coming your way. Thanks, see you next time!