Create Beautiful Flower Arrangements With A Simple Mason Jar Upgrade You Can DIY

Many of us amateur florists are frustrated by our floppy floral displays. If you've never heard of a floral frog, this is the perfect solution. Floral frogs are practical contraptions that have been around for centuries. They hold individual stems or blossoms in place to ensure neat and tidy floral arrangements.

Luckily, you can easily make one of your own to sit atop a Mason jar mouth. All you need is a jar, some air dry clay, a handful of tools, and virtually no skill. Get started with a ball of air dry clay about the size of a large orange, a rolling pin, and a circular cookie cutter or another traceable form. If you're confident, you can free-hand a design onto the clay — like a circle with scalloped edges — with a blunt knife. Your form needs to have a wider diameter than the mouth of the Mason jar you're using since air dry clay tends to shrink when it dries.

For detailing, set aside a doily and a reusable drinking straw. If you don't have a doily, virtually anything with an interesting texture can take its place. Try dried flowers or greenery, a thickly textured fabric like a ribbed sweater cuff, or even carve a word or phrase into the wet clay with a sharpened pencil for a personalized flower vase accessory.

Roll your clay sphere to a thickness of about ½ inch. Lay the doily over the clay's surface, and with the rolling pin, press the doily into the clay to make an impression. Carefully peel away the doily, and cut out your shape. Poke a few holes through the clay disk; this is where the flower stems will sit. If you plan on using your frog for branches or larger-stemmed flowers, create the holes with a large reusable straw, like one you'd use for smoothies.

Allow the clay to air dry, which can take several days. You can also speed up the process by drying your clay forms in the oven. Place your forms in a cool oven, and set the heat to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the clay cool in the oven.

Once your flower frogs are cool, they're ready to use. However, if you'd like to add a splash of color to your project, air dry clay takes paint well. Prime the area you'll be painting with gesso, then coat the flower frog with acrylic or tempera paint. Set it atop a water-filled Mason jar and slip stems through the holes for picture-perfect arrangements.