Moonlight, twilight, and now Marlight, with my MAR-Light bouquet-in-a-glass.
Between stops on my recent 14-city media tour I was home re-packing new items to use while on shows that are a close distance away versus a flight away. While on the road I was able to pull a few items from those locations for use in my segments — a magnolia leaf, a few flowers, etc. But being back in studios closer to home I was again able to take advantage of things from my own garden as they didn’t have to survive air travel-just a car trip with me at the wheel!
On my very last studio appearance I decided to upgrade my segment to highlight my amazing hydrangea display with a simple, creative project that anyone could do. So I went to work in my studio and created my MAR-Light glass bouquet.
Once I got to the studio I simply turned on the LED light, placed it on the bottom of the glass, popped in the hydrangea blossom and manipulated it until it was all in the glass, then topped up with water. A perfect, instant, dramatic centerpiece.
Everyone loved it at the studio that day! I brought it home, and then turned around and headed to New York. Two days later when I returned home I was greeted by this heavenly glow from my living room. It was magical, yes, but I was still amazed by how long the light lasted! In fact, the light can be turned off and on, and the batteries can be replaced, but it was still a great value. That said, the flowers themselves also last a very long time, as they are submerged in water.
What you will need for this project:
- A hydrangea flower as large as your open palm
- A Brandy sifter glass
- One LED light
The easy how-to’s:
- Cut the hydrangea bloom close to the head (very little stem)
- Add one white LED tea-light to the bottom of the brandy snifter
- Then carefully place the hydrangea bloom at the center of glass.
(If necessary remove some petals or consider a larger glass.) - Add water and you’re done!
Since then I have used these hydrangea lights several more times, in several new ways. Lighting a walk-way for nighttime outdoor dinner guests. Three snifter glasses grouped together on a sideboard as decoration. Spa-like lighting in a bathtub. And a single illuminated snifter in the guest bathroom acts as a thoughtful night-light for a weekend guest.
Changing the hydrangea color is also an easy option: try pink for a birthday party, or white for a wedding rehearsal dinner. Although hydrangeas lend themselves to the shape of the glass, filling it easily and hiding the light, the possibilities and combinations of blossom and light color are endless. In fact, you can even use fake hydrangeas and few would ever suspect. But the glass shape itself is important: a bowl shaped like a snifter is best, so use something with that silhouette; the blossom should not protrude above the rim of the glass.
Enjoy experimenting with this yourself. This is one drink that will see you through the night.
And there you have it.
My LED light brand of choice is Submersible Flora Lyte, they are available in amber, orange, red, blue, green, teal, white, pink and purple; as well as color-changing units that gradually change from red to blue to green on their own.