i always love to come up with ideas that are alternatives for flowers. whether it's a wedding or a dinner party, there is always something else you can use in their place. i do love working with flowers, but am not a florist and think that is why i gravitate towards working with other, unique items. so, just for fun, i thought i would try out a fruit and vegetable bouquet with a few herbs thrown in.

i used a variety of things... lettuce, parsley, rosemary, grapes and a head of broccoli perfect for the sturdy base. i started by holding the broccoli and wrapping the lettuce around the outside, followed by the parsley, then the grapes, and finally tucking in the rosemary to fill in the gaps. if you are going to attempt, start with one sturdy item in the center. wrap that with the lightest vegetable next (leafy lettuce) and gradually work to the outside back to the sturdy herbs or veg. straight pins also helped keep things in place as i worked.

after placing every few pieces, i would wrap some twine around the base. tight enough to hold them in place, but not too tight to break the fragile stalks.

i finished it off with some velvet ribbon.

pratical bouquet? probably not. fun? definitely! at the rate vegetables wilt, not sure how long it would last. i think it would do much better if you used a lot of hardy items like the parsley and rosemary, those seemed to be fine after a couple of hours.

have you guys ever seen bouquets made of any other fun food items that you liked?