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Are you looking for the perfect gift to say "I Love You" and you are not sure which route to go? You'd like to send flowers, but they wilt so quickly. Perhaps you should buy chocolates, but you can't remember if chocolate is a good or bad thing this week. Would a simply hug and kiss be just as effective or would that be considered cheap? Plus, with the price of flowers and chocolates these days, it's difficult to get a gift that says a bunch without spending a bunch.
Here is an idea that covers all the bases, including a limited budget.
To begin, you will need:
12 Hershey's chocolate kisses (wrapped in silver foil)
12 Hershey's Almond hugs (the kind with almonds in them, wrapped in gold foil)
12 wire flower stems (any craft store will have these)
Colored cellophane wrap (the kind that Easter baskets are wrapped in) Red works well, but you may prefer to go with a different color depending on the occasion.
Green floral tape (can be found in the flower section of any craft store)
Take one chocolate kiss and one almond hug and lay them with the bottom sides facing each other. Do NOT attempt to hot glue them together or you will have a melted mess on your hands. Cut the cellaphane into twelve 6" squares. Take one square of cellaphane and wrap it around the kisses by putting the tip of one of the kisses in the middle of the square and pulling the corners together at the tip of the second kiss. This works easiest if you place the cellaphane in the palm of your hand and place the kisses in the center of the cellaphane and then slowly close your hand, keeping the kissing together until you have completed the rose. You want to create a "closed rose" look out of the kisses.
Fold a wire flower stem in half with the loop at the bottom. Lay the "open" end on the flower stem about one quarter inch above the base of the "closed rose", so that the stem overlaps the cellephane just enough to wrap them together with the flower tape. Begin wrapping the floral tape securely around the cellephane at the base of the rose and the stem. Wrap the full length of the stem. You will have to wrap around and around several times at the base to create a stong connection between the rose, the cellaphane and the flower stem.
If you want to add leaves to the flowers you can carefully peel the leave off an artificial flower and then add it to the stem as you are wrapping the floral tape around the stem. Placing two leaves at the base of the rose and two or three more on the stem adds a special touch to the bouquet.
Make 11 more of these for a full dozen. Wrap in paper or put in a vase or lay in a box. You can add articifial leaves to the vase or box for an added affect. Be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent the chocolate from melting.
This works well for Valentines, Mother's Day, Anniversaries, Birthdays, Weddings or anyday that you want to say I Love You. Individually, they make a nice way to say Thank You to friends, family or guests who attend your special occasion.
You can't go wrong when you show your appreciation using chocolate, flowers, and hugs and kisses.
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