How to Make a Dog Out of Chrysanthemums

Soak the florist foam in cool water for one to two hours.

Insert a toothpick straight into the foam sphere so that half of the toothpick sticks out.

Attach the sphere onto the end of the brick to form the head, using the toothpick as a connector. Place a dollop of glue onto the joint for security.

Curve the back of the rectangle, the side opposite the head, to form a round rear.

Remove the heads of a reflex-shaped mum so that they each have a 1- to 2-inch stem.

Insert two reflex mum heads into the crown of the sphere to form ears. Space them apart half the diameter of one blossom. Do not press the blossoms all the way into the sphere; leave a 1/2-inch gap between the base of the head and the foam.

Place a slightly smaller reflex mum head between the two ears. Press the outer petals inward so that the blossom appears closed and sits lower than the ears.

Set three reflex mum heads in a horizontal line centered under the ears. Leave no space between the mums. Set the mums close to the sphere so that they are below the ears.

Insert a reflex mum head below the center mum in the horizontal line of three to form the nose. Do not press the mum all the way into the sphere; leave a 1- to 1/2-inch space between the base of the flower and the foam.

Fill in the rest of the sphere and body with a mix of reflex and incurve mums. Press the blooms deep into the foam so that they rest below the level of the ears and snout.

Glue a googly eye to the tip of a toothpick so that it resembles a nail with a broad head. Repeat the procedure to make a second eye.

Bundle three or four toothpicks together with tape or glue. Cut off the tips of the toothpicks on one side to form a flat base. Glue the flat side of a brown or black florist stone to the flat end of the bundle. This forms the nose.

Press the eyes and nose pieces into your mum dog. Place the center of the mum blooms directly below the ears. Set the florist stone in the center of the snout.