spring flowers — pleasure in simple things

Tag: spring flowers

diy floral egg cups

March

Using egg cups as part of your spring décor is super simple. Egg cups are very easy to come by this time of year and are very inexpensive. I think most of mine came from the bargain bin at Target, but I have found vintage ones at thrift stores as well. Sometimes I add my own embellishments – like the white egg cup in these photos where I added a painted gold metallic rim.

In addition to displaying painted or decorated eggs in egg cups, they also come in handy as vessels for flowers. Adding fresh flowers to an egg cup is an easy DIY and can serve as a wonderful addition to any Easter table!

To make a floral egg cup; first, cut a piece of floral foam to fit into the chosen egg cup. (If working with fresh flowers, be sure to use an egg cup that can hold water!) Decide on the flowers you will be using and bundle them together. Pick a flower with a stiff stem and use a small piece of floral wire to tie the stems together. The wire will also be helpful when sticking the flowers into the floral foam – making it easier to push the stems into the foam. Add water if you are using fresh flowers. Finish your arrangement with some moss to cover the floral foam.

Aren’t these sweet? Make a bunch to use as place cards on your Easter table and/or as a cute takeaway for each guest. If you have snowdrops blooming in your yard, they would be perfect to use for this project. If not, you can find small fresh flowers in plants from your local grocery store or Trader Joe’s. (I was able to make 4 egg cups from one $3.99 plant from the grocery store.)

I hope I have inspired you to create some egg cup floral arrangements!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on diy floral egg cups | diy, holiday

7 ways to use spring blooms

June

Here in Connecticut, we had a loooooong winter and spring was very hesitant in getting started. As a result, gardens were a little behind in blooming this year…the usual ‘planting on Mother’s Day’ was stalled big time! So, when the spring blooms finally started to emerge, it created a sense of celebration like no other year I can remember!

Today, I am sharing my appreciation for the first blooms of the season. Because, after all, the best part of gardening is appreciating the results!

Here are seven ways I used the first of my garden flowers.

As a garnish.

Pansies are a pretty garnish for a dessert. I press petals from organic pansies overnight in a book and then wet them with water and add sugar. (I know egg whites are usually used for this, but they scare me a little, and I can usually get the sugar to adhere with just water.)

To make a pretty ice cube.

I have always loved adding unexpected items to ice cubes…here, I added flower petals. They look so pretty at a garden party, bridal shower, or brunch. I am careful to use flowers that are safe and edible.

Add to a placesetting.

What better way to add some springtime to a place setting than to adorn napkins with a bloom from the garden? Even a tiny garden can spare a few stems for a spring table.

Give to a friend.

Sharing flowers from the garden is always fun. I had a neighbor that recently moved into a retirement facility. I decided to grab some of the lilacs off the bush that bordered her yard when I last went to visit, intending to put them in one of her vases when I got there. I casually wrapped them in some old sheet music to transport them, knowing the nostalgia would make her smile when she received them. .

Bring the garden indoors.

Arguably, the best way to use flowers from the garden is to put small vases everywhere in the house. A taste of the garden in every room is a great way to experience the season. Just a sprig or two of a bloom can add beauty and a scent to any corner!

Create an arrangement.

Creating an arrangement is a big statement in using garden flowers. This was a quick and casual arrangement I put together with garden flowers and a clearance vase from Anthropologie for the refreshment table at a monthly garden club meeting…a great way to share my spring garden with friends who love flowers!

As an ingredient.

Not exactly a flower, but the herbs from the garden have already been in use. I have already made one dessert from some of the mint and, the basil has been utilized for appetizers as well as used as a garnish many times.

What are some ways you used your first flowers of the season?

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Sand & Sisal.

1 comment » | food & festivities, garden, inspiration

happiness in white

May

joy in spring flowers

I love white. Checking out my gardens at this time of year brings me both happiness and sadness….happiness for the white, and, sadness for the white. I so adore all varieties of white flowers, but seeing them in bloom in my garden reminds me that my original plan to have all my gardens exclusively in white (a virgin garden), did not come to fruition. It just got so difficult to find white varieties that I eventually gave in to purchasing varieties in other colors. I still do my best to find all the white I can. And, when I get my annuals, I pick mostly white…the last few years I have been loving euporbia (diamond frost…the poinsettia relative) in my containers. I still mourn my white forsythia…one of my favorite ‘whites’, but apparently it just did not like my yard….