DIY Monday: Flower Series pt. 1

So I'm going to spend a couple weeks laying out ways to decorate with flowers that are budget friendly and that might help you think about decorating in a different way. I grew up with flowers. My grandmother was a gardener. She taught my mother to be a gardener. And I too love to putter in a garden. For many years my job was to weed the flower gardens around our house, and some of the flowers in those gardens had been planted 100 years ago.

Because we had so many flower gardens, we almost always had an abundance of cut flowers in the house. No matter the season, we could go outside and find something in the yard. I can't count the number of wilted violet bouquets I took my mother. Sometimes, while they were still wet with morning dew, we'd gather armloads of French lilacs to perfume the house. And the grape hyacinths, with their fruity smell, remain a favorite today.

Mama always taught me to look at objects in a way that didn't always conform with their intended use. Certainly a tiny pitcher is lovely for pouring an individual serving of maple syrup, but it was also lovely for those grape hyacinths. Those little violets would be lost in most bud vases, but they were lovely in a child's teacup. Quite often silver sugar bowls or biscuit boxes would be pressed into service as centerpieces for teas or dinner parties. If it could hold water, it could hold flowers.

I've noticed more and more bridal and decorative magazines are featuring "found objects" as centerpieces. Martha Stewart Weddings dedicated an article to tea tin centerpieces. Eco-friendly brides are opting for tin can vases. I've even seen Mason jars pressed into service in some layouts. The key is in the groupings, the color and texture of the blooms and in being creative in how you define the word "vase."

*Photos property of Martha Stewart Weddings, Celebrations and Kathryn Leach Home.