Flower Re-Fresh!

So 12 days ago, I purchased an $8.99 bouquet of fresh flowers from my local grocery store.  Honey and I were having friends over for dinner and I wanted to set a nice table.  After pairing it with some cuttings from our garden bushes and plants, it became the centerpiece to my table.

After the dinner, I let the arrangement take centerstage on my dining room table.  I changed out the water twice because the kiss of death for any arrangement is letting it sit for prolonged periods of time in dirty water.  Eventually, it was showing signs of dying.  Not ready to give it up yet to the garbage, I did what I like to do with flowers; I gave it a refresh in order to enjoy it for another 5 to 7 days.

Here's where we started:

You can see that it's a bit droopy and some of the flowers were starting to brown.  However, there is still quite a bit of life left in them, and with a bit of a refresh and some pruning, you can always make flowers last longer.  So let's get started...

First, pull out all the vases that you think you will need to crop your arrangement into smaller displays.  I ended up using all but the oval green glass vase in the back.  You can reuse the same vase you have if you want to keep to one, but I like making these smaller vignettes and spreading them around so as to enjoy them in other parts of our home.  I also pull out my watering can and fill it with water so I can fill the vases as I am arranging.

Carefully begin deconstructing your arrangement, laying them out into groups by plant.  Discard all florals that are wilted and done for.  This way you can see what you have floral wise and what you have filler wise.  Since the filler came from our gardens, I can add to what I have here if needed.  This time, I didn't need to make additions.

You now want to look over each flower stem and remove dried wilted leaves and flowers.  You can see here that these daisies have two wilted leaves that needed to be pulled off.  By removing these types of things you direct what energy the cutting has into the parts that are still living.  This can prolong the life of the flower.

Now, snip off the end of the stem about an inch from cut end. (You may make cuts later to shorten the stem for your chosen vase, but don't do that now.)

You can see that the stem base is a moldy sort of green and will be softened from sitting in the water.  By this point, it has slowed or stopped drawing up water to the flower.  Use a SHARP pair of scissors to cut your stem at an angle.  (A sharp scissor will not crush the inside of the stem the way a dull pair will.  I also prefer scissors to knives when cutting flowers, but that's totally up to you.)  This will open up the stem at a new point where it can begin to draw in water when placed in your new arrangement.

Tip:  When arranging flowers, NEVER have leaves under the water.  This will pollute the water quickly as the leaves will rot in the water.

Do this to each stem, including any of your filler stems as needed.  With woody stems such as bush stems, you will see darkening.  That's okay, still cut a bit off the end.

Now, look over any of your florals. This chrysanthemum was starting to look a little weary underneath, but her top was still looking pretty great.  I carefully tugged on each of those browned petals and they came off easily.  Once done, she looked like this:

A little less petals, but still some life there.

Now we can start with the first mini arrangement. 

I filled my vase and because the opening was large, I used all the bushy branches as a stabilizer.  Next, I added the cut florals, trimming the stems even more to make the height comparable with the vase.  

Here's a good rule of thumb when making arrangements:  Your design should be in balance with your vase or vessel.  Since this vase is squat and long, with a wide opening, my arrangement will be the same.  It "mimics" the vase in design and flow.  A tall arrangement would not look good here.

Once done, you can see that by adding 2 of the flower stems and a bit of filler you have a great NEW arrangement.  It found it's new home on a sweet shelf that once held a house phone!  Yes, this 1963 house still has a landline although we go rid of the house phone a few years ago.  I think the flowers look great against that bead-board and bring out the wallpaper leaves as well.

Onto the next mini arrangement...

The bulk of the flowers made their way into a vase that I often use on my kitchen island.  I designed it to be a asymmetrical so that it has texture and looks different from any angle when in the kitchen.  Since it is one my island I had to make sure that it was interesting from all sides.  I paired it with my Pioneer Woman Mercantile wooden pear that I use for my rings when cooking.  It doesn't take up too much room and is easily moved if I need the whole island for cooking.

You can see here how the large chrysanthemum made it's way into a small vase as the star of the half bathroom.  

And finally, the last little bloom takes the coveted window sill above my kitchen sink.  It too has center stage and will be enjoyed while doing dishes.

As the days progress, add fresh water to your arrangements.  Because you've cut the stems, they will start to draw water so they will need more to prolong their life.  You can also dump and replace water if it's an easy thing to do.

I should be able to get another week out of these flowers before I resign them to the garbage.  When you consider that this $8.99 flower bunch will have given us 5 arrangements close to 20 days of enjoyment, it's worth the minimal investment.  It's about $.50 per day! 

Now that's breaking some rules!!!

Autumn Tablescape

I enjoy having friends over for informal dinners, and setting a beautiful table to compliment the meal is the first thing I plan, even before I pick my menu.

  Many people feel like they need to have fancy linens and dishes, but really, you can set a table on a budget and it can be just as welcoming as an "over-the-top" setting.  The trick is to pick a color and subject theme and work with what you have or add inexpensive pieces to round out your choices.

So let's get started...

First and foremost, pick a theme with a color focus.  Because it's fall, I choose to go with soft fall colors like browns, olive greens, yellows, whites, oranges, and pale rusts.  

My table cloth is a mix between a spring and olive green and fits my long table well.  I've had it for so long that I can't even begin to tell you where it came from.  However, I never put a cloth on a table without FIRST ironing it.  Nothing looks quite as undone as a fabric table cloth with creases from being folded.  It can also impair other items on your table from sitting flat.  It's one of those things that guests will not notice if that cloth is pristine, but they will notice if there are creases and stains.

Next, I placed the 4 plates along with the 2 centerpieces.  

Using clear fishbowl vase, I used a $8.99 grocery store bouquet and paired it with cuttings from our bushes outside.  Flower arrangements need substance and support, which woody plants like yard bushes and trees can offer.  You don't need to cut a lot of them; I usually cut 3-5 from each, making sure that I clip them down into the plant and from different angles.  I don't want to leave a gaping hole in a bush announcing that I was there.

I set this votive ceramic owl next to the arrangement.  I do not burn candles in our home at all, but I do like the look of votives in containers like this owl.  The Dollar Tree has both the stubby 1 inch and traditional 2 inch battery operated votives that flicker like a real flame when turned on.  There are 2 in each pack, and I have purchased them in both the white and cream colored versions.  You can find them in the candle aisle, packaged and usually hanging on a hook.  They come with the 2025 batteries already in them and should last over 200 hours.  I always purchase my 2025 batteries in packs of 2 at the Dollar Tree as well so I'm never out.  I turn them on right before our guests come so that I can maximize "burn" time.

About 5 years ago, I began collecting the Brown Drip pottery that was popular during the beginning of the 20th century around 1905.  I have amassed quite the collection of both place settings and service settings, and have USA, Hull, and McCoy.  While slight differences can be found in the individual manufactures pieces, when combined together it is not noticeable.  The collection is really a great everyday option that can be dressed up or dressed down.  It is also my aesthetic as I like the Arts and Crafts Era and pottery from around that time period is my choice over traditional china.  Ebay was my friend during my collection phase and I was very happy with the sellers and service through eBay.

Backstory:  My mother's best friend, Phyllis, had this as her everyday dishes, so we ate from them quite a bit.  Phyllis passed away and seeing these plates always reminds me of her.  It's very nostalgic for me to use these plates each day.

When setting a table, make sure you have your chairs in line with the chair across from it, which also allows you to line up the plates as well.  The plates should also be centered with the back of the chair and about half an inch to 1 inch up from the table edge.  Sit in the chair and get a feel for where the plate is comfortable for you.  Set this as your "standard" for each plate and you will not go wrong, ever.

Because the napkins were a standard paper napkin (Marshal's) I folded and centered them to the side of the plate.  The fork gets centered from the front to back of the napkin. The knife gets centered with the fork and plate so that the whole setting is based on symmetry.

I next added the glasses.  I use my homemade glass cleaner to make each glass shine.  Even clean glasses sitting in the cupboard can get a haze.  My glass cleaner is safe for ingestion, so any residue left is not harmful.  I do not recommend this method with commercial glass cleaner.  I spray the paper towel about 3 times and wipe the inside and outside of the glass.

 Here's the recipe:

1 capful of Young Living Thieves Cleaner

3 cups distilled water

1 teaspoon white vinegar

5 drops Vitality YL Lemon Essential Oil

I shake it well before each use and use it regularly.  It makes my glasses sparkle and can be used to shine fork tongs and knife blades.  Attention to detail is key!

Once the glasses are placed, I add the butter and salt and pepper shakers along with the bread basket to round out the setting.  

I went through the fall decorating stash and found these laser cut wooden leaves that we had used for my father-in-laws 100th birthday celebration.  (We just celebrated 101!). I sprinkled a few of them around the center of the table and it was done!

My menu was simple.  Foil baked Chicken breasts with garlic and thyme, rainbow vegetable medley, and Jasmine rice and warm soft Italian loaf and butter.  Our guests brought homemade pumpkin bread which we had with vanilla ice cream and strawberries as dessert.  We ate our dessert on our back porch because it was such a great late summer/early fall night.

The cost for this setting was under $13.00. The napkins came in a pack of 50 and were $3.99.  I will be using them for our Thanksgiving table as well, with a bit more "bling" and a different color scheme.  The flowers were $8.99 at the grocery store.  Everything else I already had.

In my collection, I have a set of square white plates that I can also use when setting a table.  They would have worked here as well, but I wanted to go with a more rustic theme this time.

One of the things that I have started doing is purchasing plates I like in sets of 2.  It's just my husband and myself on most nights in our empty nest, but I like to set a nice table sometimes, and mixing it up with some fun plates is easy.  I can purchase great colored plates from the Dollar Tree, and I often find pretty plates at Marshal's as well.  I found 2 cute fox plates that I plan to share in an upcoming Instagram story.  We also bought a "paired set" of the IKEA black square plates, bowls, and bread plates which my honey loves for his morning cereal...go figure.

I look for beautiful paper napkins whenever I am in a home decor type store.  I like to keep a stash of these for setting a table, AND they make a great quick and easy hostess gift when you are invited to a dinner party at the home of friends.  

Setting a table is not hard, but in our chaotic world I fear it is becoming a lost art.  Eating and conversing at a table with family and friends is being replaced with technology scrolling and little to no human interaction.  Food is meant to be enjoyed.  You need to socialize and slow down over dinner that's presented in a pleasing way.

Break the rules.  Set the table.  Talk and connect.  

Enjoy your life!