Things I’m great at: making up words to songs when I don’t know them, eating Oreos, and dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld.
Things I’m bad at: loading the dishwasher, remembering to get haircuts more than once every few years, and apparently keeping up with monthly budget-blooms posts.
I used to publish Budget Blooms once a month for over a year, then I drifted away. I tried to restart six months ago with one short post in February and never re-established a steady rhythm. So here’s a surprise Budget Blooms entry after more than half a year away. Forgive the inconsistency? To make amends, I played with these sweet tulips John brought home from the grocery store for $5, styling them in three different “vases.” Only the first one is an actual vase — the other two are improvised containers that worked beautifully.
The first setup is a simple, free vase I received when a friend sent me birthday flowers. It kept the arrangement understated and sweet, letting the tulips themselves be the focus.
For the second arrangement I brought out a metal thrift-store pineapple urn. I liked how its textured shape echoed the penny-tile pattern in the background, and it gave the tulips a bit more personality.
Crazy diagonal shot:
Wannabe-artsy cropped shot:
The third “vase” is actually a tin lantern I picked up at HomeGoods some time ago that usually sits on our dining room built-ins. It came with a clear glass cup in the center — probably meant for a candle — which made it perfectly useful as an impromptu tulip holder and water container.
Which one is your favorite? And while I’m asking: is anyone else treating themselves to inexpensive monthly blooms or keeping up with a small recurring blog feature? Have you ever done something consistently for over a year and then suddenly stopped? I’d love to know if anyone else falls off the wagon and how you pull yourself back in.
Psst — you can browse a whole stack of past Budget Blooms posts from the earlier days in the category archives on the site.
Pssst — we also added a small update to our homemade basket light post; small-world vibes, right?