Happy Friday, everyone! I don’t know what it is about demo work in the sunroom that makes me all jittery and clammy, but we’re still in the middle of tearing things open and waiting on some expert guidance. We’ll have an official update for you on Monday. In the meantime, more exclamation points for good measure!
After a big week of sunroom demolition, whitewashing, rebuilding, and then more demo, I thought it was the perfect time for a budget blooms roundup. We used to share these every month, then I fell off the habit for a while, but now I’m back — and this time with four simple, budget-friendly arrangements.
Not long ago we had a shoot at the house, which left us with a few grocery-store bouquets. I picked up a bouquet of white roses, a bunch of tulips, and a mixed bouquet at Kroger. (Trader Joe’s is also a great place for inexpensive, quality blooms.) For the roses, I trimmed them all to the same length and tucked them into a glass cup that I set inside an old woven Ikea basket. It’s an easy, forgiving look — perfect for someone like me who wants flowers to be simple and foolproof.
For the tulips I used a red pitcher I bought from World Market some time ago. I love flowers in pitchers, whether clear glass or colorful ceramic; they give an effortless, casual vibe. I removed a few extra leaves so the stems weren’t crowded, and dropped a penny in the water — an old trick said to help keep tulips from drooping too quickly.
The mixed bouquet got a light trim and went into a traditional glass vase. I tend to prefer single-type arrangements because they feel more foolproof, but mixed bouquets are fun because you can turn the vase until the arrangement shows a view you love. It’s an easy way to change the focal point without much effort.
Because the composition shifts when you rotate the vase, it keeps the display feeling fresh — like a little kinetic centerpiece.
The final arrangement — let’s call it “Flower Lite” — is the simplest. I pulled a single lily stem from the mixed bouquet and placed it in an antique milk jug I found at a secondhand shop in Cape Charles during a recent day trip. It’s a quiet, striking look that doesn’t take much fuss.
While in Cape Charles we also picked up a turquoise oyster tin and a blue bottle — the bottle is an old New York medicine bottle — and a mug from a restaurant called Shanty. I filled that mug with a few more stems from the mixed bouquet for a small, homey display.
Happy Friday! Hope your day is filled with flowers — and only a little demo dust.