There’s nothing like a fistfull of blooms to make a gray winter day feel downright cheerful. True to his word, John reminded me that the beginning of January kicked off his promise to get me one bouquet of flowers per month. Who knew standing in line at our local grocery store (Kroger) with a three dollar bouquet of pink frilly flowers would make me feel so tickled?
And John actually confessed that he thought flowers would be a lot more, so in light of the three dollar price tag he even offered to up his promise to two bouquets a month. Isn’t he the best?
For now we’ll just see how long these babies last and go from there. But it really is nice to know that such a small purchase (cheaper than almost everything else in our shopping cart) could make our home feel so warm and alive in the dead of winter. And we actually got two arrangements for the price of one…
I plopped half of the bouquet into an old pink vase from Crate & Barrel on my desk so I can admire them all day long (I love how the pink flowers look with the similarly toned vase) and the other half of them into a glass bathroom cup on our console table (which used to hold toothbrushes back in the day- gotta love repurposing).
Splitting the bouquet made each arrangement just $1.50 and worth every penny. A girl could get used to this! What about you guys? Do you have any flower buying rituals or bloom arranging tips? We’d love to hear if flowers rock your wold as much as they’re rocking ours. And while you’re at it, what are your favorite types? We don’t even know what these pink lovelies are, so we figure we should bone up on our blooms for our year of flowers.
jen says
they’re alstroemerias (pronounced ahh-stro-merry-uh)
and they last forever and come in a trillion colors. great pick.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alstroemeria
bungalow_bliss says
I love them all. From April to October, I buy my flowers weekly from the local farmers market. There’s always such a great variety of colors and textures (and at such a bargain!), and I enjoy supporting the independent growers. I’m always sad when it closes for the winter! During these months, I try to pick up a colorful bouquet or two each month from the grocery to chase away the gray.
Yours are beautiful–kudos to J for stepping up his original gift!
Jess says
The Alstroemerias that you got are my favorite flower! They are cheap and last so long and the color variety they come in is AWESOME! Love them!
RA says
I buy those all the time! I’m also a sucker for mums. I usually buy two bunches at once ($6) and try to make them last for two weeks. I take an inordinate amount of pride in my cheap supermarket bouquets; I even have “supermarket flowers” as a Flickr tag.
heather s. says
I also love Alstroemeria. They usually have them really cheap at supermarkets so I buy two bunches at once and mix them up into a few arrangements.
lisa says
Hi – I just discovered your blog and have been reading through all the archives (perfect for over christmas break). And although this question doesn’t have anything to do with the current post, I just have to ask – what kind of dining room table did you get from target and what is your opinion of the quality? We’ve been looking at some dining room tables from Target but it is so difficult to tell how well made a product is from the internet. Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
We got our six person dining table from Target (although the exact model is no longer available) and we’ve been really happy with our less-than-two-hundred-dollar purchase. It’s sturdy, easy to wipe down, doesn’t get drink rings, looks great with a runner to break up all the wood, and has solid tapered legs (it’s hard to find something simple and clean when everyone’s doing rounded and ornate legs these days).
Reading the reviews is always helpful (on target.com a lot of people weigh in about a certain item which can make your decision easier) and of course knowing that you can always return something that doesn’t meet your needs also helps (we tried ordering a Target couch and boy was that a mistake, but they came to our house and picked it up free of charge and refunded all of our money). Happy hunting!
xo,
Sherry
Lindsay says
I recently found your blog/web page on Rate My Space! You have wonderful ideas, and I know I will be coming here for inspiration for future projects. Happy New Year!
Ray says
Hello Sherry, can you please respond to me post re cleaning the basketweave floor. I am about to have the reglazers in but need to clean the floor. Many Thanks…
YoungHouseLove says
Hi Ray,
Gimbler’s tip was right there in the tile post! Visit a beauty supply store and purchase 40% peroxide (normally sold for dying hair). For those of you wondering what we’re talking about, here’s the link:
https://www.younghouselove.com/2008/03/bathroom-breakthrough/
Gimbler recommended scrubbing the tile with the peroxide but we actually let it soak in overnight and scrubbed the heck outta the tiles the next morning… and they definitely looked lighter and brighter! Oh and be sure to use gloves and open a window- this stuff is serious.
However I’m not sure if this is a good step before someone comes to reglaze- it may etch the tiles more than necessary. I would just ask the reglazer what he would recommend cleaning the tiles with before his arrival and go with that (something a lot less abrasive might work for you since you’re reglazing anyway). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Molly says
oooooh, I don’t know what those are either, but my hubby likes to bring a bouquet of those home occasionally too. They are the longest lasting flowers I ever get…like the energizer bunny…each day you think they’ll be gone, but nope…they have a little more left in ’em. Makes me want to go pick some up this afternoon!
Cindy says
I like to have fresh flowers in the house every week. My absolute favorite is a big bunch of pink Asiatic Lilies, which look fantastic in our clear glass Bell Cookie Jar. Huge pink peonies look great coming out of a huge glass pitcher we have. Tulips lend themselves to a tall, skinny retangular vase to help keep them upright. I also have a great little rectangular vase with 5 different holes, perfect for “branchy” flowers like Alstromeria, and gerberas. The bf loves to bring huge, mixed bouquets and depending on the flowers in it, sometimes I break them up into single-type flower bouquets.
Cindy says
p.s. all the colors are really popping!! Looks great, very spring like!!
Blair says
First of all, love the sweet Christmas gift idea. I think I want the husband to copy that one!
Second, where did you get your console table/what model is it? I have been looking for one for a couple months now, and I remember seeing that one and liking it, but now I can’t remember where I saw it to go back and order it!
YoungHouseLove says
Our console is Tar-jay. Here’s the link:
http://www.target.com/Hudson-Console-Table/dp/B000DCNOTY/sr=1-3/qid=1231279047/ref=sr_1_3/183-8598146-7449946?ie=UTF8&pricerange=&index=target&field-browse=1038576&rh=k%3Aconsole%20table&page=11
xoxo,
Sherry
jbhat says
The gift that keeps on giving! What a sweetie. My personal favorite to have around is tulips. And somehow my store manages to have them in December and January…but I like to wait a bit, until I’m really certrain spring is about to spring.
jbhat
G&D says
Oh how sweet! I think John needs to have a talk with my hubby. Beautiful flowers!
Blair says
I heart Target. Thanks for the console tip! But now I remember why I passed on that one. I have this weird obsession with wanting furniture with a black finish to go in our entryway (to complement all of the wrought iron on the front porch of our Museum District beauty…). On the website, the console looks like it has a lot of red in the finish. What’s it like in real life? Too many red tones to go with a black bench, or could we pull a Tim Gunn and make it work?
I appreciate the help. You guys are awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
Ours is a deep chocolate brown which goes really well with our oil rubbed bronze doorknob nearby (which is really close to black wrought iron). I’m sure that it would totally work with wrought iron thanks to the deep, rich finish- not at all reddish in tone like the picture on the site. Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
linda@LimeintheCoconut says
Ahh. Lovely touch of spring color! If you keep cutting off a teensy bit of the stem they last even longer! Another tip. fill the vase with a few drops of bleach and then water, swish and dump. Then add fresh water for the flowers (ensures no bacteia grows in the water which kills em quicker)
I have flowers (and sometimes just greens)always…in many places. Often will bring home a bunch from the store and plop them into some tropical greens and branches (from the garden)I have been known to make arrangements out of everything…including fruit and veggies)
Enjoy your flowers throughout the year!! know you will!
KC says
Your flowers look great. My favorite tips for flowers are:
COSTCO–their’s are gorgeous and last forever.
Change the water and trim the stems regularly (every day, or at least every other day.)
Always cut roses under water and transfer immediately to a filled vase.
Put a small arrangement in your guest room/guest bathroom when you have a visitor–a nice touch that makes your guests feel welcome.
Gardenias are my favorite–they smell heavenly.
Viv Evans says
If you are ever in Seattle, especially in spring, walk through the Pike Place Market flower stalls. They are just gorgeous.
I always take those big supermarket bouquets and divide them up so there is only one type of flower per container. It gives a much bigger impact.
I have a Depression Glass collection, and right now I have creamy yellow daisies in a small green Princess pitcher on my mantle. I love how the yellow makes a tiny patch of yellow in the painting next to it pop.
Viv
Ray says
Thanks, did you use it straight out of the jug or did you dilute it in a bucket of water. If diluted, what ratio did you use. When you let it soak over night did you use it straight or diluted. Thanks for the info.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ray,
We used a sponge to spread it across the floor straight from the bottle (and wore gloves for safety reasons and turned on the fan/opened the window for ventilation). The next morning a lot of it had evaporated or sunk into the floor so it was semi-dry but we scrubbed the remaining peroxide a bit and then soaked it up with wet towels and rinsed it about 3-5 times to ensure that there was no remaining peroxide to burn our little feet (apparently it’s very concentrated to bleach hair so you certainly wouldn’t want to stand in it for any length of time!). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Kim Porter says
Love your blog, such a great inspiration!
I buy those flowers from Kroger all the time, cheap and pretty! I went into another grocery store tonight and their price was $9.99. Gasp!!!!
Kelly McK says
Hey Sherry!!
I know I may be a couple years late on this post, but I can’t get enough of your blog! Your home(s) are BEAUTIFUL, and I bow down to the DIY skills you and John have acquired! I’ve been doing some gardening research lately, and I was wondering if you were familiar with the technique of forcing spring bulbs? This allows for spring blooms indoors during the cold winter months! And as the wonderful Katie Bower has shown us, you can buy quite a few bulbs for even fewer pennies!! Affordable winter bouquets (spread out over MONTHS)?? I think yes. Here’s a BHG link that I found to be particularly helpful: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/bulbs/forcing-spring-bulbs/?page=1
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, John, Clara, and Burger- and when (if?) you get a free moment- let me know what you think!
God Bless, Kelly
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! I’ve never actually tried forcing bulbs but it sounds amazing and fun- and cost effective! I’d love to give it a try!
xo,
s