Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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DIY Tulip Bouquet

While we wait for our primed and painted open shelves to dry (ahhh, tomorrow is H-Day, aka: haaaanging day!) we realized that we’ve been waaaaay overdue for a budget blooms post. Remember when we used to do them every month? Yeah, we fell off. Oops. And a few of you have actually requested them, which is just what the doctor ordered since book chaos + kitchen chaos = a hankering for a sliver of beauty in a completely trashed house like ours. Seriously, it looks crazier than it did the day we moved in. Bed in the living room? Check. Painting and repainting a five foot swatch of wall in the playroom different colors every few days? Check. Photography equipment filling up our dining room? Check. But six bucks at the grocery store later, and I had me these beauties – and a small slice of gorgeousness in this crazy house full of people, projects, and other miscellaneous craziness.

Tulips 1

I love this vase from Crate & Barrel (a gift from John’s older sister for my birthday a few years back) and it looks especially good with floppy flowers sort of splayed out around the wiggly perimeter.

Tulips 2

And I love the two-tone tulip action going on. The prettiest color combinations are always found in nature, huh? Buttery yellow + poppy reddish pink + fresh green = yes please.

Tulips Whole Vase

I like how they’re leaning out like they’re growing towards the sun in our natural-light-less kitchen. Oh the irony. These guys have actually been alive a few days now, so I guess they only need water but not too much sun (since they have yet to fall to pieces). Whew.

Tulips Detail

Oh and just for fun, I played around with them in another vase. Well, I guess it’s not really a vase (it’s a seeded glass hurricane meant for a candle that I grabbed at HomeGoods a few years back). Just as pretty, huh? Oh and I got us a kitchen radio on clearance from Joss and Main about a month ago (and we finally plugged it in after staring at it on the counter for a while). Let me tell you, it’s novel. We’ve actually never had a radio in the kitchen but since we log so much hangout time at the peninsula these days (doing blog stuff/book stuff/projects/eating) we thought it would be nice. And it is. Especially with pretty tulips next to it.

Tulips In Hurricane

The hilarity of this photo is that if I were allowed to share behind-the-scenes book pics, the next photo would be what you see if you swing the camera about six inches to the right. A shot of our monstrous dining table that sits just beyond this half-wall and is completely full of lamps/ceramic things/paint cans/fabric/baskets/bottles/books/frames/etc. Seriously, you can’t even see the tabletop anymore. So when I say there’s a sliver of beauty in our completely trashed house, I really do mean it. And the juxtaposition is hysterically funny to us. So just know that the over-sharer in me is dying to slather chaos pics all over this end of this post to balance the sweet charming “moments” in the kitchen. Oh well, when the book is out we’re allowed to share it all, so we’re counting down the months.

Anyway, back to the kitchen and our little budget blooms. I now firmly believe that every kitchen is made better by three things: flowers, a radio, and a white ceramic tea kettle (of course). Closely followed by a giant ceramic rooster. And a wall full of penny tile doesn’t hurt either. Have you guys been buying flowers or other greenery lately? Have you played around with a few different vases just for fun? Do you have a kitchen radio? Do you even listen to the radio anymore? Oh and what are three things that you think makes any kitchen better?

Psst- Check out a whole mess of Budget Bloom posts from over the last few years here.

Comments

  1. Angela says

    Tulips are my fav!!! And, they are awesome as budget blooms, most of the supermarkets have them. As we live in a tropical climate, we can only get them for a few short weeks in our winter – but I’ll take what I can get! I HAD to have them for my spring wedding, of course they wilted, so we flipped them on the boys buttonholes to be upside down, so that gravity would just keep the petals in place!! Like I said, I’ll take what I can get ;-)

    Reply

  2. Candice says

    I like the touch of tulips in your kitchen and wish I could see the disaster that is your house!

    I used to buy flowers for my kitchen and then my naughty kitty cats starting chewing off the flower petals. Bad kitty cats! So I gave up and bought some “True Touch” hydrangeas at Hobby Lobby and they look and feel like real flowers. I bought the green ones and they look great in my aqua Ball jar.

    I can’t wait to see your shelves. Hurry up and hang em up and take the photos.

    Reply

  4. Jessica says

    Tulips are my fav, so this time of year I keep them around as much as my crazy cat lets me. Right now I’m rocking simple white ones in a clear vase…the green stems+ white petals look great with my grey, white, and green living room/dining room!

    Can’t wait for the book! Hope you guys get to return to some normalcy soon, though :)

    Reply

  5. Aron says

    So funny that this post came today. I have been sick in bed for the past few days and as soon as I felt better yesterday I went straight to the store and bought a dozen of the hottest pink flowers I could find. I was pretty strange but I guess I needed a ray of sunshine in my home…

    Reply

  6. Nicole says

    Beautiful! I love tulips so much. I’ve got a vase of hyacinths in the kitchen now, and they are smelling up the whole house like springtime :)

    Reply

  8. Kayla says

    I am DYING to see the rest of the house. Save all the pics and overshare everything just like we expect from YHL! Can’t wait to see you guys in Portland!

    Reply

  9. Melody says

    I bought a potted tulip plant a few weeks ago at the grocery store for 3 whoppers and it kept my kitchen cheery for about 3 weeks! Totally worth the money. There’s also something about a platter or bowl of fresh fruit that keeps the kitchen fresh and welcoming. To me, anyways :)

    Reply

  11. Julie says

    We’ve had that same kitchen radio for 4 years now – my audiophile NPR addict hubs fell in love with the tan version (at full price, ouch!) for our kitchen and it’s seen tons of use every day. I predict you’ll love it!

    Reply

  12. Ash says

    How funny– I had the exact same tulips (or the same color anyway) in my house a week ago! They really do make everything feel different. Keep on keepin’ on! We’re all rooting for you (and waiting to see your fabulous book someday). :)

    Reply

  13. Kim says

    I looooove fresh flowers. My mom’s been seeing this guy who gets her flowers at Costco ($13 for an assortment of flowers or a dozen roses), and they last about a week until one of the flowers starts to wilt. This week, we bought an $8 spray of wildflowers to replace the flowers that had died. They look totally different, an they’re just as pretty.

    Reply

  14. heather says

    first – I love tulips.
    second – I love them in the hurricane glass.
    third – A radio in the kitchen is essential. I got ours for 10 bucks at target and we’ve had it for years and it makes me very very happy. I listen to NPR after work and on weekends while I clean the house (far more interesting than it sounds).

    Reply

  17. Kiki says

    Three things that make a kitchen better:

    -iPod dock
    -a clean tabletop (I know that’s a lack of something, rather than a thing, but this lack of something has more impact than some THINGS!)
    -garlic roasting

    I guess this also means we won’t have vampires.

    Reply

  18. mp says

    My version of a kitchen radio is my TV: my satellite package has SIRIUS music channels. (I also have SIRIUS in my car, which is great because I live in range of only two terrestrial radio stations.)

    Reply

  20. Sally says

    Gosh, yes, got to have a kitchen radio. We had one when I was a little kid; I can remember it way-y-y up on the shelf. I used to think that all the people were actually broadcasting in person from inside the tiny tiny radio station that was near our town. It was always sort of crackly, so I figured that was why – too many people in the room, all trying to be quiet while the others sang. I must have been about 3 years old.

    Reply

  23. Hello My Sweet says

    Someone may have already mentioned this one but we always:
    1. toss in a penny
    2. give them fresh water daily
    3. clip the stems diagonally at the ends every couple days to keep them from clotting over, as well as initially when they come home
    This keep our grocery store tulips fresh for about 10-14 days! We love these flowers too they are a great buy if you keep them happy :)

    Reply

  24. Kaity says

    Three things that make any kitchen look better (or at least they make it feel more like home to me) – a red kettle, bright cheeery tea towels and a chunky wooden chopping board. Love the little things :-)

    Reply

  25. Dana says

    A few months ago, I discovered my local grocery store will mark down small bouquets of flowers to just $1.50 each (Giant Eagle for other Ohioans). Since then, I keep an eye out for them, and just yesterday I scored a little bunch of light light pink carnations that I divided into three make-shift vases: one pretty lady in a small mason jar in the bathroom, another on the bedside table, and I kept the remaining together in the living room. Love stretching $1.50 into three rooms of happiness!

    Reply

  26. Andrea says

    My boyfriend and I were surprised today with a very nice bouquet of flowers from his mom. It’s our 10yr anniversary… :-).

    Reply

  27. sana says

    hey I’m from the middle east and i recently found your website and I’m now addicted to it. its perfect , lovely and beautiful .
    I’m getting married in the summer and i want to be just like you guys <3.

    Reply

  28. Alena says

    I like your tulips, but I’m sorry, I have to get this off my chest…I don’t like your grellow wall paint with your lovely backsplash tile. liked the wall color on it’s own (& especially liked it as the countertop color of Clara’s adorable kitchenette), love the tile, but really hate them together!!!
    Please consider repainting

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No worries! Wall color is definitely one of the most subjective things out there in the universe! We love our grellow walls but can definitely recognize that 100 other people would make 100 other choices! Hope that makes sense!

      xo,
      s

  29. Nancy S says

    :) Funny, I just picked up 3 bunches at the grocery store last night! With all the Valentine decorating going on I thought I’d treat myself. Oh, you would love them, I went with shades of grellow. I’ve never seen grellow roses before but they look great with the baby’s breath & the other bunch of mystery flowers I bought.
    Flowers & candles, you can never have to many in the house!

    Reply

  31. Bethany says

    Your tulips have inspired me to get some flowers for my desk at work. They would probably look much cheerier in my kitchen, but I’ll get to enjoy them more at the office. Or maybe I’ll just get a couple bouquets and spread the cheer everywhere. Haha

    Reply

  32. Roxy says

    Funny note: Tulip stems continue to grow after they are cut. If you have them mixed with other flowers, you’ll notice that they will be taller than the other flowers after a few days.

    The best thing to use to ensure long lasting blooms is 7-up or Sprite in the water. It’s the citrus and the sugar the flowers love. I worked in flowers for 7 years and my daughter did a science fair project where we took 12 roses and used 12 different solutions (including aspirin,a penny, bleach, the flower packet, plain water, etc.) and the professional packet and Sprite did the best.

    Reply

  34. Kristina Gulino says

    Love the way tulips look. They are my favorite flower to have around the house (besides white hydrangeas). Definitely loving the way your beautiful kitchen is coming together! You are always inspiring me!

    Kristina
    Nook & Sea

    Reply

  35. Allie Wilkins says

    A really cool trick to do with tulips is to gently fold back each petal on the flower. it gives them a really neat tropical look & they stay bent down on their own, & you can always pop them back up if you want too. just a fun thing to make your flowers even more versatile!!

    Reply

  36. Erin says

    I’m not sure if anyone else shared this tip in the comments yet, but putting adding a penny in your tulip vase overnight will help spring their stems up straight if they get too floppy- or if they’re too floppy when you get home with them. We were wedding florists for years and it was a sure-fire way to make bouquets of tulips still looked fresh for a wedding.

    Reply

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