I {Heart} Fresh Flowers

I always tell my husband that I'm not a flower person and not to spend money buying me flowers. If he wants to get me something, I suggest champagne and cookie dough or something dark chocolate but the truth is I actually really love fresh flowers.

I guess I just can't justify spending the money on them from a boutique but it's a completely different story if I'm just picking them from our yard (or a friendly neighbor's house {wink}.

{Yes, those lavender hydrangeas are in a Brew Grass Beer glass. The stems were short and that was all I could find. }

Our shubbery is in full bloom right now and I'm enjoying having fresh flowers all over the house for FREE! They freshen up a space immediately! I spent a few minutes before Lily woke up snapping a few photos of the flowers I clipped from our landscape. How fun!!

Tips to Keep Flowers Fresh Longer

I also wanted to share some great tips I've learned over the years and most recently from The Weekend Homemaker on how to keep these beautiful flowers fresh longer.

• For starters, trim the foilage from the stems that will be below the water line. This will help keep the water clean.
• Cut the flowers at an angle with a sharp knife or scissors. A dull cutting device could smash or damage the capillaries. And the angle gives the stem the most access to absorb water.
• Use a mixture of warm water and Sprite to fill your vase. I heard this but little did I know that diet drinks don't have the same effect. The plant thrives on the sugars from a "real" Sprite. If you don't have Sprite then add a little sugar.
• You'll want to change the water about every three days and while doing so trim the stem about a 1/4 inch. Another tip I picked up from Crystal at the Weekend Homemaker is to pour a little bleach into your vase to avoid bacteria. I love this tip because even though I changed the water on a regular basis the vase would get grimey and the water smelly. The bleach prevents that from occuring and I can even stretch how long I go before changing the water!

Hope that helps! And if you don't have flowers to pick at home, stop on the side of the road and pick some wild flowers! My 22-month old daughter loves to picks weeds and call them flowers – so why not! That is of course unless you are in Texas and it's a bluebonnet (the state flower) because that is frowned upon.

Vase Alternatives

Don't have a vase handy? Here are a few Pinterest inspirations of things around the house to use as a makeshift vase. Personally, I think are even better than vases!!

A tin tea can {via}

Recycle an aluminum can and add a ribbon {via}

Use a tea cup or creamer container. Doesn't this vintage one make you green with envy? {via}

When is the last time you picked flowers? Well I think it's time to smell the roses and do it today! Yes, re-reading this post I realize it's a little over the top. I think the sleep deprivation is getting to me! Have a great weekend!

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