Flowers – Vintage and Thrifty Styling for the Home

This week is the fourth part in our mini series Vintage and Thrifty Styling for the Home and today we are looking at Flowers. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you will know by now, I am a thrifty person by nature. I get it from my Grandmother I think, she of the ‘make do and mend’ era. I recall a weekly shopping exercise would involve my Nan walking up and down the local high street, to save a few pence on her washing powder. Thankfully for us of the ‘internet’ era, we are spared that way of shopping. Although there is no doubt that the ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’ mantra taught me many a valuable lesson. Not least the ability to look at everything in a different light before I throw it away. And I apply this mantra to flower design too…

In this post I showed you how my favourite roses had given me three lots of joy. This week I shall be showing how I use flower design throughout the seasons in our home.  I’m starting way back in spring, when these simple tulips were given structure by hazel from the garden. Since tulips tend to flop, the hazel offers much-needed support and if you don’t have hazel a quick look around the garden or local park when you’re next out walking should yield a suitable alternative. You will recall seeing this hurricane lamp before in the roses post. I love its dual purpose and have occasionally been known to use it for candles as was intended…perhaps there will be more photos of that as we approach Christmas.

This summer I grew my own sweet peas and we enjoyed countless jugs of sweet-smelling blooms. So beautiful are these flowers, they need little more than a simple jug or jam jar to realise their full potential. They light up any corner or shelf and I enjoy displaying them alone, on top of old books or next to a candle for company.

If you’re super organised you can start growing your own sweet peas now in time for next spring. I’m not super organised and shall wait till early March like I did this year. Whenever you choose to start, an inexpensive packet of seeds will give you countless pretty and aromatic flowers throughout the summer months making you able to play around with your own flower design in your own homes. I like to dry the delicate paper-thin petals when the display has finished for beautiful pot-pourri and then as the plant comes to its natural end, you can be super thrifty and collect the seeds for next years stock. A lot of free and beautiful blooms to enjoy the following year equates to a good investment in a packet of seeds to me.

Like many, I enjoy hugely the paper like quality of the beautiful Peony. Here I’ve mixed faux with the real deal and no-one knew until I told them. I enjoyed a little chuckle to myself when Master M and Little Miss were asked to “sniff the roses and peonies” which they dutifully did and commented “they all smell lovely Mum.”

There are many convincing faux flower designs in high street stores these days and like most home decor, you can spend as little or as much as you would like. These cream hydrangea and roses in the left photo are used often in my sitting room in rustic baskets or tall vases like this one. And these faux hydrangea to the right have enjoyed centre stage in a bedroom in our home for some time now.

Throughout summer our front porch treated us to a wonderful display of the real deal hydrangea. These vibrant blue flower heads lasted several months outside and have since been cut and dried inside our home for us to enjoy over the autumn months. I love that not only does the hydrangea do double duty, it also changes its magnificent colour for its second wind.

Just as with the rose post it remains true that the vases, jugs, jam jars or whatever you choose to display your floral bounty, will have a profound effect on your end result.  As a rule, I tend to put colourful blooms in plainer vessels…and then I break the rule if it doesn’t look quite right.  Where too you choose to place your display will have a huge impact. In front of a mirror, lit by the glow of subtle table lamps or together with twinkling candlelight all makes a difference.

If you are lucky enough to have a wallpapered wall, choosing a single bloom in a single colour can offer a dramatic look with relatively little money spent. And every season I try to remember natures free bounty and pick up a pretty weed or two along the way.

Whatever your budget there’s a solution out there to brighten up your home. And if your stuck for ideas, the wonderful world of Pinterest will help out.

Little Miss and Master M often share an eye rolling moment when I choose to quote wise words to them. I am sure you are far too polite to do the same. So this week I’m leaving you with a quote I recently pinned and one I try to remember in my more creative moments…You are limited only by your imagination…until next week, enjoy your flower design. x

Do you have flower design or arrangement ideas to share with us all? Do leave your comments below…