Customize Your {store bought} Flowers

Purchasing flowers from a florist can be pricey and maybe not always available as needed.  Here is a way to quickly customize you store bought bouquets to give them a professional florist look.

I picked up a bright and cheery bouquet from Costco for $9.99.  I grabbed a vase I had hanging around.  You could also use more unconventional items, jars or vintage thrift store finds.  I then simply arranged the flowers in the vase, paying attention to varying textures and colors to make the arrangement pleasing to the eye.  There is no perfect way.  Think of how flowers grow in nature.  They just grow as they please and still look beautiful!  A lot of times bouquets like this are some what arranged already.  So if arranging them sounds overwhelming, try keeping the flowers all together while placing them in your vase.

 
Next, I took some curly willow and placed a few tall pieces around the center of the arrangement.  This adds some height and again, a more custom look.  You could even clip a few branches of something similar from your yard.

To customize (do you think I’ve used that word enough? ;) even more, I wrapped some ribbon around the vase and added a hang tag appropriate to the occasion.  To add interest and another element, you could hang a little charm, vintage keys are some other unique item as well.  Adding stones or sliced lemons, limes, or oranges in the bottom of the vase is also a nice touch.  The possibilities are endless…just add your own personal touch and go for it!


Linking with…
The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

NapaStyle {Inspired} Makeover

Photo NapaStyle.com     

I know I have talked about my trip to Napa Valley more than once.  “Ok, Krista.  We get it!  You loved Napa!”  So, here I go again… One of the fun shops we visited was NapaStyle.  It is a beautiful and unique store/deli with decor items, gifts and delicious goods.  I could have spent hours in there, tasting and browsing.  So fun!  Anyway, they have a website and catalog as well.  I love most everything in there, but these pieces caught my eye because I had a chest in need of some TLC.

I love the rustic look of them and the idea of using unconventional items for tables, like the grape crate side table above.  I know it is just a replica, but until I can find the perfect antique crate, with the original stamp on the side…in all it’s rustic charm…for a STEAL… my version will have to do. ;)  I would really love to do something like the wine storage trunk on the right, but for now it is in my maybeonedayIcoulddothis vault.  Moving on…
 
Here is the before.  My Grandma bought this for me right before I got married so he’s been around for the last 11 years or so. {I’m feeling old}  He has been abused a bit so I knew I either had to stain or paint the ol’ guy.  Here are the after shots.
        
I used a gel stain called hickory and then traced an outline with a stencil of the words I wanted on the back.  I then filled them in with a paint brush.  I love the lettering on the back!!  The new look of this trunk adds a lot of character and warmth to our family room.  It wasn’t a super timely or difficult project, but I think it makes an impact.  I am defiantly pleased with the turn out.  Plus the fact that I have wanted to do this for MONTHS and it is now completed is the best part. I am  hoping I have inspired you to gather inspiration!  Warmest Wishes!

***Just wanted to share a custom order arrangement I recently created.  I borrowed it for ‘staging’ purposes and now it’s off to it’s owner. ;)

Linking up with these fine folks…

 

Vintage Chenille Quilt Squares

 
Do you have rooms in your home that have had a few different identities?  It seems as though I am always thinking of ways to make our home more efficient, so this mean that certain rooms may eventually take on new lives.  When we lived out of state, away from family, we needed a guest room for visitors.  So when we moved into our current home, because I had beautiful guest room furniture, I made one of the rooms a guest room. This make perfect sense, right?  If you have furniture for a room, you have to use it. ;)  It has only taken me five years to realize that if you only have one visitor in this amount of time, you do not need a whole room designated to guests.  And if you have children with toys spewing out of their rooms and around the house,  you should probably have a toy room.  Wow Krista, pure genius!  {it may take me a while, but sooner or later I figure things out} 

So, if you haven’t guessed it, I am creating a fun little girl toy room. {yay!} Today I am sharing one of the projects I have been working on for it.  I purchased these adorable vintage chenille bedspread squares on EBay from cottagetowne. {who by the way was an awesome seller, fyi}
  I had this snazzy framed print I picked up at a garage sale for $2 and added in these precious appliqués I bought on EBay from do it yourself chic {also a fantastic seller}  If you haven’t used these, they are awesome!  They are flexible which makes them very easy to work with. I then painted the while thing out in Heirloom White and roughed it up a bit.

Next I simply arranged my squares on the cardboard print and then hot glued them on with just a bit of glue on each corner.  I decided to use hot glue to be somewhat nice to the fabric.  This way if I ever wanted to use them for something else, they wouldn’t be permanently stuck.
    
I really love how it turned out.  Precious, don’t you think?  So very easy, but I think it will add so much to the room.  I am hoping to have the room completed soon and have a reveal for ya!

Linking up!

   

Remember Me? {frumpy to fantabulous}

 
Do y’all remember this little guy?  I gave him a little makeover last Spring for my mantel display.  Well, I entered him in the CSI Project challenge this week and it was chosen as one of the top ten picks!  To see him in his super lovely pre-makeover look, you can visit that post HERE.  Thanks to The CSI Project and the Shanty Sisters for featuring it! 

I hope you all have fabulous plans for the weekend and enjoy yourselves!!   Happy Weekend!! :)

Rose Art {a way to display your dried flowers}

 

In case I haven’t told you I am one lucky girl who is married to an amazing man I love more and more each day.  Last year was our 10th wedding anniversary and this thoughtful guy sent me a dozen roses for each year of our marriage. {quick math—120 long stem red roses!}  I was so surprised and excited with the first dozen.  As the delivery man just kept bringing in the roses, I stood there in awe.  Mr. Husband makes me feel loved on a daily bases, but sometimes it is fun to have something totally unexpected happen to make you feel completely swept away. All I needed next was him to swoop in on a white horse and take me away to a little chateau nestled in an Italian vineyard….spending our days, basking in the warmth of the golden sun and our love…haha, sorry just me daydreaming again.  He did take me to Napa Valley and that was amazing!  One of these days I want to share our trip with you.  It was my fave!!  Ok, I know, enough of this gushy love stuff. ;)  I really just want to show you what I did with some of the flowers.  Back to reality…

 

I had this clearance frame that I picked up for a couple bucks because it was missing the glass.  I simply cut the stems off of the roses and hot glued them in the frame.  {a shadow box would be great to use as well}  As I glued them in, I also stuck in moss pieces to fill in the spaces.

      

And that was it…So easy!  I really like how it turned out.  A simple and unique way to display your dried flowers.

 Getting Linky with it…