Thinking Outside the Vase

The other day I posted a pic of my soup tureen filled with flowers on Instagram 

and one of my dear friends commented that she needed to "think outside the box" when arranging flowers.

I told her that she actually needs to think "outside the vase"

and maybe use a box to hold her flowers.

I use flowers inside and out

and although on many occasions I actually use vases,

I usually try to use different containers to hold flowers.

 I am using lots of lavender lately because it is plentiful in the garden.

The best thing about lavender is that I don't need a container -

I can just set a bouquet out

or weave it into a wreath.

I have no luck with hydrangeas in vases so like the lavender, I use no container and let it wilt on its own.

I like that the dried hydrangeas last forever.

Rusty buckets are one of my favorite containers.

I love the look of the stock in front of this painting that belongs to friends who are in the process of moving - they asked us to store it while they are in transition.

The old sap bucket usually sits around outside, but this week it's hanging on the fireplace.

 My vintage picnic basket is perfect way to display two of my favorite things - books & flowers - together.

A file box makes an unusual container for flowers

as does a canvas bag hanging on the front door.

One thing is for certain - whether it's a basket, a bag, or a bucket,

There will always be flowers around the house.

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Join me at

Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday

It all started with a tummy ache!

I wasn't feeling 100% this morning so I was being lazy and sitting on the window seat reading blogs and getting inspired.

This little table is one of my views from my perch on the window seat and on a whim I decided it needed a change.

A quick swap from the MacKenzie-Childs tea kettle holding flowers to some favorite plates

and adding books to the lower shelf and I was done - or so I thought!

I needed to find a place for the tea kettle and that meant changing these shelves

and instantly the dining room was in chaos.

 Once I started putting things on the shelves, 

 I noticed I had a theme going -

clocks were popping up all over

and I had a sudden urge to set out all of my clocks.

As soon as this wall was completed,

I attacked the shelf over the dining room windows.

In this photo from a few weeks ago, you can just catch a small glimpse of what the shelf looked like early this morning.

Now, instead of pitchers, the remainder of my clock collection is in the dining room.

The clocks looked silly spread out so I added old bottles to fill in the space.

The soup tureen came down from the shelf and now sits on the table.

The reorganizing continued into the entry because I had to find a place for all of the pitchers.

I don't keep the cabinet doors open, 

but I like having the cupboard neat and tidy.

It all started with a tummy ache

and the inspiration to simply change one little vignette in the dining room.

The next thing I knew, the entire dining room was revamped.

The tummy ache is gone and that's a good thing because I just don't have time tomorrow to change another room.

Cutting Flowers & Creating Vignettes

The other day someone asked me what I do all day and I said, "I cut flowers and create vignettes".

 I created a sweet vignette on a patio table using a new (old) window and a sign I found hidden in the garden beneath a bunch of greenery.

But, it didn't last long

 because I decided to use the soup tureen for a bouquet of flowers from the garden.

A basket of flowers is actually a more practical display in the garden.

Every time I plant a hydrangea in the garden, it dies, so I have been keeping them in buckets and they seem to be doing okay.

The lavender is growing like crazy and spreading across the sidewalk

so I cut a large bunch and I simply placed them in a favorite enamel bowl.

My MacKenzie- Childs tea kettle got a fresh bouquet of flowers too.

I love the colors of the stool and bowl full of lavender so the entry way cart got an update.

Lovely linens and favorite flatware create a colorful vignette finished off with more flowers gathered from the garden.

I just found out that we have company coming today so it's a good thing I set out fresh flowers yesterday.

Now I just need to spiff up the garden before our company arrives.