[love this graphic? me too! visit One Charming Party]
Over the weekend my friend Erika invited me to tag along with her to our local farmers market in Mar Vista. I jumped at the opportunity to go for the very obvious reason of buying food, but also because Erika shops the market for flowers, an item don’t normally purchase on a weekly basis. Erika creates arrangements for two of our favorite local restaurants on the west-side, A-Frame and Sunny Spot (visit these two local restaurants – you will not be disappointed!). She very sweetly answered all of my questions, caught up with her favorite vendors and walked away, arms loaded with flowers.
We headed back to the first restaurant, where she began to prep the flowers. Each week she creates new arrangements, over fifty total between the two restaurants! We drank fresh-squeezed juices, chatted about life and I listened to her explain how to prep and keep flowers looking beautiful for a week or longer. My mind wandered to the upcoming day of love (make your own Vitamin L!) and I thought “how fun would this be to share this bouquet-making prowess with my amazing readers?”. I love walking into my house and seeing plants and flowers. Forget 1-800-Flowers and be your own valentine every week by creating beautiful arrangements with these simple tips from Erika.
Choose long stems and flowers that are standing upright
Clean & scrub your vase before beginning – bacteria is bad for flowers
Using a towel, strip the leaves so that only the stem is submersed in water
Note: Leaves left in the water cause the bouquet to wilt earlier, as they decay in water
Trim the stems at a 45° angle, clipping at least 1″ off each stem
For live bulbs, like tulips, add a few pennies to the bottom of the vase
For fresh cut flowers, you can add a few drops of citrus to extend their life
Change the water every few days, wiping the stems with a towel before placing back in water
I normally don’t get into the fuss of Valentine’s Day. This year marks a very special event that coincides with 02.14… I’m taking part in Stratejoy’s ABC’s of Self-Love Blog Crawl, sharing K is for Kindness on Valentine’s Day! It seems fitting to find little ways to love yourself and be kind every day of the year, not just Valentine’s Day! Watch out for a few more “Be Yours” posts between now and the self-love post!
In preparation… I’d love to know the little ways you show YOU how much you love yourself! Buying flowers? Taking time for a workout you love? Meditation? A healthy meal? Or maybe buying yourself a treat, like flowers or chocolate?
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