Flower arranging is one of my new alternatives to hoarding!
Just $12 was well spent at the Farmer's Market and I came home with 3 different bunches of flowers! I had a blast arranging flowers for every room in our house for Easter!
Here is the first bunch, I don't know what kind of little purple flowers these are, but they smell amazing and didn't bother my allergies one bit! It's hard to see in the one above, but each bunch of arranged flowers has a mini chenille chick added to it.
Here's the next bunch, some pink lilies for the dining room! The scent of these used to really bother my allergies, but not anymore, so my allergies are healing. I am so thankful for that!
This weekend, I'll be changing the vase for the lilies and will use them in the vases below for a different look and more of an Easter theme, instead of Day of the Dead. I suppose these could also be used for Cinco de Mayo theme!
Can you see the little yellow chickies?
Here is a close up of the little cuties! See the one with googly eyes? He came without eyes, so now he has some silly ones! I just love that teeny tiny vase too and comes in handy with broken stemmed flowers that as a recovering hoarder, just can't bear to throw out!
Below are the vases I'm going to put the pink lilies in this weekend!
I'll change the pink lilies to these vases this weekend, add some Easter decor and share a photo next week! These long tall clear glass bottle vases are available here
The Day of the Dead nicho is available here. It could also be used for Cinco de Mayo
photo via The Destiny of Things
I am so happy that I took the chance to see if I could flower arrange again because for years I had stopped due to my allergies to scented flowers, but I don't have to worry about that anymore! Now I can move on to heal my allergies from commercial perfume!
I can spend hours getting the flowers ready for arranging and then I love to choose the right vases.
I love it so much that it puts me in a timeless space of peace and joy!
A cup of flowers for the kitchen too! All the mini chenille chicks shown had something wrong with them or looked a little wonky, so I fixed them and now they have their own unique personalities and character.
Flowers cheer up any bathroom and these are in a little beaker I have from my science teaching days.
We still love and use miswak as an alternative to toothbrushes because they have natural cleaning and antibacterial in each twig, but we don't sell them anymore because these were a labor of love to list and some didn't appreciate it. When I get more brave about feedback, I might start listing them again.
However, if you'd like some chicks that arrive in gum ball capsules for spring or Mother's day flowers or decorations, they are available here. I'll send you the best ones in the batch!
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore
The third bunch of flowers included 4 pink roses, but those photos didn't come out very well, so I'll include them in the photo share next week.
What I Learned:
1. I am so thankful that my allergies are improving enough that natural flower smells don't give me a reaction anymore and I can arrange flowers again! I used to watch and help my Grandmother and Mother arrange flowers, so fresh flowers were always part of their home decor. I am so thankful that I can continue with this tradition because it gives me such a feeling of creativeness, peace and joy!
2. Since my other alternative to hoarding is saving money so I can help others, I also decided that I'll grow my own flowers this spring, so I can have some beautiful flowers for arranging this summer! and save the rest of my flower money budget to helping others. I can buy more than enough seeds for $12!
3. I am thankful Lent is almost over and I can have a cup of coffee with the husband this Sunday! I think I'll just have it every once in awhile on the weekends and perhaps if I feel I need the extra oomph on a week day, but now I just have hot or cold chocolate milk, which is just organic coconut milk, salt, cayenne and organic powdered baking chocolate. It tastes sweet enough for me!
I think I can give up fried foods, like fried chicken, french fries and potato chips for an unlimited time because I found alternatives, like baked chicken and fresh cut saute potato slices.
4. We had several high stress family situations last month and this month and a kind person who knows that fries and chips are my comfort foods, but didn't know I had given them up for Lent, shared some with me and the first few bites did help, but after that I could skip it! I was so happy that I had changed my ways for healthier ones!
Holiday family stress was one of my biggest challenges, but that too is changing! This Easter feels more comfortable this year and I don't need hoard shopping retail therapy, my comfort foods or childhood habits that return during stress!
How did Lent change your thinking and life this year? Again, it changed mine for the better!
I turn to meditation for challenging situations now, instead of comfy junk foods or retail therapy. I am so thankful I found something so easy and healthier for me to do instead.
Lady Guadalupe vase or candle holder for Mother's day, Cinco de Mayo or next Easter!
Available here. Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore
I hope this inspired others to show how fresh flowers can bring simple beauty to any room for any holiday or just to cheer someone else up or yourself! I am so grateful to have found something I love to do!
"Be the rainbow in someone else's cloud."---Maya Angelou
Happy Easter to all!
