*hydrangea centerpiece – affiliate links used
*Links to everything shared are at the end of this post!
Today is the last day of school for my kids! It always feels like we are crossing that glorious finish line at the end of a marathon. Moms of school age kids – pat yourself on the back for surviving May! We did it. Again! I remember when my kids were younger thinking that things would surely slow down and our schedule would be more open when my kids were older.
That’s funny. :)
Summer might be here, but our weather did NOT get the memo! It’s still so dark and cloudy and cool in San Diego! I actually had our fireplace on in my sweats today feeling like I might as well pull the Christmas tree back out. Ha. May grey is rolling into June gloom and after such a cloudy winter most locals are ready to have our beloved sun back! I’m doing the best I can to not let the clouds depress me which lately has meant getting outside to hike in the evening and buying ALL the flowers.
These peonies at Trader Joe’s took my breath away! Absolutely beautiful.
{trunk organizer/more car organization favorites}
Of course some had to come home with me. :) I also picked up hydrangeas because aside from being my favorite flower, I had a fun idea for a hydrangea centerpiece!
My peonies started opening up instantly after I put them in water and have just been absolutely stunning. Quick tip for fresh flowers! If you have a decor vase that isn’t made for water (I wasn’t sure on this one and usually put faux flowers inside) just set your water and flowers in a smaller vase OR a drinking glass.
I set my glass down inside of the vase and you would never know!
Then the vase stays dry and clean and my flowers stay grouped a little tighter. Win!
{quin ceramic vase/faux summer branches/frida vase/celia woven tray/handwoven trays/similar woven oval tray}
My peonies are on my dining nook table at the moment but I keep moving them around! They are just beautiful everywhere I set them.
{acrylic vase – on sale!}
I was laying in bed at the beginning of the week with my to-do list running through my head (anyone else have this routine every night?) when I suddenly had the idea to try hydrangeas in my acrylic vase. It came to me instantly somewhere between my self reminders to follow-up on a summer camp for Kole, remind Ad it was her turn to pick up bagels for her early morning church class, and to call the plumber about an upstairs shower issue. How hydrangeas in my acrylic vase relate to any of that I have no idea, but the vision came and I was excited to make it happen.
It’s the little things. :)
Have I mentioned how much I love this acrylic vase!? Seriously this arrangement was so easy to put together! It took about 15 minutes and I love how it turned out.
I quickly learned the secret to getting this to work! Cut your hydrangea stems short, but not too short! You need them long enough to reach into the vase and soak up plenty of water.
Slide the hydrangea stems in sideways in most of the circles and then you can fill in any empty spots after you’re done. You can see I have the vase about half way full of water and the stems lay sideways.
So beautiful right!? I left some of the leaves on that were close to the flower (I like seeing them!) but you could pull them all off too.
I love that this looks stunning from every single angle!
{Amarolo Narrow Console Table}
I have this sitting on the narrow table behind my couch at the moment, but I’m definitely going to be using it as a table centerpiece this summer too!
My hydrangea centerpiece and a clean kitchen trump any cloudy day! (I may or may not have lit my fall pumpkin spice candle in this exact moment. It was a vibe. The weather spoke and I listened.)
Cheers to summer! Sunny skies are ahead!
Always. :)
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Congratulations and happy summer, Erin! I understand that big sigh of relief so well. I sure hope the sun comes out soon for you. But in the meantime you sure have found some gorgeous flowers to brighten your days. Wish I had a Trader Joe’s close by, but alas I do not. Maybe someday. I’d have alos picked up some of those gerbera daisies! haha. I totally understand how your brain works at night. I think most moms/ladies get that way. Your idea worked great! Such a pretty display. Enjoy the start of your break! :)
Thank you so much Jeanne! Trader Joe’s is definitely a favorite for flowers around here. I thought those daisies were beautiful too! Happy summer to you and your sweet crew! xo
Summer hasn’t gotten the memo here (Colorado) either yet but our lawn is loving it! Question about hydrangeas – How do you make yours last longer? I love hydrangeas but I feel like mine don’t last more than a day or two. Happy June!
Hi Mollie! Usually if I use some flower food and cut the stems at an angle and then keep adding new water every few days my hydrangeas last a week to 2 weeks! You can also mist them with a water bottle (spray the petals!) and that helps. I’ve also heard that you can dunk them head first in warm water if they are starting to wilt and it will bring them back, but I haven’t tried that one myself. I hope that helps! Happy June! Hoping there are sunny days ahead for both of us. :)
I’ll have to give that a try. Thank you so much!
You bet! :)
No purchase has given me more joy this spring than the acrylic vase. I have a lot of short-stemed flowers in my own garden that I usually don’t cut or enjoy inside because they are too short for a traditional vase. The acrylic vase is now my go-to every morning. I love it with every flower I have tried. It is so easy to use and clean and the arrangements almost do themselves with the rows of holes. Thanks, Erin, this vase is a keeper for sure!
Kathy this made my day! I’m so happy this vase is bringing you joy! What a smart idea to use it for short-steamed flowers from your garden. I need to try that! The vase really does make it so easy to create a beautiful arrangement. Thank you for sharing that with me! So sweet of you! xo
I’m loving your great ideas and tips! At Easter time I purchased a suggested item from Target. It was a rectangular basket tray that’s about 3′ X 1′. You had put rabbits, eggs and moss greenery in it and it was adorable! I’d love to see some other ideas for that basket tray sometime. Thanks for all the ideas you post!
Thank you so much Gina! I’ll definitely share another fun way to use that basket this summer! :)
Yay!! Thanks!
Oh man! I may just have to pick up some peonies from Trader Joe’s. I love the big blooms!
Right!? SO beautiful!
Erin!
Twin personalities again! My fav. flower-Hydrangeas! :) Can’t get enough so I grow them in my yard! Second fav. flower-Guess!? Peony! I have started them in my yard, also!
Quick, Northeast suggestion. Water the hydrangea centerpiece for a while to keep it fresh. Next, just let the flowers dry in place and you have beautiful dried hydrangeas!
Mop head variety (Big bloom) work the best for this. If you like it, the blooms can remain right there in the clear, Lucite tray/vase all summer and the petals will not drop. No watering, no maintenance and the whole arrangement is REAL! REAL without bother! Storing the dried blooms is another story. Fragile for storing as the blooms get “crispy”.
They can be stored on a shelf by themselves but probably best to just start the process again with fresh next year! Double duty in ONE flower. Now THAT is a RECYCLE move I can and DO fulfill. !
Ok that is such a fun idea Sherri! Love it! So good!
Beautiful flowers, Erin – but so are you❤️🙂
You’re the sweetest Patty! Made my day. :) Thank you! xo