Easy Tiny Arrangements | My Hutch Style

There has been a big trend in home "styling."  I sort of hate that idea - especially if it is a home you actually live in.  I feel like, in this internet photo world, that there is a lot of styling going on and a lot less living.  How many people have a cozy nook that "looks" perfect for snuggling up and reading a book, but is never actually used?  Or a gourmet kitchen that rivals most on Pinterest, but is never used for cooking or baking.  Some of my biggest grievances are bath tubs that are never filled and fireplaces that are never enjoyed.  To me, a home should be beautiful only because it makes it more comfortable and livable.  

The only "styling" I do is to add flowers on a weekly/daily basis.  It is one of my favorite ways to give our home life and bring the seasons inside.  Floral arranging can seem intimidating, but when on a really small scale, these tiny gatherings are so simple.  What's more is that these small arrangements can make a huge impact on a space - powder room, bedside table, next to the kitchen sink, on an end table or on top of that coffee table book you never read ; )

I put together these fall-ish tiny arrangements to scatter around our house.  Here are the elements I used :

- Orange Roses
- Orange/Coral Dahlias
- Navy Viburnum Berries or Privet Berries (Viburnum grow in our garden)
- Deep Purple Leaves
- Small Creamer Pitchers

These are my favorite tiny helper hands that are currently at Kindergarten right now.  Kids love making floral arrangements because when you start with beautiful flowers, they can really assemble something truly beautiful all by themselves.  These small ones are especially easy to make.

I cut the flowers to length and Emma plucked them in where she saw fit.  This arrangement is made in the Creamer from the Classic Cream & Sugar set with a pewter finish.  They make the most charming vessels.

We added these dark foliage leaves for contrast with the orange and coral colors.  It turned them in to very Fall-ish looking arrangements.  In the spring, we could add fern sprigs instead to this same arrangement and they would look springy.

Now, remember when I said I hate styling my own home?  Well, since this hutch has entered our home, it has become sort of my seasonal muse.  It is the centerpiece of our kitchen/hearth/dining room and it calls out for being decorated.  I plan to keep the Creamware Platters (set of 6) on it throughout the year, then add seasonal color through plates, flowers and candles.

So, it has been one of my favorite spots to nestle a flower arrangement.  It also becomes a perfect place to set up some appetizers/bowl of nuts/stack of plates/wine & glasses when we have guests.

This tiny arrangement is made in one of these Creamware Creamers.

I always love putting the little buds of flowers in the arrangements, too - they are the perfect compliment to the blooms and so nice to add a variety of size.

Creamware Creamers
12" Taper Candles

Another version from the Creamware Creamers.

I also love to add candles - obviously.  I get these thick glass votives from Target for $2-3.  They look so expensive because of the thick glass.  I buy the 12 packs of simple votive candles in glass and slide them in the thick glass votive holders.

Little frames are another way to add charm to a corner.  This is an engraving of a river that I love.

Our garden roses are beginning to fade, but until them, I will keep cutting them and placing them around the house - for their lovely scent and their beauty.

Shop my favorite small Creamers for tiny arrangements, here >

Simple Micro Flower Arrangement | Oak Leaves, Paperwhite Bulb & Cabbage

 
Last weekend Emma and I tagged along with Mike back to the Boston area for a work trip.  He travels there often, but we haven't been back since we moved back "home" last year.  We had a fabulous time visiting some of our friends and old favorites - Concord, Beacon Hill and Back Bay.  We also took a little trip out to Nantucket for the night - the one place we never got to go that was on my list.  I'll be sharing more (a lot more...) photos later this week, but first I wanted to share this little tiny arrangement inspired by our trip.


My Mother-in-Law is a fabulous traveler and always does a ton of shopping on their trips.  Their house is filled with pieces of art, blankets, pottery, china, etc. that all have special meaning and were collected along the way - not gift shop type souvenirs, but beautiful things that they love from specialty boutiques, inns and farms.  I recently noticed a new engraved pewter champagne bucket at their house - apparently, they ordered it while at Blackberry Farm this last Fall on a trip for their anniversary.  Now every time she walks by it she's reminded of their special weekend. 

In the past I'd never been one to stock up while away, but I have found that the "souvenirs" we buy always bring such great memories back to us when we get home.  So, I started taking cues from Joy and buying treats on our trips we can use in our home that will take us back to those special moments.

One afternoon, Emma and I went out to our old town, Concord, Ma, for a visit.  We had coffee with an old friend and stopped by all of my favorite shops.  The first on my list was Winston Flowers.  You might remember my posts about Winston's when we lived there.  It is in the middle of the quaint town center and filled with really inspired, lovely flowers.  Once a week I used to stroll Emma there to pick out flowers.  They have the most beautiful things - and most are very simple and common items, but are designed in special ways.





When I saw this arrangement I knew it would be the perfect "Joy-style" souvenir to take home with us.  It is a cabbage rosette (the center of a cabbage, stripped of most of the big leaves), mini preserved oak leaves, rosemary sprigs, white hydrangea and a paperwhite bulb.  I love that all of the elements are so seasonal, but presented in a unique and modern style.







I asked them to deconstruct two arrangements for me so I could carry them on the plane, then reassemble them when I got home.



It starts with a small sprig of hydrangea broken off from a larger bloom.

Then I added the cabbage.



Next, I tucked in the oak leaves on one side, then added the paperwhite.  Keeping the colors together makes it very natural and gathered looking.

I just love this arrangement.  My rosemary plant isn't looking as good as it was when we left, so I still need to add some of that when I make it to the store later today.

The best part of this arrangement is that it will keep for weeks, all I have to do is replenish the hydrangea after it wilts with a new one - the other elements are really long lasting.


I've included other photos of Winston's below - enjoy!

Here is the Concord Town Center - the most charming little New England town.  Here is a link to my Fall Foliage post in Concord from two years ago with lots of photos of the town.  I'll be sharing the rest of my photos from our trip this week and some new hostess ideas for Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend!

DIY Sweetheart Rose Arrangement | Coral, Peach and Pale Pink Roses

I am in love with this arrangement.  Not just because "love is in the air" because Valentine's Day is just around the corner, either.  I love the varied sizes of blooms, the complimenting but not matchy-matchy colors and I love that it cost me $15.

I love that it is not a "perfect" looking bouquet.  I strongly believe that flowers should look as natural as possible - they really are more beautiful that way.  The natural beauty of the flowers really comes out when they are arranged casually, instead of tightly constructed.  

I was shocked how beautifully these roses opened up.  The different sages of blooming give them a "real" garden rose look.

Here is what the roses looked like when I got home from the store.

I trimmed each stem, then stripped it mostly of their leaves - leaving only a few at the very top of each.

Here they are all trimmed up and ready to go.

The rule of threes applies to almost everything in the design world - flowers are no exception.  So, I grouped the flowers in stems of threes, then put them together.  Grouping each color is a more pleasing look - you don't want the arrangement so homogenous that it looks polk-a-dotted.  You want it to seem like you gathered it in the garden.

Then I add three more groupings around the first set - placing the unlike colors next to each other.

One more set. 

Trim the ends of the flowers.  They will need to be shorter than you think.

Then, switch vases.  Oops!  After I made the arrangement, then set the table, I decided I wanted to change the vase to make it less modern and more romantic. Amazing what a little switch like that can make.

I made this arrangment to be the centerpiece of our Barefoot Contessa "Foolproof" Valentine's Day Dinner - see the menu and more details, here!

Here is the easy-to-pin strip! 

Easy DIY Holiday Centerpiece : Pale Pink Amaryllis, Magnolia Leaf & Cedar Flower Arrangement

For Emma's party I wanted the create a very soft and feminine flower arrangement that would be fitting my soft and feminine little lady.

Just as I designed her invitation (here's the post about the invitation) to just have a glimpse of Christmas, I didn't want the arrangement to be overly "holiday," but I wanted it to be appropriate for the season.  I think it is important to always decorate seasonally - arrangements seem to "fit" better when the seasonality is considered... not to mention flowers that are in season are easier to find and of a higher quality.

I selected these soft pink amaryllis along with magnolia leaf and cedar sprigs.  The arrangement came together very easily.

Here you can see the shiny green and velvety brown magnolia leafs - my favorite.  They are so easy to use and seem to "make" any arrangement I use them in.

Here is the arrangement on the night of the party with the cakes in the center of the table.

Here are the Easy DIY steps.  You can certainly use red amaryllis for a more traditional holiday centerpiece for Christmas.  I think you'll see how easy it is!

Start by placing the cedar sprigs in the vase that is filled with water.  Trim the stems before you put them in so they just drape over the sides.  

Next, insert the amaryllis - I used three stalks that had 3 blooms each.  



Finally, insert the magnolia leaves around the base of the flowers.

Here is the easy-to-pin step-by-step!