8 Festive Fresh Flower How-To's

I know, when you think of winter, you probably don’t think of flowers. Fresh flowers aren’t the first thing that come to my mind either, but a gorgeous vase of flowers always perks me up–especially in the long days of winter.

This week I received a beautiful bouquet of ranunculus from The Bouqs Company. I’m no floral expert, but I do know that most supermarket flowers just aren’t up to par–they don’t last very long, because they’ve been cut several days to weeks before you see them in the store. With Bouqs they don’t cut the flowers until you order them. This means a drastic reduction in waste and less energy is needed to keep the flowers fresh before they get to you. Plus, Bouqs only sources from sustainable farms that provide living wages, healthcare, childcare, and adult education. This is a company you can feel good buying from.

In addition to having an amazing collection of flowers, you can receive a 20% off promo code when you sign up for a new account today. And The Bouqs is hosting a contest for one person to receive 12 months worth of bouqs–how amazing would that be? To enter all you have to do is write a comment below telling me who you would give a Bouqs to, which Bouqs you would choose and why–The Bouqs will then choose a winner from all participating blogs on Monday, December 23rd.

Now onto the DIY fun! I discovered so many wonderful things you can do with flowers other than putting them in a vase, and wanted to share some fun ways to add fresh flowers to your holiday decor. Here are my eight top picks:

1. Flower Garland by Oh Joy A little string and some floral wire is all you need to make a fresh floral garland (and she says it only takes 15 minutes!).

2. Flower Gift Toppers on HGTV Instead of using big plastic bows to top your gifts, why not add a beautiful bloom instead. This would be perfect for a hostess gift.

3. Fresh Flower Part Hats by Studio DIY Ring in the New Year with a unique party hat.

4. Portable Wall Cones on Tulipina These wall cones are actually store-bought, but you could make your own paper ones, and hang them on doorknobs and windows to cheer up your home for the holidays.

5. Mini Wreath Place Cards by Oh Joy Treat your holiday dinner guests with these gorgeous mini wreaths.

6. Fresh Flower Pendant Light by Paper & Stitch Make a whimsical flower pendant light to hang over your holiday table.

7. Fresh Flower Napkin Ring by Paper & Stitch Gussy up napkins up with mini blooms.

8. DIY Floral Cake Topper from Confetti Pop Dress your Christmas cake up with some winter-white florals.

Flowers are such a simple, eco-friendly way to add some color to your home–I can’t wait to give some of these ideas a try!

Special thanks to The Bouqs for sponsoring this post. And don’t forget to sign up for your 20% off discount, and enter to win a year’s worth of flowers in the comments below!

And if you’re ordering for the holidays, here are their order by dates:

To ensure you or your recipient receive Bouqs on time for the holidays, please place your order prior to the dates below:

Christmas (December 25th):
Order Volcano Bouq by: December 19, 2013
Order California Bouq by: December 22, 2013

New Years (December 31st/January 1st):
Order Volcano Bouq by: December 25, 2013
Order California Bouq by: December 28, 2013