A few of my friends that I’ve given a sneak peek at the Home Tour on my new blog have asked me how I put together the sunflowers in the leopard rubber boots. It is so easy its almost embarrassing to be putting this out there. Here’s the scoop…
I had a favorite flower shop I loved when I lived in D.C. (Hardly a week goes by that I don’t wish I could find one like them around here!) I was a frequent stalker shopper! One summer day I noticed they were using kids black rubber boots filled with freshly cut flowers as centerpieces for an event they were preparing for. A real whoop-de-do fundraiser for some heavy hitters in D.C. The owner let me in on his little secret… clear Solo cups filled with water down in the boot. (Kind of like the Toby Keith song right? Red solo cup…I fill you up… let’s have a party!) You can add florist foam soaked in water if you don’t want water sloshing around in there.
So I’ve branched out a bit from his idea. In the spring, I have a little pair of black rubber boots I plant with pansies and set on the front porch. I put a few stones (or sometimes styrofoam peanuts) in the bottom of the a cup for drainage, add potting soil and then plant the pansies in them. Super easy! In the fall, I use my old rubber boots that have a fun leopard print and add sunflowers. Then I use hydrangeas I picked and dried from the garden to fill the top and hide the cup. It’s such a fun little way to dress up a corner of the dining room and it only costs about $3.00 with sunflowers from Farmer’s Market. I buy the flowers from a vendor who cuts them a few hours before the market so they last at least ten days.
Here’s what the process looks like in case you are someone like me who needs to see it in pictures:
Sorry the quality of the photos isn’t spectacular… I took the pictures toward evening with my iPhone when I was in a hurry, as I always seem to be this time of year.
Hope you enjoy this!
Shelley
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