DIY GOLD SOUP CAN FLOWER VASE

Happy Monday! Hope you all had an awesome weekend. Mine was filled with laughter, great conversation, and inspiration. It was my best friend's bridal shower and close friends from afar gathered together to celebrate her upcoming wedding. As we get older, it's difficult to coordinate visits when people are scattered all over, so weddings are an awesome reason to travel and catch up!

This DIY was inspired (and executed) by my friend Megan's incredibly talented florist mother (who did the flowers for the shower). It's a fairly simple project, but the results are stunning and made the tables at the shower ethereal and romantic. As soon as I got home, I had to photograph the results to share with you all!

See how to make these gold flower vases after the jump!

What you'll need:

Metal Cans (Empty soup cans are a good option)
Gold spray paint (Krylon 18 Karat gold is my favorite)
Lace Ribbon
Spray Adhesive

Strip the can of any packaging or glue residue (Goo Gone will do the job). Once completely dry and clean, spray the cans with Krylon gold spray paint. Let dry completely. Repeat if you feel a second coat is necessary. Once the spray paint is completely dried (I would suggest letting the paint cure for at least 12 hours) measure the lace ribbon so it can wrap around the can without overlapping. Spray the cut ribbon piece on one side and wrap around the can. Hold for a few seconds to secure. I suggest varying the position of the lace from can to can to give it a cool eclectic look.

my midweek bouquet

Wednesdays can be so cruel. Sitting smugly in the middle of the week, it smirks at your weekend-loving heart and chuckles as you try to see over the horizon and get a small taste of the upcoming freedom.

Nothing eases the pain of a long-feeling week like a bunch of flowers. To be specific, a wild summer bouquet that currently sits in my room filling the air with whimsical stems and fragrant smells.




They almost make me forget what day it is.

may cut flowers

The month of May welcomes one of my all-time favorite flowers...the peony. The peony has to be one of the most wonderful flowers to watch evolve. You buy them in tight circular buds and a bloom slowly opens, then opens a little more, then opens so wide the petals have nowhere to go but back dive gracefully into a bloom-bursting oblivion.

Between you and I, the best place I've purchased peonies is Whole Foods. Despite their steep food prices and 'Whole Paycheck' reputation, their cut flowers are surprisingly reasonably priced. The types in the photograph below are semi-double and double peonies.

from the garden

My cool-weather-loving spring blooms had a good run, but as the warmer weather slowly slinks in, the ranunculus and garden roses are starting to wither. So I've brought them indoors to die a gloriously fragrant death.




feast your eyes on these lovelies.







I may never leave my room.

Ranunculus and Creeping Jenny

A few short months ago, I was living large-ish. Meaning, I could impulsively splurge on ruffled blouses and Shea butter hand lotions from Anthropologie, or go to Target for a few packs of gum and come back with three pairs of shoes, four tubes of mascara, and a pack of gum. Those days are no more.




My pea-pod size budget of the present consists of food and flowers. Sometimes not in that order.

For example, yesterday at work, a shipment of Ranunculus arrived. As I unwrapped each beauty with their antique-looking bulbs, hardy stems and dinosaur-paw leaves, I couldn't help but hide three in a corner to take home with me. Bye bye dinner budget.



Cutting the extravagances out of my former budget has been a lot like cutting refined sugar out my diet. After a few painful days, or weeks, you stop craving the brownies and the cupcakes. They evoke an 'Eh, I could take it or leave it' response instead of a 'OMG OM NOM NOM'.

(Disclaimer: I'll never stop craving York Peppermint patties)



In the same way, ruffled blouses and Shea butter hand lotions evoke an 'Eh' from me lately. I'd rather have these lovely Ranunculus and Creeping Jenny living by my bedside while I breathe their floral air and eat popcorn for dinner.


* A special thanks to Richie Kelly for not murdering me upon discovering I planted flowers in his Cuisinart strainer (you are a saint..a saint I tell you!)

from advertising to annuals

I'm excited to share some of my newly acquired floral knowledge.



The beauty above is the hyacinth, one of my favorite fragrant cool weather plants. Especially hardy and able to withstand the cold Chicago temperatures, this spring annual should be kept indoors until the last frost and then can be transplanted outdoors. Life span will run around 6-8 weeks depending on care (lots and lots of light and water every other day).



The maidenhair fern is by far one of my favorite houseplants. Delicate and feminine, it adds just the right amount of green to any room. For all it's glory, this little guy is VERY high maintenance and I've killed my fair share of ferns due to lack of trimming and poor environments. My lessons learned: cut off browning leaves down to the root, water when soil feels dry and keep in the warmest part of your home.